The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his speech at the joint session of the National Assembly on Friday, disclosed that the new security design will transform the nation’s strategy for tackling terrorism and other violent crimes. He further stated that non-state actors armed with deadly weapons, as well as their accomplices, would be classified and dealt with as terrorists.
According to the President, the ₦58.18 trillion budget estimate includes ₦15.52 trillion for debt servicing, ₦15.25 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and ₦26.08 trillion for capital expenditure. He noted that total revenue is projected at ₦34.33 trillion, leading to a budget deficit of ₦23.85 trillion, which amounts to 4.28% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“These numbers are not just accounting lines. They are a statement of national priorities. We remain firmly committed to fiscal sustainability, debt transparency, and value for money spending,” he said.
President Tinubu noted that the budget estimates rely on a crude oil price of US$64.85 per barrel, a daily crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels, and an exchange rate of ₦1,400 to the US dollar. He further explained that the 2026 Appropriation Bill is guided by four main goals: maintaining macroeconomic stability, enhancing business and investment confidence, fostering job-creating growth and reducing poverty, and developing human capital while supporting vulnerable groups.
“Key sectoral provisions include: Defence and Security: ₦5.41 trillion; Infrastructure: ₦3.56 trillion; Education: ₦3.52 trillion; Health: ₦2.48 trillion.
“These priorities are interlinked. Without security, investment will not thrive. Without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale. This is why the Budget is designed as one coherent programme of national renewal,” he disclosed.
He added that “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity” is not about promises but geared towards “a more secure, more competitive, more equitable, and more hopeful Nigeria.”
While summarizing the 2025 budget performance, the President said, “Our 2025 budget implementation faced the realities of transition and competing execution demands. As at Q3 2025, we recorded: ₦18.6 trillion in revenue, representing 61% of our target; and ₦24.66 trillion in expenditure, representing 60% of our target.
“Following the extension of the 2024 capital budget execution to December 2025, a total of ₦2.23 trillion was released for the implementation of 2024 capital projects as of June 2025.
“However, only ₦3.10 trillion—about 17.7% of the 2025 capital budget—was released as at Q3, reflecting the emphasis on completing priority 2024 capital projects during the transition period.”
“Let me be clear: 2026 will be a year of stronger discipline in budget execution. I have issued directives to the Honorable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Honorable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation to ensure that the 2026 Budget is implemented strictly in line with the appropriated details and timelines.” He added.
President Tinubu stressed that the 2026 budget aims to increase support for modernizing the Armed Forces, strengthening intelligence-driven policing, securing borders, and other key sectors.
His address read, “We will invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes—because security spending must deliver security results. To secure our country, our priority will remain on increasing the fighting capability of our armed forces and other security agencies by boosting personnel and procuring cutting-edge platforms and other hardware.
“We are also pursuing a new era of the criminal justice system to stamp out terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes. Our administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counterterrorism doctrine—a holistic redesign anchored on unified command, intelligence, community stability, and counter-insurgency.
“This new doctrine will fundamentally change how we confront terrorism and other violent crimes that have become existential threats to our corporate survival and have heightened anxiety among our people.
“Henceforth, and under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists. These include bandits, militias, and armed gangs, criminal networks with weapons, armed robbers, violent cult groups, forest-based armed collectives, and foreign-linked mercenaries. Groups or individuals conducting violence for political, ethnic, financial, or sectarian objectives are also classified as terrorists.
“Members of any group extorting communities, kidnapping civilians, occupying or seeking to occupy territory within Nigeria will be classified as terrorists. The denominator is that if you wield lethal weapons and act outside the state’s authority, you are a terrorist.
“Any individual or entity that enables the listed groups as financiers, money handlers, harbourers, informants, ransom facilitators, and negotiators will also be classified as terrorists.
“Political protectors and intermediaries, transporters, arms suppliers, and safe-house owners will be declared as terrorists. Politicians, traditional rulers, community leaders, and religious leaders who facilitate and encourage violent actions and terror within Nigeria and against our citizens are also terrorists,” the President concluded.