Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Tuesday presented a N1.62 trillion appropriation bill to the State House of Assembly for the 2026 fiscal year, seeking approval to consolidate the progress recorded by his administration over the past two years.
Presenting the budget tagged “Budget of Renewed Momentum” in Enugu, Mbah said the proposal represents a 66.5% increase over the N971 billion budget for 2025.
He said the upward review is necessary to sustain the impact of reforms and investments already underway across the state.
“Our 2026 budget is designed to sustain the renewed momentum we have built over the last two years, which has remained impactful across all sectors,” the governor said.
Capital expenditure takes lion’s share
Giving a detailed breakdown, Mbah explained that N321 billion, representing 20% of the total budget, is earmarked for recurrent expenditure, while a significantly larger N1.29 trillion is allocated to capital expenditure.
He said the budget framework is anchored on four key pillars:
- Empowerment and education
- Inclusive and people-centred development
- Good governance
- Economic transformation
According to him, “These pillars form the foundation of our development agenda and will guide the implementation of this budget.”
Revenue projections
Mbah also highlighted the funding plan for the 2026 proposal. The budget will be financed through:
- N870 billion from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)
- N387 billion from Federal Allocation
- N329 billion from capital receipts
Sectoral breakdown
The governor said the economic sector received the highest allocation with N825 billion, reflecting ongoing investments in infrastructure, agriculture, and industrial development.
This is followed by the social sector, which received N644 billion, aimed at strengthening education, healthcare, social welfare, and human capital development.
Other allocations include:
- Administration sector: N128 billion
- Law and Justice sector: N15 billion
- Regional sector: N2 billion
2025 budget performance hits 83%
Providing an update on the outgoing fiscal year, Mbah disclosed that the 2025 budget has achieved 83% implementation, adding that the performance figure is expected to improve before the year ends.
Lawmakers pledge support
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Uche Ugwu, commended the governor for what he described as remarkable achievements within just two years in office.
He assured the governor of the Assembly’s full cooperation, including expedited consideration and passage of the appropriation bill.
“We are committed to giving this budget accelerated hearing and passage to support the governor’s developmental agenda,” Ugwu said.
What you should know
- In April, the Enugu State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lion Business Park Limited to establish a world-class industrial and commercial hub within the Enugu Industrial Park Free Trade Zone; a strategic step aimed at boosting the state’s GDP from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
- Speaking at the time, Mbah said the initiative would promote human capital development, stimulate innovation and technological advancement, and create employment opportunities, contributing to shared economic prosperity for Enugu State, the South-East region, and Nigeria as a whole.
