Federal Government plans to lay 2027 budget before National Assembly this year
- The Minister of State for Budget says work on the 2027 budget is under way.
- She spoke after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Tinubu in Abuja.
- Agencies must now attach their establishment Acts to personnel cost proposals.
The Federal Government is preparing the 2027 budget and hopes to put it before the National Assembly before this year runs out, the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, said on Wednesday.
She spoke to State House reporters in Abuja after the Federal Executive Council meeting, which President Bola Tinubu chaired at the Presidential Villa.
Asked when the proposal would reach lawmakers, the minister said work on the 2027 spending plan is ongoing and the target is to present it before the end of the year.
The budget is the federal government's yearly plan for spending, expected revenue and economic targets. Presenting it early gives the National Assembly time to debate and pass it before the 2027 fiscal year begins.
New rules for ministries and agencies
The disclosure follows a September 4, 2026 circular from the Budget Office of the Federation, signed by its Director-General, Tanimu Yakubu. It asked ministries, departments and agencies to send in their 2027 personnel cost proposals together with their establishment Acts.
Attaching the establishment Act is a new requirement. It came after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) uncovered fictitious agencies.
Under the circular, agencies that are not on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) or the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) will not get personnel cost provisions in the 2027 budget.
For ordinary Nigerians, the budget is where decisions on fuel subsidy, salaries, roads, schools and health spending are written down. The personnel cost rules also touch how public servants are paid and how ghost workers are kept off the payroll.
Neither the minister nor the Budget Office gave a specific date for the presentation, and the size of the proposed budget was not disclosed.
What happens next
The budget office will collect proposals from ministries and agencies, and the final figures will be worked into the draft the President presents. Lawmakers will then review the proposal, hold hearings and pass it, usually after adjustments.
