President Bola Tinubu on Friday convened an emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the State House in Abuja, just hours before the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The closed-door meeting was held at the Council Chambers shortly after the President formally informed lawmakers of his plan to lay the 2026 budget estimates before them at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025.
Opening the emergency session, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the meeting was called to give final approval to the 2026 budget proposals ahead of their submission to the legislature. He explained that the Council was convened to “put the stamp of approval” on the estimates to be presented by the President.
The development follows an earlier FEC meeting on December 3, during which the Council reviewed and approved key components of the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper, which form the foundation of the annual budget.
Vice President Shettima disclosed that a conservative crude oil production benchmark of 1.8 million barrels per day would be adopted for the 2026 budget, reflecting cautious fiscal planning amid global market uncertainties.
In attendance at the meeting were the Vice President; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Ministers and other members of the Federal Executive Council were also present.
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