From Chinedu Nwafor,Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru on Tuesday presented a total of  ₦884,868,327,429.94 appropriation bill to the state House of Assembly for 2026 fiscal year.

The 2026 budget proposal is far above the 2025 budget which was N536,678,300,000.00.

Presenting the bill which was tagged, Budget of Actualization and Hope”  before the State Lawmakers, at the Assembly complex, Nkaliki, the state capital, on Tuesday, the Governor said the budget proposal contained a strategic plan for fiscal consolidation and for championing a course for sustainable and increased economic growth by bridging the infrastructure deficit, enhancing human capital development and exploiting the opportunities available to our people.

“Why have I held onto this philosophy with such resolve? The answer is simple. It is the only governance model that begins with the people, centres on the people and ends with the people. The People’s Charter of Needs Agenda is a covenant that compels us to ask not what is convenient, but what is necessary

In preparing this budget, we took cognizance of the voices, opinions and feelings of the people through citizen participations,” Gov Nwifuru said.

The breakdown of the budget proposal revealed a total of ₦135,376,004,846.72 was earmarked for recurrent expenditures while the capital expenditure stood at ₦749,492,322,583.22.

The Administrative sector got a total of N137,372,248,272.44, Economic sector received N492,925,572,583.22, Law and Justice got a total of N5 ,032,885,000.00, Regional Sector received N1,564,000,000.00 and Social Sector got the sum of N247,973,621,574.28.

The Governor praised President Bola Tinubu for what he termed his bold economic and social reforms in the country.

According to him, various sectors of the economy witnessed astronomical growth given the presidential bold reforms.

“What was impossible is now possible. Without the removal of fuel subsidy, our budget wouldn’t jump from N89 billion to over N800 billion. That is the evidence and benefit of the removal of fuel subsidy,” he said.