Dr. Alex Otti, Abia State Governor, has submitted a N1.016 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to the Abia State House of Assembly.
The spending plan, tagged “Budget of Acceleration and New Possibilities”, represents a 13 per cent increase from the 2025 appropriation. The presentation was disclosed in a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, on Wednesday.
Huge Push for Capital Projects
The proposal allocates N811.8 billion (80%) to capital expenditure and N204.4 billion (20%) to recurrent spending. According to Otti, the capital vote marks a 32 per cent rise from the 2025 capital budget of N726.4 billion.
He said the recurrent allocation also rose, by 33 per cent from last year’s N136 billion, to support administrative functions, personnel costs, and the onboarding of thousands of new workers into the state workforce.
Otti described the N1.016 trillion plan as a bold step to “drive rapid socioeconomic growth and sustained development,” with key investments in infrastructure, social services, and security.
Sectoral Allocations
The statement noted that education and health received a combined 35 per cent of the proposed spending, 20 per cent for education and 15 per cent for health.
Road projects remain a major priority, with N169.3 billion earmarked for the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of roads across the state in 2026.
Revenue Outlook
The 2026 budget is built on conservative revenue assumptions based on current economic conditions. Abia expects to generate N223.4 billion in internally generated revenue (IGR) next year.
Otti said the government intends to fund all recurrent expenditure from IGR, while any borrowing will be strictly channelled into infrastructure development.
