Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has urged the media to deepen its scrutiny of Nigeria’s budget process and support informed public debate on the Federal Government’s economic reforms.
Bagudu made the call while speaking at the Senate Press Corps Capacity-Building Workshop, organised around the theme, “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertion.”
The minister said effective scrutiny of the national budget should go beyond identifying controversial provisions to examining the constitutional process, rationale and development needs behind individual allocations.
He urged journalists to investigate budget provisions thoroughly and ask relevant questions before reaching conclusions about alleged irregularities.
According to Bagudu, Nigeria’s budget debate should begin with a fundamental question: “What is the national budget, and what should it be?”
He said Nigeria’s limited fiscal space, relative to its population and development needs, required a broader national conversation on revenue mobilisation and the level of public investment needed to achieve the country’s development aspirations.
Bagudu linked the debate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration’s ambition to build a more prosperous and inclusive economy, noting that the country’s long-term development framework under Agenda 2050 also provides context for its fiscal choices.
He said the government’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy would require Nigerians to confront difficult questions about how the country mobilises resources and finances development.
“Should we continue with a budget that leaves our populace with one of the smallest budgets, or should we consider how we can mobilise more resources?” he asked.
The minister also stressed the constitutional role of the National Assembly in the budget process, noting that the legislature has the ultimate authority over the national budget within Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.
He therefore called for greater public understanding of the relationship between the Executive and legislature in shaping the budget, while urging the media to strengthen its oversight role through evidence-based reporting.
On alleged budget insertions, Bagudu cautioned journalists against assuming that every unfamiliar provision was automatically irregular, saying the origin, purpose and beneficiaries of specific allocations should first be investigated.
He cited provisions for water infrastructure in underserved communities and equipment for fishing communities as examples of allocations that could appear questionable when viewed outside their local context but might address genuine needs.
The minister, however, acknowledged the need for vigilance in the budget process, saying human processes were susceptible to errors and required continuous scrutiny by the media and legislative oversight institutions.
“We are dealing with human processes and human errors. Therefore, vigilance is necessary, and the media and legislative oversight should remain vigilant,” he said.
Bagudu also called for a balanced approach to budget transparency, particularly where the disclosure of certain information could have implications for national security or strategic interests.
While affirming the importance of transparency, accountability and citizens’ right to know, he said responsible reporting should also take the broader national interest into consideration.
The minister further challenged the perception that capital expenditure was inherently more valuable than recurrent expenditure, arguing that spending on security, education, healthcare, human capital and public-sector personnel could have direct developmental impacts.
He also stressed the importance of meeting the government’s debt-service obligations, warning that failure to honour such commitments could affect borrowing costs and have wider consequences for private-sector operators.
Bagudu urged journalists to remain rigorous in holding public institutions accountable while ensuring that budget reporting reflects Nigeria’s wider development challenges.
“How careful are we to ensure that, while insisting on holding public officials to account, we do not lose sight of the bigger picture?” he asked.
He said the media had an important role in helping Nigerians understand the difficult choices confronting the country, particularly as the government seeks to address longstanding under-investment in sectors including education, security, roads and water.
Bagudu maintained that transforming the Nigerian economy would require not only government action but also public support and informed participation, urging the media to keep these issues at the centre of national discourse.
