Minister Tasks Media With Raising Public Awareness on Budget Issues

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has called for a balanced approach to budget reporting that combines strong accountability with a clear understanding of Nigeria’s development challenges.

Bagudu spoke at the Senate Press Corps Capacity-Building Workshop, which focused on “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertion.”

The minister urged journalists to intensify their scrutiny of public spending while ensuring that reports provide adequate context about the provisions contained in the national budget.

He said journalists should investigate the origin, purpose and beneficiaries of specific allocations before describing them as unlawful or irregular.

According to Bagudu, effective budget reporting should also examine the constitutional process through which provisions are considered and approved.

He said the media should help citizens understand the choices behind government spending and the development priorities that those choices are intended to address.

Bagudu noted that some provisions could appear questionable when viewed in isolation.

He cited water infrastructure in underserved communities and equipment for fishing communities as examples of allocations that could require additional explanation to fully understand their purpose.

However, he stressed that context should not be used to discourage scrutiny.

The minister said errors could occur because the budget process involves human beings, making continuous vigilance by journalists and legislative oversight institutions necessary.

Bagudu also called for a wider national debate on Nigeria’s fiscal position.

He said the country’s limited fiscal space must be considered against its population and development needs.

The minister argued that Nigerians should examine whether the country is mobilising sufficient resources to fund the level of investment required to achieve its aspirations.

He linked the issue to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Agenda 2050, as well as the ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.

According to Bagudu, achieving such an economic target would require serious consideration of revenue mobilisation, expenditure priorities and borrowing.

He said public confidence was also crucial to the success of fiscal decisions.

The minister explained that citizens need to understand and support major decisions involving public revenue, expenditure and borrowing.

He urged the media to explain the constitutional role of the National Assembly and the relationship between the legislature and executive in the budget process.

Bagudu also cautioned against the assumption that capital expenditure is inherently more valuable than recurrent spending.

He said expenditure on security, education, healthcare, human capital and public-sector workers can have direct effects on economic and social development.

The minister further emphasised the importance of debt-service obligations, warning that failure to meet them could influence borrowing costs and affect private-sector operators.

He also called for a balance between transparency and national security, noting that unrestricted disclosure of certain sensitive information could have strategic consequences.

Bagudu urged journalists to continue holding public institutions accountable while maintaining a broader perspective on the country’s economic circumstances.

He said Nigeria’s transformation would require government action, public support and imagination.

The minister therefore encouraged the media to place fiscal issues at the centre of informed public discourse and help Nigerians understand not only what government spends, but why particular decisions are made and how they relate to the country’s long-term development objectives.