Gov Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi on Tuesday presented an N884.87 billion Appropriation Bill for the 2026 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly in Abakaliki. The budget, christened the “Budget of Actualisation and Hope,” is anchored on the government’s People’s Charter of Needs philosophy.
Nwifuru said the budget aims to sustain fiscal consolidation, accelerate economic growth, and enhance human capital development across the state. The capital component accounts for N749.49 billion (84.7%), while recurrent expenditure is N135.38 billion (15.3%), reflecting the administration’s commitment to heavy capital investment.
Sectoral allocations include N492.9 billion (55.7%) for the economic sector, N247.97 billion (28.02%) for the social sector, N137.37 billion (15.52%) for administration, N5.03 billion for law and justice, and N1.56 billion for the regional sector.
The governor projected that statutory allocations from the Federal Allocation Accounts Committee (FAAC) would finance 53.1% of the budget, independent revenue 5.5%, and capital development funds—including grants and donor-assisted receipts—37.5%. Borrowing plans are structured to fund productive assets rather than recurrent obligations.
“We are borrowing not to pay salaries, not to fund consumption, but to create a strategic industrial legacy that will serve Ebonyi for generations,” Nwifuru said.
The governor highlighted 2025 achievements, including prompt payment of workers’ salaries, settlement of outstanding pensions and gratuities, and a major empowerment programme that supported over 5,000 beneficiaries across the 13 local government areas.
In education, the government established the University of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) at Oferekpe Agbaja and the University of Aeronautic Engineering at Ezza, with 43 model secondary schools under construction and over 1,000 students receiving postgraduate scholarships. Free maternal healthcare continues, supported by newly recruited healthcare workers.
Agricultural interventions include mechanisation support, fertiliser distribution, revival of the Nkaliki Hatchery, and construction of a major feed mill. Infrastructure projects highlighted include the VANCO flyover and tunnel projects, township road rehabilitation, and rural road construction.
The governor also noted ongoing peace-building efforts and plans for an industrial city and a cement factory. He appealed to lawmakers for the accelerated passage of the bill, assuring prudent resource management, transparency, and equitable development across the state.
“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,” Nwifuru said.
