President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has earmarked ₦5.41 trillion for defence and security in the proposed 2026 national budget, making it the single largest sectoral allocation in the spending plan presented to the National Assembly.
The allocation marks the third consecutive year that security spending has taken precedence since the Tinubu administration began presenting national budgets in November 2023, underscoring the government’s focus on tackling Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
The President disclosed this on Friday while presenting the ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In his address, Tinubu emphasised that national security remains the cornerstone of economic growth, investment attraction and social stability.
Under the budget proposal, defence and security will receive ₦5.41 trillion, surpassing allocations to infrastructure, education and health. The pattern mirrors the 2024 and 2025 budgets, in which security consistently attracted the highest funding amid continued threats from terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and violent criminal networks across the country.
“Security remains the foundation of development,” Tinubu told lawmakers. “Without peace and stability, other sectors of the economy will struggle to thrive.”
Earlier on Friday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the 2026 budget framework at an emergency meeting, presided over for the first time by Vice President Kashim Shettima. The council pegged total government expenditure at ₦58.47 trillion, reflecting significant pressures from debt servicing, public sector wages and security obligations.
Breaking down the security allocation, the President said the funds would be deployed to modernise the armed forces, strengthen intelligence-led policing, enhance border surveillance and support coordinated operations among Nigeria’s security agencies.
“We will invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes, because security spending must deliver security results,” Tinubu said.
The President also announced a major overhaul of Nigeria’s national security architecture, including the introduction of a new national counter-terrorism doctrine. The framework will be anchored on unified command structures, improved intelligence coordination and community-based stability initiatives.
Under the proposed policy shift, Tinubu declared that all armed groups operating outside the authority of the state — including bandits, militias, kidnappers, armed gangs and violent cult groups — would henceforth be classified as terrorists. He said their financiers, informants and political or community enablers would also fall under the designation.
According to the President, the tougher classification is aimed at closing legal and operational gaps that have allowed violent groups to operate with relative impunity for years.
Beyond security, the 2026 budget proposes ₦3.56 trillion for infrastructure, ₦3.52 trillion for education and ₦2.48 trillion for health. While acknowledging the strain on public finances, Tinubu insisted that prioritising security was unavoidable.
“Without security, investment will not thrive. Without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprise will not scale,” he said.
The President urged lawmakers to support the budget, describing it as critical to consolidating recent economic reforms and restoring public confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives and property.
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