Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, on Tuesday presented a ₦1.62tn budget proposal for 2026 to the Enugu State House of Assembly.
According to a statement from the governor’s media office, Mbah described it as the state’s transition “from laying foundations to scaling transformation across every sector.”
Tagged the ‘Budget of Renewed Momentum,’ the proposed plan marks a 66.5% increase from the revised ₦971bn 2025 budget.
The governor noted that ₦1.296tn is allocated to capital projects, making up 80% of the total budget, while recurrent expenditure is set at ₦321.3bn (20%).
“We are scaling up. This budget is about momentum, renewed momentum and the determination to transform Enugu State sustainably,” Mbah said.
The administration projects that ₦870bn will come from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), ₦387bn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), and ₦329bn from capital receipts.
Sectoral allocations show the Economic Sector receiving ₦825.9bn (51%), the Social Sector ₦644.7bn (40.1%), and Administration, Justice, and Regional sectors getting ₦128bn, ₦15.8bn, and ₦2bn respectively.
“Allocating ₦825.9 billion to the Economic Sector is both strategic and deliberate,” the governor explained.
“When we invest in agriculture, industry, and trade, we create jobs, reduce poverty, and generate revenue that strengthens the entire economy. The performance of this sector remains central to our vision of achieving a seven-fold GDP growth in Enugu State,” he added.
Mbah also outlined an ambitious infrastructure plan, including constructing 1,200 urban roads and numerous rural roads. The state aims to complete ongoing flagship projects such as the 40km Owo–Ubahu–Amankanu–Neke–Ikem dual carriageway, the dualisation of Abakpa Nike–Ugwogo Nike–Ekwegbe–Opi–Nsukka Road, and the 21.65km Enugu–Abakaliki Expressway.
On transportation, he revealed plans to expand Enugu Air to a 20-aircraft fleet, with 14 additional planes being acquired and three expected before the end of 2025.
The state will also build five modern transport terminals in Emene, Udi, Awgu, Four-Corners (Ozalla), and Obollo-Afor, alongside increased investments in mass housing.
Efforts to develop 20-hectare farm estates across all 260 wards will be intensified. “We already have several farm estates under construction. Agriculture remains a backbone of our productivity agenda,” Mbah said.
The New Enugu City project will receive significant infrastructural support, with 15% of the budget earmarked for 15,000 mass housing units.
Education received major attention, with 32.27% of the budget allocated to the sector. “With 260 Smart Green Schools already completed or nearing completion, we will now move to build Smart Secondary Schools and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Colleges,” Mbah said. He emphasized the importance of investing in education, noting that current spending is minor compared to the future cost of having many out-of-school children.
Health will get 10% of the budget, while ₦11bn has been set aside to expand the state’s security surveillance system. Mbah also announced a ₦20bn allocation to clear longstanding gratuities inherited from previous administrations.
Regarding the 2025 budget, the governor revealed that about ₦806bn has already been spent, representing 97.5% of total revenue and 83% budget implementation.
The state’s IGR is projected to exceed ₦400bn by year-end, marking a 221.6% increase over 2024. Mbah credited part of this growth to President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms. “Our FAAC inflow exceeded expectations by more than half. We projected ₦150 billion but received ₦230 billion — over 50% above projection,” he said, adding that macroeconomic indicators have strengthened under the President’s fiscal measures.
Mbah concluded that the 2026 budget is designed to consolidate gains from the past two years and accelerate development across Enugu State. “This is not just a budget; it is a blueprint for sustained transformation,” he said.
