The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 budget proposal, describing it as “wishful thinking” and warning that it could push Nigeria further into an unsustainable debt crisis.
In a preliminary review of the budget presented to the National Assembly, the opposition party said the proposal reflects growing fiscal recklessness, administrative confusion, and a troubling lack of concern for future generations. According to the ADC, the document represents a dangerous debt trap that could mortgage the country’s future and worsen its already fragile fiscal situation.
In a statement issued late Monday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party faulted the government’s description of the proposal as a “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.” It argued that the budget merely continues what it described as failed fiscal practices under the Tinubu administration.
The ADC said the 2026 proposal largely mirrors the 2024 and 2025 budgets, which it described as poorly implemented or unimplementable, warning that the latest plan may end the same way. The party also criticised the government’s revenue projections, calling them unrealistic and detached from economic realities.
It expressed concern over plans to generate ₦34 trillion in revenue while borrowing about ₦24 trillion, describing the move as an admission of fiscal failure. The party further warned that rising debt servicing costs, projected to increase from ₦12.63 trillion in 2024 to ₦15.52 trillion in 2026, would squeeze development spending and deepen economic hardship for Nigerians.
According to the ADC, continuing on this path risks leaving future generations burdened with massive debt obligations, with little to show for it in terms of sustainable growth or improved living standards.
