Nigeria: 2027 Budgets Must Align With Spending Plan, Govt Tells States

What the report says

The Federal Government has called on Nigerian states to improve how they plan and carry out their budgets as they begin work on 2027 spending proposals, saying allocations should match development priorities and the resources actually available. The appeal was made in Abuja during a three-day technical workshop tied to the HOPE-GOV programme, which focuses on budget credibility and public-sector performance.

According to Daily Trust, Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning Deborah Odoh said a credible budget should translate government priorities into funded activities. She said states should connect planning with budgeting so public funds are used more effectively. The workshop is intended to help state teams review operational plans, work plans and budget documents, identify gaps in costing and expenditure classification, and align planned activities with budget ceilings.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum secretariat, represented at the event by a senior health specialist, said states are expected to base budgets for basic education and primary healthcare on approved work plans and spend within performance limits. It also said it would continue technical support and peer learning to improve budget credibility, execution and fiscal transparency.

The broader policy context is that Nigeria’s federal and state governments have long faced scrutiny over weak budget implementation and limited linkage between plans and spending. In that setting, the workshop’s focus on programme-based budgeting, the National Chart of Accounts and project tracking is meant to strengthen accountability and help states move from planning to measurable service delivery.