November 26, (THEWILL) — Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has presented a N1.39 trillion budget proposal for 2026 to the State House of Assembly, marking a 16 percent reduction from the revised N1.65 trillion 2025 budget.
The move reflects an austerity-focused strategy aimed at stabilising spending, curbing inflationary pressures, and driving growth without resorting to borrowing.
Titled “The People’s Budget of Expansion and Growth,” the plan continues the state’s tradition of prioritising capital investment, with 75 percent (N1.035 trillion) allocated to capital projects and 25 percent (N354.867 billion) to recurrent expenditure.
While substantial, the capital allocation is lower than the inflation-driven surge seen in the 2025 supplementary budget.
Governor Eno emphasised that the 2026 budget reflects citizens’ priorities, gathered through statewide Town Square Meetings across all 10 federal constituencies. “Next year’s spending will focus on projects with direct citizen inputs,” he said.
Infrastructure, Health, Education Dominate Spending
A breakdown of the capital vote shows N387.5 billion allocated for roads and infrastructure, N136.1 billion for health, and N31.6 billion for education.
Eno highlighted that increased federal allocations following the removal of the fuel subsidy have strengthened states’ capacity to fund both recurrent and capital programmes without taking loans.
“I urge you to quickly pass this budget so we may continue to work for our people,” he said.
The governor also outlined initiatives across agriculture, rural development, SMEs, healthcare, tourism, sports, and security.
He revealed that 69,107 farmers have benefited from state agricultural programmes, while 13,060 registered farmers have received processing equipment.
A major 2026 agricultural initiative is the palm tree crop revolution, designed to generate long-term wealth for rural households.
The government plans large-scale palm planting and will guarantee off-take from participating farmers. Additionally, tractors have already been procured for the state’s tractor leasing company, set for commissioning in December.
Reaffirming his decentralisation strategy, Governor Eno noted that the “one project per local government area” model will continue, guided strictly by needs-assessment reports.
This aligns with the 2025 supplementary budget, which prioritised erosion control, emergency works, and rural infrastructure.
Capital receipts for 2026 are projected at N1.035 trillion, comprising N791.978 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and N243.155 billion from other capital sources.
This compares with the 2025 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, which expanded from N980 billion to N1.7 trillion due to rising national economic pressures.
Responding to the presentation, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Elder Udeme Otong, praised the governor for anchoring the budget on the ARISE Agenda and lauded his pledge to remodel the Assembly complex.
He assured that the House would conduct a detailed scrutiny of the proposal to “eliminate waste, prevent duplication, and ensure that projects that uplift citizens are prioritised.
The Speaker said, “Our aim is not merely to approve figures, but to ensure efficient allocation of resources. With continued collaboration between the Executive and Legislature, Akwa Ibom is on the path to unprecedented growth and prosperity.
