There are indications that President Bola Tinubu may present the 2026 Appropriation Bill before a joint session of the National Assembly next week.
This follows the transmission of the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) by the president to the House of Representatives on Wednesday for approval.
The approval of the MTEF/FSP will pave way for the presentation of the appropriation bill.
A member of the House Committee on Appropriation who spoke to New Telegraph in confidence disclosed that with the submission of the MTEF/FSP, it shows that the president is prepared to formally table the 2027 budget proposal before the parliament.
“Although we have barely a week and some days to close for the Christmas and new year break, with the receipt of the MTEF today (Wednesday), I can conveniently say that the president is on course to present the budget next week.
“We do not need to spend months working to approve the MTEF. Possibly, we can approve it next week and the president can as well present the budget, so that by the time we reconvene in January, we will start work in earnest on the budget proposal”, the lawmaker stated.
There have been apprehension as to whether the president will present the 2026 budget before the end of the year. Some have also expressed concerns that the late presentation of the MTEF/FSP is a violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
Part II, Section 11(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 states that: “The federal government, after consultation with the states, shall not later than six months from the commencement of this Act, cause to be prepared and laid before the National Assembly, for its consideration, a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the next three financial years; and thereafter, not later than four months before the commencement of the next financial year, cause to be prepared a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the next three financial years.
Meanwhile, the MTEF/FSP was contained in a letter by the president, addressed to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, which was read at plenary.
The letter read: “It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF and FSP) for the kind consideration and approval of the House of Representatives.
“The 2026–2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting on December 3, 2025. The 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions of the approved 2026–2028 MTEF and FSP.”
The president solicited the cooperation of the National Assembly for expeditious legislative action on the submission.
