By Our correspondent

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, on Monday called for stronger collaboration between the National Assembly and the media to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s national budget from unlawful insertions.

Bagudu made the call while presenting a paper at the 2026 Capacity-Building Workshop of the Senate Press Corps (SPC) held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The workshop, with the theme: *“Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions,”* was organized by the SPC under its Chairman, Taiye Odewale.

According to Bagudu, national planning is not optional but a constitutional obligation, and every insertion that is outside approved development priorities undermines sustainable growth.

He said the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has introduced difficult but necessary reforms, and the budget must reflect those priorities transparently.

“The total 2026 budget rose to N68.32 trillion after necessary adjustments. We must ensure that what is finally appropriated reflects approved priorities and serves the broader interests of Nigerians,” the Minister was quoted as saying.

Bagudu reaffirmed the commitment of the Executive to work with the Legislature to close gaps between development plans and annual budgets, noting that weak alignment continues to undermine service delivery.

He stressed that legislative oversight and responsible journalism remain critical instruments to detect and expose questionable budgetary practices, including the alleged external insertion of the Presidential Fiscal and Infrastructure Project Cost (PFIPC) which is already being challenged in court by the Executive.

Earlier, SPC Chairman Taiye Odewale said the theme was chosen against the backdrop of public concern over budget padding and the need to strengthen oversight, responsible journalism and public accountability.

The workshop also included intensive training on Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools facilitated by London-based instructors from Mass Media TX Limited to equip Senate Press Corps members with emerging technologies for data analysis and investigative reporting. ba882a29

By George Mgbeleke

The controversial allocation of N1.3 billion to a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 budget dominated discussions on Monday at the Senate Press Corps (SPC) Capacity-Building Workshop in Abuja, as stakeholders called for stronger legislative oversight and media collaboration to safeguard the national budget.

The workshop, held at Hearing Room 231, National Assembly Complex, with the theme *“Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions,”* brought together the Executive, civil society, budget experts and journalists.

In his welcome address, Chairman of the Senate Press Corps, Chief Taiye Odewale alias Baba T., said the alleged N1.3bn allocation to the non-existent PFIPC exposed the urgent need for stronger checks against unlawful insertions.

Odewale said SPC findings showed that the allocation was not part of the N9.853 trillion added by the National Assembly to the N58.47 trillion Executive proposal that produced the N68.32 trillion 2026 budget.

He said the controversy prompted the workshop to strengthen collaboration between legislative oversight and the media in detecting questionable budget entries and to equip journalists with better knowledge of budget scrutiny and AI tools for professional reporting.

The first paper titled: *“Critical Scrutiny of Budget Line Items: Preventing Garbage In, Garbage Out and Strengthening the Roles of Legislators and the Media”* was presented by Mr. Ebu Emmanuel who represented the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani.

Key takeaways from his paper include that budget provisions must be justified, transparent, properly costed and measurable, warning that vague, duplicated or inflated items fuel waste.

He cited ICPC findings which claimed that about 4,508 inserted/padded projects worth N434.5bn and 66 duplicated projects worth N6.43bn were included in the 2022 budget.

He urged lawmakers to scrutinise provisions before appropriation, verify their purpose, MDA, location, beneficiaries, cost and expected results, and maintain a clear audit trail from proposal to final budget.

CISLAC urged the media to scrutinise budget changes, verify projects and track implementation, while institutions collaborate to strengthen transparency.

He suggested that the media should ask key questions: “What changed, why, who justified it, what will it cost, where will it be implemented, who benefits and how will delivery be verified?”

He recommended that accountability should cover proposal, justification, verification, approval, disclosure, implementation, monitoring, audit and accountability.

The second paper titled: *“From Insertion to Interrogation, the National Assembly’s Role in Evaluating the Executive’s Budget Proposal: A Guide and Roadmap for Evidence-Based, Citizen-Centred and Technology-Enabled Budget Scrutiny”* was delivered by the Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde, represented by the Country Director of BudgIT Foundation, Vahyala Kwaga.

Onigbinde argued that budget scrutiny by the National Assembly is too often focused on appropriations rather than on public policy performance, which should be a critical component of the legislative budget process.

He identified persistent challenges affecting Nigeria’s budgeting process from the perspectives of different arms of government.

On the part of the Executive, he identified late submission of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF-FSP) to the National Assembly as a recurring challenge, which often results in expenditure projections exceeding credible available resources.

On the role of the National Assembly, he noted that limited engagement with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) contributes to weakened legislative oversight of budget implementation and performance.

BudgIT therefore recommended early submission of the budget proposal to the National Assembly at least 90 days before the end of the financial year, to allow sufficient time for review.

It also recommended that the National Assembly assess the performance of an agency’s previous budget before approving a new allocation, and called for stakeholder participation in the budget proposal and review process.

The MD/Publisher of The Eagle Times Newspaper, Mr. Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Tabuko Kennedy, in his presentation titled: *“Making the Eagle Eye of the Media Sharper at Yearly Budget Scrutinies,”* identified weak budget scrutiny by the media, including overreliance on headline figures and official statements, poor understanding of budget data, limited follow-up, failure to compare allocations across years, detect duplication, verify projects on the ground and track spending from allocation to impact.

In his recommendations, he urged journalists to follow the money by comparing budgets, releases, expenditure, outputs and impact; scrutinise projects through data and field verification; check previous budgets, audit reports and procurement records; investigate red flags and distinguish verified facts from official claims.

He also proposed a Senate Press Corps Budget Accountability Reporting Desk, a joint budget scrutiny report within 72 hours of budget presentation, a public database of major projects and tracking at least 10 projects from budget document to project site.

Ms. Adeola Ademokaya, Nigeria Representative of Mass Media LLC Texas, who was Consultant and Moderator, in her presentation focused on how Artificial Intelligence can strengthen legislative budget oversight and parliamentary journalism.

She stressed that the national budget is a public trust, covering critical areas such as roads, schools, healthcare, security, jobs and infrastructure.

She said AI can help journalists analyse lengthy budget documents, compare different versions, identify vague project descriptions, unusual figures and possible duplication, and generate relevant questions for budget defence sessions. It can also simplify complex budget issues for radio, television, newspapers and social media.

However, she emphasised that AI is an assistant, not the final authority. Journalists must verify information with official documents, seek responses and exercise editorial judgment before publication.

The core message was simple: Read, question, verify, seek clarification and report responsibly. AI can make journalists faster and more effective, but human judgment remains central to credible journalism.

The workshop drew participation from lawmakers, budget experts, civil society advocates and members of the Senate Press Corps.

By Our Correspondent

The National Movement for Tinubu-Shettima 2027 – Forward Nigeria has called for three days of national prayers for Nigeria, expressing optimism that the country will overcome its challenges and achieve stronger economic recovery, peace and sustainable development.

In a statement on Sunday signed by its National Coordinating Chairman, Prof. Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, the Movement said the prayer initiative was aimed at strengthening hope, unity and faith in Nigeria as the country approaches its 66th Independence Anniversary on October 1, 2026.

The Movement said Nigeria was at an important stage of its national development, with ongoing efforts to address insecurity, strengthen the economy, improve food and national security, create opportunities and expand social development.

It called on its members across the country and in the diaspora to pray for the success of the economic and social reforms being implemented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The Movement expressed support for the administration’s reform programme, urging Nigerians to remain confident in the process and support its continuation for another four years to consolidate and complete the economic and social reform agenda.

It said the prayers would focus on workers, farmers, fishermen, traders, transporters and other productive sectors, seeking safer farming communities, increased agricultural production, efficient food distribution and greater food availability.

On security, the Movement prayed for an end to kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes, as well as the safe return of Nigerians held captive by kidnappers.

It commended the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies for their sacrifices in protecting Nigerians, while praying for the families of personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

It also called for protection, wisdom and courage for serving security officers, while extending prayers to children, women, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, elderly citizens and other vulnerable Nigerians affected by insecurity and displacement.

The Movement called for sustained efforts to create a safer environment where children can attend school, families can live peacefully and citizens can pursue their livelihoods without fear.

On governance, it prayed for President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, governors, lawmakers, members of the judiciary, traditional rulers, public servants and other leaders at all levels, asking God to grant them wisdom and courage in advancing the country’s economic, security and development objectives.

The Movement also called for national unity, urging Nigerians to reject ethnic, religious, regional and political divisions and embrace peaceful coexistence.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, it appealed for responsible, patriotic and issues-based political engagement, urging political actors to avoid campaigns of calumny, incendiary rhetoric and other conduct capable of deepening national divisions.

It further prayed for a peaceful, orderly, credible and transparent electoral process, stressing that political competition should strengthen Nigeria’s democracy rather than become a source of acrimony, division and violence.

“Let these three days be a period of prayer, reflection, compassion, unity and hope,” the Movement said.

It urged Nigerians to remember victims of violence, families awaiting the return of abducted relatives, fallen security personnel and communities affected by insecurity.

The Movement said its vision remained a Nigeria where all citizens could live, work, travel, farm, learn, worship and raise their families in peace and prosperity.

Alkali urged members of the National Movement across the country to participate fully in the three-day prayers, stressing that Nigeria remained a common home whose future required collective commitment and defence.

He expressed hope that the country would continue to experience greater peace, economic recovery, prosperity, stability and democratic development.