Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, on Tuesday presented an ₦884.87 billion Appropriation Bill for the 2026 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly.
Presenting the budget, christened “Budget of Actualisation and Hope,” in Abakaliki, the governor said it was anchored on his administration’s People’s Charter of Needs philosophy.
Nwifuru said the proposal was aimed at sustaining fiscal consolidation, accelerating economic growth, and enhancing human capital development across the state.
He disclosed that the capital component of the budget stood at ₦749.49 billion (84.7 per cent), while recurrent expenditure was ₦135.38 billion (15.3 per cent), reflecting the administration’s determination to drive development through heavy capital investment.
A sectoral breakdown showed allocations as follows:
- Economic sector: ₦492.9 billion (55.7%)
- Social sector: ₦247.97 billion (28.02%)
- Administrative sector: ₦137.37 billion (15.52%)
- Law and justice sector: ₦5.03 billion
- Regional sector: ₦1.56 billion
Nwifuru projected that statutory allocations from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) would finance 53.1 per cent of the total budget.
Independent revenue is expected to contribute 5.5 per cent, while capital development funds—including grants and donor-assisted receipts—would account for 37.5 per cent.
He added that the borrowing plan was designed to finance productive assets rather than consumption.
“We are borrowing not to pay salaries, not to fund consumption, but to create a strategic industrial legacy that will serve Ebonyi for generations,” he stated.
The governor said the budget would consolidate ongoing investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, and industrialisation.
He explained that the proposal was shaped by citizens’ needs and aspirations generated through participatory budgeting.
Nwifuru noted that the budget prioritises access to quality education, robust healthcare delivery, agricultural expansion, youth empowerment, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) development.
Highlighting key achievements of the 2025 fiscal year, he listed prompt payment of workers’ salaries, settlement of outstanding pensions and gratuities inherited from previous administrations, and a major empowerment programme that provided capital support to more than 5,000 beneficiaries across the 13 Local Government Areas.
On education, the governor said the state had invested massively with the establishment of the University of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) at Oferekpe Agbaja and the University of Aeronautic Engineering at Ezza.
He added that 43 model secondary schools were under construction, while over 1,000 students had been awarded local and international postgraduate scholarships.
Nwifuru stated that free maternal healthcare remained in force across the state, and additional healthcare workers had been recruited to strengthen service delivery.
He also highlighted interventions in agriculture, including mechanisation support, fertiliser distribution, revival of the Nkaliki Hatchery, and construction of a major feed mill.
On infrastructure, the governor expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on the VANCO flyover and tunnel projects, township road rehabilitation, and rural road construction.
He added that peace-building efforts had stabilised many communities, and plans to establish an industrial city and a cement factory were underway.
Nwifuru appealed to lawmakers for accelerated passage of the bill, assuring that his administration would manage resources prudently for the benefit of the people.
He reiterated his commitment to transparency, accountability, and equitable development across all communities.
He noted that the budget size was the largest in the state’s history, demonstrating his administration’s resolve to pursue meaningful development and long-term investments.
“Our goal is simple: to lift Ebonyi higher and ensure that every citizen feels the impact of governance. This budget is crafted to ensure that the efforts we have started translate into tangible realities for our people. It is a budget of hope, but more importantly, one of actualisation,” the governor said.
