Minister Calls for More Public-Focused Media Coverage of National Budget

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has called for a wider national conversation on the size of Nigeria’s budget, revenue mobilisation and the resources required to finance the country’s development priorities.

Bagudu made the call at the Senate Press Corps Capacity-Building Workshop, where he urged journalists to help Nigerians better understand the choices behind the national budget.

The workshop was organised under the theme, “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertion.”

The minister said Nigeria’s budget discussion should not be restricted to arguments over individual allocations. Instead, he said citizens should also examine whether the country is mobilising sufficient resources to address its development needs.

Bagudu noted that Nigeria’s fiscal space remains limited when considered against its population and the scale of infrastructure and social needs confronting the country.

He questioned whether the nation could achieve its development aspirations without increasing the resources available for public investment.

According to the minister, Nigeria must have an honest conversation about revenue generation, expenditure and borrowing.

He linked the discussion to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Agenda 2050, stressing that the ambition to build a $1 trillion economy would require significant resources and careful fiscal decisions.

Bagudu urged the media to help citizens understand these issues rather than concentrating exclusively on controversies surrounding budget allocations.

He said journalists should ask what a particular provision is designed to achieve, who benefits from it and whether it addresses an identified development need.

The minister also addressed concerns over alleged unlawful budget insertions. He cautioned that the mere appearance of an unfamiliar provision should not be sufficient grounds to conclude that it is irregular.

He said journalists should investigate the origin and purpose of such allocations and establish the beneficiaries before making claims about their legality.

Bagudu cited water infrastructure in underserved areas and equipment for fishing communities as examples of provisions that could be misunderstood when reported without adequate local context.

He nevertheless stressed that proper context should not reduce the level of scrutiny applied to the budget.

According to him, human beings are responsible for preparing and implementing budgets, meaning that mistakes can occur. He therefore called for continued vigilance by both the media and legislative oversight institutions.

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Bagudu also urged journalists to explain the constitutional responsibilities of the National Assembly in the budget process.

He said Nigerians should understand that the legislature has a constitutional role in considering and approving the national budget and that effective oversight requires public understanding of the relationship between the executive and legislature.

The minister further addressed the debate over capital and recurrent spending. He said recurrent expenditure should not automatically be regarded as unproductive because spending on security, education, healthcare, human capital and public-sector workers can contribute directly to national development.

He also warned about the consequences of failing to meet debt-service obligations, saying such failure could affect borrowing costs and have implications for private-sector businesses.

Bagudu called for a balanced approach to transparency, especially where certain information could have implications for national security or strategic interests.

He urged the media to continue demanding accountability while ensuring that budget reporting reflects Nigeria’s wider economic realities.

According to him, the country’s economic transformation will require government policies, public understanding and innovative thinking about how resources are mobilised and deployed.