Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has presented a proposed 2026 budget estimate of over one trillion naira to the Abia State House of Assembly for consideration. The presentation took place on the floor of the House in Umuahia, where the Governor explained that the budget captures the scale of his administration’s ambition to drive rapid socioeconomic growth and sustained development in the State.
Governor Otti stated that the 2026 appropriation bill, tagged Budget of Acceleration and New Possibilities, reflects a 13 percent increase from the 2025 appropriation. He noted that the plan is designed to fast-track infrastructural expansion, deepen social services, strengthen security and consolidate ongoing economic reforms across different sectors.
According to the Governor, eighty percent of the entire budget, amounting to over eight hundred billion naira, is dedicated to capital expenditure. He added that the remaining twenty percent, which is over two hundred billion naira, has been set aside for recurrent expenditures. Governor Otti also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to Education, pledging 20 percent of the budget to the sector, amounting to over two billion naira.
He explained that over one hundred and fifty billion naira would go into salaries for about 15,000 teachers, alongside the construction of 17 Model Primary and Secondary Schools, three Technical Colleges, staff quarters and ICT laboratories in more than 100 public schools. He added that over two hundred billion naira has been earmarked for interventions across entrepreneurship development, Agriculture, Sports, ICT, Women and Youth Empowerment, Lands and Housing development, Urban Renewal and Cultural Renaissance.
The Governor also announced a target of over two hundred billion naira as IGR for 2026, stressing the need to boost the State’s revenue generation capacity.
Responding, the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Mr Emmanuel Emeruwa, commended the vision behind the 2026 fiscal proposal. He described it as a forward-looking instrument that aligns with Abia State’s recovery path and its effort to lift the State out of the difficult situation it met in 2023. Mr Emeruwa assured the Governor that the House would give the budget proposal the consideration it deserves.
