President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vowed that his administration will show no mercy to terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and their sponsors, declaring a renewed offensive against violent crime as part of a comprehensive reset of Nigeria’s security architecture.
The President made the pledge on Friday while presenting the ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.
Earlier in the day, the Federal Executive Council approved the budget framework at an emergency meeting presided over for the first time by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The proposed budget is titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.”
Tinubu earmarked ₦5.41 trillion for Defence and Security, the highest allocation in the proposed budget, marking the third consecutive year defence and security spending has taken priority since the administration began presenting national budgets in November 2023.
He said the allocation reflects his government’s resolve to make security the foundation of national development.
The President said security spending under his administration would be tied to accountability and measurable outcomes, with emphasis on strengthening the operational capacity of the armed forces and other security agencies through modern equipment and hardware.
Reiterating his resolve to confront violent crime, Tinubu said his administration would deal decisively with terrorists and their sponsors.
“We will show no mercy. We will usher in a new era of criminal justice. We will act firmly against those who commit or support acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes,” Tinubu said.
He disclosed that his administration is resetting the national security architecture and introducing a new counter-terrorism doctrine.
He explained that the new approach is built on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability and counter-insurgency operations.
Under the doctrine, all armed groups or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be classified as terrorists.
Bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cults, forest-based armed groups and foreign-linked criminal networks will be treated as legitimate targets of security operations.
“Our administration is resetting the national security architecture and establishing a new national counter-terrorism doctrine. This holistic redesign is anchored on unified command, intelligence gathering, community stability, and counter-insurgency. Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside the state’s authority will be regarded as terrorists. Bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cults, forest-based armed groups, and foreign-linked networks will all be targeted. We will pursue all those who perpetrate violence for political or sectarian ends, along with those who finance and facilitate their schemes,” the President said.
He added that the government would go after individuals and networks that finance or facilitate violence for political or sectarian purposes, stressing that the new doctrine would fundamentally transform Nigeria’s response to terrorism and violent crime.
Giving a sectoral breakdown of the proposed budget, Tinubu said, “Defence and Security will take ₦5.41tn; Infrastructure will follow with ₦3.56tn; Education will receive ₦3.52tn; Health and Social Services will be ₦2.48tn. These priorities are interlinked. Without security, investments will not thrive. Without education and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale.”
He said the 2026 fiscal plan was designed to promote discipline, realism and sustainable growth.
“We will spend with purpose, manage debt responsibly, and pursue broad-based sustainable growth. The 2026 budget is anchored on realism, prudence, and growth,” he said.
The President disclosed that total revenue for 2026 is projected at ₦34.33 trillion, while total expenditure stands at ₦58.18 trillion.
He earmarked ₦15.52 trillion for debt servicing, ₦15.2 trillion for recurrent non-debt expenditure and ₦26.08 trillion for capital expenditure.
The budget deficit is estimated at ₦23.85 trillion, representing 4.28 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
“Our projections are based on a conservative crude oil benchmark of $64.85 per barrel, crude oil production of 1.8m barrels per day, and an average exchange rate of ₦1,400 to the US dollar for the 2026 fiscal year,” Tinubu said.
The President also declared an end to Nigeria’s long-standing practice of overlapping budgets and poorly funded capital projects, vowing that his administration would operate a single, disciplined budget cycle from 2026.
The declaration followed his earlier request to the National Assembly for approval to extend the implementation period of the 2025 Appropriation Act to March 31, 2026.
