Bagudu, Onigbinde, Rafsanjani Speak Today on Budget Padding, Insertions

…Akpabio, Barau, Adeola, Sani Musa, Adaramodu, Others for Senate Press Corps Workshop

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; the Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde, and the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, will today (Monday), lead discussions on budgetary integrity, insertions and legislative oversight at the 2026 Capacity-Building Workshop of the Senate Press Corps.

The workshop, scheduled to hold at the National Assembly, Abuja, will bring together senior lawmakers, budget experts, civil society advocates, media professionals and technology practitioners to examine ways of strengthening scrutiny of the national budget and improving accountability in public expenditure.

The event, organised by the Senate Press Corps, has as its theme, “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions.”

The Senate Press Corps Chairman, Taiye Odewale, in a statement, also said the Publisher of Eagle Times Newspaper, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, will make presentation at the occasion.

The workshop comes amid continuing public interest in the integrity of Nigeria’s budget process, particularly the processes through which appropriations are scrutinised, amended and implemented.

The organisers said the theme was informed by the need to strengthen legislative oversight and responsible journalism as instruments for ensuring that the national budget reflects approved priorities and serves the broader interests of Nigerians.

According to them, effective collaboration between the legislature and the media remains essential to promoting transparency in the budgetary process and ensuring that citizens have access to accurate information about public expenditure.

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, is expected to attend the programme alongside the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, is also expected at the event.

Other senior lawmakers invited to the workshop include the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa; and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Kawu Sumaila.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana, is also expected to participate in the programme.

The organisers said the presence of lawmakers and senior National Assembly officials would provide an opportunity for participants to engage directly with those involved in legislative scrutiny, appropriation and oversight.

They said the workshop would particularly focus on practical approaches to strengthening the budget process, improving oversight mechanisms and deepening media engagement with legislative activities in the public interest.

The workshop will also feature a specialised training session on the use of Artificial Intelligence tools in contemporary media practice.

The AI training will be facilitated by London-based instructors from Mass Media TX Limited and is designed to expose participants to emerging technologies and their practical applications in journalism and other professional activities.

The organisers said the combination of sessions on budget integrity, legislative oversight, media collaboration and artificial intelligence was designed to enhance the capacity of members of the Senate Press Corps to effectively report legislative and budgetary processes.

They expressed optimism that the capacity-building initiative would promote a better understanding of Nigeria’s budgetary processes and encourage stronger professional engagement on transparency, accountability and responsible public expenditure.

said the workshop was designed to create a platform where media practitioners and key stakeholders could engage constructively on issues affecting the nation’s budgetary process.

The event is expected to attract journalists covering the National Assembly as well as stakeholders with expertise in public finance, legislative advocacy, budgeting and technology.