Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi on Tuesday presented an N884.87 billion appropriation bill for the 2026 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.

Presenting the budget christened “Budget of Actualisation and Hope” to the assembly in Abakaliki, the governor said it was anchored on the government’s People’s Charter of Needs philosophy.

Mr Nwifuru said the proposal was aimed at sustaining fiscal consolidation, accelerating economic growth, and enhancing human capital development across the state.

The governor disclosed that the capital component of the budget accounted for N749.49 billion, or 84.7 per cent, while recurrent expenditure stood at N135.38 billion, representing 15.3 per cent.

According to him, the structure reflects the administration’s determination to drive development through heavy capital investment.

A breakdown of the sectoral allocations showed that the economic sector received N492.9 billion (55.7 per cent), the social sector N247.97 billion (28.02 per cent) and the administrative sector N137.37 billion (15.52 per cent).

The law and justice sector got N5.03 billion, while the regional sector received N1.56 billion.

The governor projected that statutory allocations from the Federal Allocation Accounts Committee (FAAC) would finance 53.1 per cent of the total budget.

He said that independent revenue would contribute 5.5 per cent, and capital development funds, including grants and donor-assisted receipts, would account for 37.5 per cent.

Mr Nwifuru added that the borrowing plan was structured to finance productive assets rather than just 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,” he stated.

Mr Nwifuru explained that the proposed budget was shaped by the needs and aspirations of citizens generated through participatory budgeting.

The governor noticed that it prioritised access to quality education, robust healthcare delivery, agricultural expansion, youth empowerment, and the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

He highlighted key achievements of the 2025 budget year, including prompt payment of workers’ salaries and the settlement of outstanding pensions and gratuities inherited from previous administrations.

Mr Nwifuru said the administration also executed a major empowerment programme, which disbursed capital support to more than 5,000 beneficiaries across the 13 local government areas.

On education, Mr Nwifuru said the government had invested massively in the sector with the establishment of the University of Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) at Oferekpe Agbaja and the University of Aeronautic Engineering at Ezza.

He said 43 model secondary schools were under construction, while over 1,000 students were awarded foreign and local postgraduate scholarships.

The governor stated that free maternal healthcare for pregnant women remained in force, while healthcare workers had been recruited to strengthen service delivery.

He also listed interventions in agriculture, including mechanisation support, fertiliser distribution, the revival of the Nkaliki Hatchery, and the construction of a major feed mill.

On infrastructure, Mr Nwifuru expressed satisfaction with the pace of work at the VANCO flyover and tunnel projects, township road rehabilitation, and rural road construction.

He added that peace-building efforts had stabilised many communities and that plans to establish an industrial city and a cement factory were underway.

Mr Nwifuru appealed to the lawmakers to give accelerated passage to the bill, assuring that his administration would manage available resources prudently for the benefit of the people.

He noted that the budget was the largest in the state’s history and demonstrated his government’s resolve to pursue meaningful development and long-term investments.

“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.

(NAN)