Tinubu transmits proposed adjustments to 2026 Appropriation Bill to Reps

The objectives, he said are to seek to regularise identified outstanding legacy capital commitments carried forward from prior appropriation cycles, to ensure that the 2026 fiscal programme is not unduly burdened by unresolved obligations from previous years; provide for a limited number of strategic additions in transport,health,and institutional preparedness considered necessary in line with continuity of governance and national development; and align the financing plan of the 2026 Budget with the revised expenditure requirement in a manner designed to preserve macro-fiscal stability and minimise crowding out in the domestic credit market.

The letter reads, "Consequently,the House of Representatives is kindly invited to consider the regularisation of outstanding unfunded N5.71 trillion capital obligations arising from the 2025 Appropriation(Repeal and Enactment)Act,within the 2026 Appropriation Bill,and N2 trillion Capital Supplementation for priority capital projects distributed across multiple sectors and locations nationwide, which were omitted in the rollover into the 2026 Appropriation Bill.This has become expedient as the outstanding obligations are unlikely to be implemented before the expiration of the 2025 capital budget implementation window.

"In addition,provision is proposed for several strategic interventions of national importance,including:

(a)a Federal Government equity provision of N478.6 billion under the Ministry of Finance Incorporated framework for the Presidential Legacy Light Rail Projects in Lagos,Kano,Kaduna,and Ogun States, including feasibility studies for the Enugu and Maiduguri Urban Light Rail Projects,and for the narrow-gauge railway network;

(b)the provision of N8.96 billion to undertake detailed feasibility studies for the Calabar-Maiduguri corridor(traversing the North Central zone)and the Maiduguri-Sokoto Superhighway under the Tinubu National Beltway initiative;

(c)an additional US$344.83 million, equivalent to approximately N482.76 billion,for priority health-sector interventions linked to existing bilateral understandings and implementation commitments;

(d)a further provision of N98.50 billion for the Court of Appeal and N36.7 billion for the Supreme Court to support adjudicatory processes and activities within the architecture of the Pre and Post 2027 General Election cycle; and

(e)N268.54 billion for the reinstatement of the budget ceiling of the Judiciary with considerations for the prospective appointment of additional Justices of the Court of Appeal and Judges.

"On the basis of the presently quantified items,the identifiable gross adjustment to the 2026 Appropriation Bill is approximately N9.08 trillion, comprising N7.71 trillion in legacy capital regularisation and N1.37 trillion in additional strategic provisions.

"To support these adjustments,the accompanying financing plan proposes an equivalent consequential financing adjustment which includes external financing instruments.This approach is considered more prudent in the present circumstances,given the need to moderate pressure on domestic interest rates, preserve private-sector access to credit,and align funding sources more appropriately with capital-intensive,import-dependent expenditure items.

"The House of Representatives may also note that these proposals are consistent with the Administration's commitment to restore budget discipline by ensuring that current-year fiscal resources are applied,as much as practicable, to current-year budget execution rather than being repeatedly absorbed by unresolved prior-year liabilities.

"I accordingly request the expeditious consideration and approval of these proposed adjustments by the House of Representatives."