2026 Defence Budget Breakdown (Ministry of Defence)

 

2026 Defence Budget Breakdown (Ministry of Defence)

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently presented Nigeria’s 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, and once again, security sits at the top of national priorities. In his budget proposal for the year, a whopping ₦5.41 trillion was earmarked for defence and security overall — the single largest sector allocation in the entire plan. 

State House Abuja +1

Of that, the Ministry of Defence itself received ₦3.154 trillion, as detailed by the Budget Office of the Federation, showing how much emphasis the government continues to place on strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture. 

President Tinubu emphasized that security spending won’t just be about numbers on paper. The focus, he said, will be on results and measurable impact, particularly in tackling insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes. To make this work, his administration highlighted priorities like modernizing military capabilities, boosting intelligence-led operations, strengthening border security, and using technology to support surveillance and community peacebuilding efforts. 

Below is the detailed breakdown of how the defence budget is distributed across key agencies and units:

2026 Defence Budget Breakdown (Ministry of Defence)

Amount figures are part of the total ₦3,154,393,400,291 allocation: 

1 Nigerian Army

Personnel: ₦1,254,578,791,788

Overhead: ₦81,905,650,221

Capital: ₦167,766,827,712

Total: ₦1,504,251,269,721

2. Nigerian Navy

Personnel: ₦322,906,426,508

Overhead: ₦49,232,066,996

Capital: ₦71,778,216,357

Total: ₦443,916,709,861

3. Nigerian Air Force

Personnel: ₦229,897,541,932

Overhead: ₦68,575,453,013

Capital: ₦110,674,045,165

Total: ₦409,147,040,110

4. Defence Headquarters

Personnel: ₦224,660,197,422

Overhead: ₦7,782,107,884

Capital: ₦24,571,726,934

Total: ₦257,014,032,240

5. Training & Doctrine Command (Army)

Total: ₦112,433,299,986

6. Defence Missions

Total: ₦83,544,018,084

7.bDefence Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Total: ₦68,798,052,189

8. Ministry of Defence Headquarters (MOD/HQ)

Total: ₦41,235,706,852

9. Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)

Total: ₦40,405,039,267

10. Defence Space Administration

Total: ₦40,021,798,778

11. Command & Staff College, Jaji

Total: ₦35,891,400,815

12. National Defence College

Total: ₦29,270,115,446

13. Airforce Institute of Technology (Kaduna)

Total: ₦17,194,251,841

14. Nigeria Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (Lagos)

Total: ₦13,178,223,355

15. Defence Space School (Orogun)

Total: ₦10,972,116,049

15. Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa

Total: ₦9,407,672,418

17. Defence Research & Development Bureau

Total: ₦9,345,102,331

18. National Hydrographic Agency

Total: ₦9,342,650,970

19. Air Power Centre of Excellence

Total: ₦8,756,119,284

20. Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON)

Total: ₦7,653,315,654

21. Defence Intelligence School

Total: ₦4,520,126,459

22. Defence Intelligence Agency Civilian Pensions Board

Total: ₦1,400,000,000

23. Military Pension Board

Total: ₦1,394,438,561

 Grand total for the Ministry of Defence: ₦3.154 trillion — covering personnel, overhead, capital projects and stra

tegic initiatives across the armed forces and defence institutions.