FG sets aside N2.3bn in 2026 budget for former Presidents, Vice Presidents

The Federal Government has earmarked N2.3 billion in the 2026 budget for the payment of pensions, allowances and other statutory entitlements to Nigeria’s former presidents, heads of state and their deputies.

Details of the allocation are contained in the 2026 Appropriation Bill under a line item titled “Entitlements of former Presidents/Heads of State and Vice President’s/Chief of General Staff.” The provision covers benefits due to both civilian and military leaders in line with existing laws regulating post-office privileges for top political officeholders.

Budget documents indicate that beneficiaries include former civilian presidents, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as well as former military heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar.

The allocation also extends to former vice presidents and their military equivalents. Those listed include Atiku Abubakar, who served as Vice President between 1999 and 2007; Namadi Sambo, Vice President from 2010 to 2015; and Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who held the office from 2015 to 2023. Also included is Commodore Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe, who functioned as de facto Vice President between 1985 and 1986 during the Babangida military administration.

Beyond former presidents and their deputies, the 2026 budget makes substantial provisions for other categories of retired senior public officials.

A total of N24.79 billion was allocated for the payment of benefits to retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, while an additional N1 billion was set aside as severance benefits for retired heads of government agencies and parastatals.

These allocations fall under recurrent expenditure and are aimed at meeting statutory obligations owed to senior public officeholders after retirement.

Spending on former political officeholders has remained a recurring feature of Nigeria’s annual budgets and often attracts public scrutiny, particularly in the face of mounting fiscal pressures, rising public debt and economic reforms that have imposed hardships on citizens.

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With the country grappling with the removal of fuel subsidies, revenue shortfalls and persistent inflation, allocations for political entitlements continue to raise questions about cost management, equity and fiscal sustainability in the public sector.

The remuneration and benefits of political officeholders, including former presidents and vice presidents, are determined by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). These entitlements are backed by law and typically include pensions, housing, vehicles, medical care and security.

Similar provisions have appeared in previous federal budgets, making the 2026 allocation a continuation of existing policy rather than a new initiative.

It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu, in December 2025, presented the 2026 budget to the National Assembly with a projected deficit of N23.85 trillion. The President disclosed that total revenue for the 2026 fiscal year is estimated at N34.33 trillion.