• As House retains N1.3Trn Capital Expenditure, N321 billion Recurrent Expenditure
• Economic sector tops sectoral allocations with N825.9% of total budget

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has signed the Enugu State 2026 Appropriation Bill into Law, restating his administration’s resolve to redouble the transformations recorded across every sector so far.

Appending his signature to the document at the Executive Chamber, Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday, Mbah thanked Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly for their diligent and expedited consideration of the budget.

He promised to immediately commence implementation of the Appropriation Law tagged “Budget of Renewed Momentum.”

Out of the N1.62 trillion budget, the sum of N1,296,092,465,000,b representing 80 per cent of the budget was allocated to Capital Expenditure, while N321,305,000,000, representing 20 per cent of the budget goes to Recurrent Expenditure.

This follows the established budgeting tradition under the Mbah Administration as the 2024 budget comprised 79 per cent Capital Expenditure and 21 per cent Recurrent Expenditure per cent, while the 2025 budget comprised 86 per cent Capital Expenditure and 14 per cent Recurrent Expenditure.

Also, the Economic Sector leads with N825.9 billion, which represents 51 per cent of the total budget. The Social Sector is next with N644.7 billion, representing 40.1 per cent of the budget, while Administration Sector, Justice Sector and Regional Sector follow with N128 billion, N15.8 billion, and N2 billion, respectively.

Education got the lion’s share of 32.27 per cent, with N30 billion earmarked for schools feeding in the 260 Smart Green Schools, thus maintaining the administration’s tradition of over 30 per cent allocation to the sector in 2024 and 2025.

The budget funding comprises N870 billion Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, N387 billion from Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, and N329 billion from Capital Receipts.

Mbah said the 2026 budget was built on the philosophies of inclusivity, accountability, transparency, traceability, and strong institutions that assures that there is value for every kobo spent.

The governor maintained that the projected N870 IGR target was realisable, saying it only required discipline, creativity, and hard work.

He also cited the administration’s turnaround of the state’s IGR from below N30 billion it met in 2023 to over N180 billion in 2024 and N400 billion in 2025.

“We will be ending this year 2025 with an IGR of N400 billion, which is more than 83 per cent of our projected domestic revenue or IGR of N507 billion for this year.

“However, we are confident that we are not only going to achieve the over N800 billion revenue for next year, but we are also even going to overshoot it. We believe that with the unlocking of the different streams of economic potentials in Enugu State, we will realise our domestic revenue projection,” he explained.

Mbah said his dream was to make the state’s FAAC allocations a saving for the future.

“If you also look at the ratio to our expected Federal Allocation, it would be barely 27 to 28 per cent. It means that if we stay the course and realise this projected revenue for 2026, we can effectively govern Enugu State without recourse to our FAAC allocation. FAAC allocation becomes something we may just save for our children and for the rainy days,” he stated.

The governor, however, emphasised that the ambitious IGR projection could not be wished into existence, reminding appointees to perish the idea of yuletide holiday this year.

“We have projected an IGR of over N800bn. It translates to generating over N70 billion every month. And if you push further, it translates to over N18 billion every week. Again, if you drill down even further, it means we have to make over N2.5 billion every day.

“It is something we have to work extremely hard to realise. So, we do not have the luxury of wasting even one day, because it will be our billions that are being wasted. We feel the weight of the expectations on our shoulders and we are committed to it. We are going to suspend the Christmas for this year to ensure that we secure the future of our children,” he concluded

In his remark, Uchenna Ugwu, the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, said that Governor Mbah’s involvement of the legislature right from the budget formation made its consideration seamless and people-centric.

“Therefore, Enugu people should expect numerous and earth-shaking projects like the roads, the 135.5 rail project, 14 more aircraft, more transport terminals, Smart Secondary Schools, completion of the 260 Farm Estates, among others in 2026,” he added.

The announcement came on Thursday inside the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Enugu, where Mr. Chris-Roberts Ozongwu, the commissioner for Budget and Planning, addressed journalists.

With the calm confidence of someone unveiling a crucial piece of Enugu’s future, he explained that the allocation is embedded in the state’s ambitious 2026 budget.

Just days earlier, on December 2, Governor Peter Mbah had walked into the Enugu State House of Assembly to present what many have called a historic financial roadmap, a ₦1.62 trillion budget, aptly titled the “Budget of Renewed Momentum.”

That budget has since become the talk of the South East. Not only is it the largest ever proposed in the region, it represents a 66.5% jump from the revised ₦971 billion 2025 budget. It also signals a clear priority shift: ₦1.3 trillion, or 80%, is dedicated to capital expenditure, roads, schools, infrastructure, innovation, while ₦321.2 billion goes to recurrent spending.

At the press briefing, Ozongwu underscored that the investment in the new railway is more than a line item; it is a statement of intent.

Enugu, he said, is preparing for a future where the ease of moving people, goods, and opportunities becomes a catalyst for prosperity.

And with the state committing its own resources to the rail project, the stage is set for what could become one of the most significant infrastructure transformations in Enugu’s recent history.

Breaking it down to journalists, Ozongwu said the rail project was in keeping with Governor Mbah’s campaign promise to evolve a multimodal transport system incorporating rail, tram and inland water services to complement existing road transportation in the state.

The rail project is also designed to terminate at doorsteps of the neighbouring states for easy continuation to enhance connectivity, especially among the South East States.

In the same vein, the government also plans to add additional 14 aircraft to increase the fleet of the state-owned airline, Enugu Air, to 20 planes by the end of 2025.

He explained that Enugu Air, which launched in July 2025 with three aircraft, had been quite lucrative, noting that the government had concluded plans to add three planes to the airline’s current fleet to bring it to six before the end of the year.

Other planned key expenditures in the transport in the coming year include a ₦10bn equity contribution to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport concession in line with Governor Mbah’s vision to make Enugu a West African regional aviation and logistics hub.

Ozongwu added that the government had also earmarked another ₦10bn for vehicle manufacturing programme that would see the state procure and have assembled in Enugu a total of 2,100 taxis for the administration’s youth empowerment scheme and the Distress Response Squad, DRS, the state’s special police unit.

He said the government was confident that the 2026 budget would outperform the 2025 budget, adding that Mbah runs the state with a private sector mentality.

He added that the allocation of 51.1 per cent and 40.1 per cent of the total budget to the economic sector and social sector, respectively, underscored the administration’s commitment to private sector-driven economic growth and human development.

“Human life is one of improvements. We achieved about 85 per cent of our performance and it is almost likely that we will continue in that same trajectory to move this state to 90 per cent performance.

“We have the indices to do that. We have the personnel, the acumen and ready to raise the money to do that. Expect better performance next year.

“So, something is going on in this state. It is a feel-good factor. Come to Enugu and invest because your investment is going to be protected, your returns are going to be wonderful. Join us and be part of this success story,” he said.