The Lagos State Government has expanded its Social Register with 172,927 newly identified vulnerable households in 2025, strengthening efforts to target social protection programs more effectively.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the development on Tuesday while presenting the state’s ₦4.237 trillion “Budget of Shared Prosperity” for 2026 to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos has continued to refine and expand its Social Register—one of the country’s largest databases for identifying low-income residents. As of the end of 2024, the register had captured 688,759 households and 2,681,507 individuals.
He explained that a statewide verification exercise launched in March 2025 validated 234,764 households as active and eligible beneficiaries. Fresh registration began in August, adding 172,927 more vulnerable households, with enumeration teams still working across communities.
Lagos’ Economic Outlook
Highlighting the state’s economic strength, Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed Lagos’ position as Africa’s second-largest city economy after Cairo, saying the 2026 budget focuses on inclusion and shared prosperity. He noted that expanding the Social Register is part of efforts to deepen social protection, reduce poverty, and cushion residents amid ongoing national economic reforms.
Breakdown of the 2026 Budget
The proposed budget includes ₦2.185 trillion for capital expenditure and ₦2.055 trillion for recurrent spending, which covers overheads, personnel, and debt servicing.
Key recurrent components include:
- Overheads: ₦698.891 billion
- Subventions: ₦201.216 billion
- Dedicated expenditure: ₦184.139 billion
- Total overhead-related costs: ₦1.084 trillion
- Personnel costs: ₦440.449 billion
- Debt servicing: ₦527.280 billion (₦143.876 billion in charges; ₦383.404 billion in repayments)
Sectoral Allocations
- General Public Service: ₦847.472 billion
- Public Order and Safety: ₦147.040 billion
- Economic Affairs: ₦1.372 trillion
- Environment: ₦235.957 billion
- Housing: ₦123.760 billion
- Health: ₦338.449 billion
- Education: ₦249.132 billion
- Recreation and Culture: ₦54.682 billion
- Social Protection: ₦70.024 billion
Lagos has experienced steady revenue growth, with Internally Generated Revenue rising from ₦815.86 billion in 2023 to ₦1.26 trillion in 2024. By Q3 2025, the state had implemented ₦2.056 trillion of the 2025 budget, representing 81% of the prorated estimate.
Earlier, Nairametrics reported that Lagos’ GDP reached $259 billion (PPP) in March 2025, further cementing its status as an economic powerhouse.
