Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, says Nigeria is finalising its 2026 National Development Plan, a key step tied to the administration’s push to grow the economy to $1 trillion within five years.
He spoke in Abuja at the inaugural Annual Advocacy Lecture of the Nathaniel Atebije Foundation for Planning Advocacy, where he said the economic ambition is already shaping government planning decisions.
Bagudu said the target is not being treated as rhetoric but as a working framework guiding policy direction, adding that progress will depend on how well the country aligns planning, investment decisions and implementation across sectors.
He said Nigeria’s current economic position makes the goal difficult but not unattainable, stressing that the bigger task is coordination across government and the wider economy.
The minister said the scale of transformation required cannot rest on government alone, noting that professionals, researchers and private sector actors must be involved in shaping the direction of development planning.
He added that national development goes beyond economic growth figures, describing it as a combination of physical infrastructure, social systems, environmental management and fiscal discipline working together.
Bagudu said the administration’s planning philosophy is built around three priorities: inclusion, long-term sustainability and innovation, arguing that outdated models will not support present-day challenges.
He pointed to physical planning as a recurring weak point in Nigeria’s development, linking poor land use and weak spatial planning to repeated disputes in communities across the country.
According to him, conflicts involving farmers, herders and host communities often trace back to unclear or poorly enforced land use structures rather than isolated tensions.
He said better planning could reduce pressure points in both urban and rural areas, noting that infrastructure, housing and land allocation decisions directly affect social stability.
Bagudu also called for stronger coordination between federal, state and local governments, saying fragmented execution has weakened past development efforts.
He urged a shift away from policy discussions that remain stuck in analysis, insisting that attention must now move to implementation and measurable outcomes.
The minister said rising population growth and rapid technological change make structured planning more urgent, warning that outdated systems will struggle to cope with future demand.
He maintained that Nigeria’s long-term growth will depend heavily on how effectively it manages its physical and economic space, adding that planning failures often translate into broader economic and social pressure.
Bagudu said if planning is done with consistency and discipline, it can open up wider opportunities and reduce structural inefficiencies that slow development.
