[VIDEO] 2026 Budget Unrealistic, Not Based On Plan — Senator Abubakar Yusuf

A former lawmaker and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abubakar Yusuf, has faulted Nigeria’s 2026 appropriation bill of ₦68.32 trillion recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

Yusuf, who spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, described the budget as not realistic or backed by a plan.

According to him, Nigeria’s borrowing is almost equal to its budget.

Yusuf, who represented Taraba Central at the Senate, said if he were the President, he would not have signed the budget, questioning how the government would fund the budget.

“First of all, I am a member of the APC, so it’s our government, since the time of President Muhammadu Buhari up till now. However, one cannot but say that we are not getting things right in terms of the budgeting, because before you budget, you must plan.

“It is not about ₦68 trillion. What is the ₦68 trillion for? Is it based on needs or is it based on wants? For me, it’s not a realistic budget, because I have always been talking since I was in the Senate, eighth Assembly, 9th Assembly, we continue what we call splurging the budget.

“I may be wrong, but about 40 per cent of this budget that we have is splurged,” he said.

President Tinubu assented to the appropriation bill which provides for an aggregate expenditure of ₦68.32 trillion on Friday April 17, 2026.

The ₦68.32 trillion budget earmarked ₦4.799 trillion for statutory transfers and ₦15.8 trillion for debt service.

It allocates ₦15.4 trillion to recurrent expenditure and ₦32.2 trillion to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.