The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, has urged the media to take a more active role in explaining the Federal Government’s economic reforms and strengthening public understanding of the national budget.
Bagudu said effective media scrutiny of the budget should go beyond identifying alleged irregularities to examining the constitutional process, rationale and development needs behind individual provisions.
The minister spoke on Monday at the Senate Press Corps Capacity-Building Workshop, themed, “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions.”
He urged journalists to interrogate budget provisions thoroughly and rely on evidence before drawing conclusions about alleged insertions or irregularities.
According to him, the national budget conversation should begin with a fundamental question: “What is the national budget, and what should it be?”
Bagudu said Nigeria’s limited fiscal space, relative to its population and development needs, made it necessary to broaden discussions on revenue mobilisation and the scale of public investment required to achieve the country’s development aspirations.
He 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 Agenda 2050 provides a broader framework for the country’s long-term development.
The minister said the ambition to build a $1 trillion economy would require Nigerians to confront difficult questions about how the government could mobilise more resources to finance 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.
Bagudu stressed that decisions on revenue, expenditure and borrowing were closely linked to public confidence, adding that citizens’ understanding and support were important to the ability of both the government and National Assembly to take major fiscal decisions.
He also emphasised the constitutional authority of the National Assembly over the national budget, urging greater public understanding of the relationship between the Executive and legislature in the budget-making process.
On alleged budget insertions, Bagudu cautioned against treating every unfamiliar provision as evidence of wrongdoing, urging journalists to investigate the origin, purpose and beneficiaries of such provisions.
He cited water projects in underserved communities and equipment for fishing communities as examples of provisions that could appear questionable without adequate local context but might be designed to address genuine needs.
He, however, stressed that such explanations should not undermine vigilance and oversight.
“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 affect national security or strategic interests.
While reaffirming the importance of transparency, accountability and the public’s right to know, he said responsible reporting should also take the broader national interest into consideration.
The minister further challenged the assumption that capital expenditure was automatically more valuable than recurrent spending.
He said expenditure on security, education, healthcare, human capital development and salaries of public-sector workers could have significant developmental consequences and should be assessed based on the outcomes they produce.
Bagudu also highlighted the importance of servicing the country’s debts, warning that failure to meet debt obligations could increase borrowing costs and ultimately affect private-sector operators.
He urged journalists to continue holding public institutions accountable without losing sight of 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.
Bagudu said the media had a crucial role in helping Nigerians understand the difficult choices confronting the country, particularly as the government seeks to address years of under-investment in education, security, roads and water infrastructure.
He maintained that transforming the economy would require more than government action, stressing that public understanding, support and participation were also necessary.
The minister urged the media to bring these critical economic and budgetary conversations to the forefront of national discourse.
