Okpebholo Presents ₦939bn 2026 Budget To Edo Assembly

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday, presented a ₦939.85 billion 2026 Appropriation Bill to the Edo State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

Christened the “Budget of Hope and Growth”, the budget contained an ambitious fiscal roadmap aimed at consolidating the gains of Okpebholo’s first year in office and restoring public confidence in governance.

Presenting the budget, Governor Okpebholo said the 2026 fiscal plan was carefully designed to build on the foundation laid in 2025 while expanding the reach of government programmes to directly impact the lives of Edo people across all sectors of the economy.

The budget prioritises critical areas of sustainable development, including security, infrastructure, agriculture, education, job creation and healthcare.

A breakdown of the proposal revealed a total expenditure of ₦939.85 billion, with capital expenditure at ₦637 billion, representing 68 per cent of the budget, while recurrent expenditure is pegged at ₦302 billion, representing 32 per cent of the total budget.

Governor Okpebholo explained that the strong emphasis on capital spending reflects his administration’s determination to fast-track development through strategic investments in roads, schools, hospitals, water supply, housing and other high-impact economic projects across the state.

He disclosed that the 2026 budget would be funded through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) estimated at ₦160 billion, Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations projected at ₦480 billion, capital receipts and grants of ₦153 billion, ₦146 billion from Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), as well as other viable revenue windows available to the state.

Under sectoral allocation, the economic sector received the largest share with ₦614.2 billion earmarked for agriculture, roads, transport, urban development and energy.

The social sector was allocated ₦148.9 billion to cater for education, healthcare, youth development, women’s affairs and social welfare.

Planned interventions include extensive school renovations, the recruitment and training of teachers, the expansion of primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities, as well as investments in youth skills, sports, and entrepreneurship programmes.

For governance and service delivery, the administration sector received ₦157.7 billion to drive civil service reforms, staff training, deployment of digital tools, improved revenue collection systems, support for ministries, departments and agencies, and the full rollout of e-governance platforms.

The justice sector was allocated ₦19 billion to strengthen the courts, improve justice delivery and support legal reforms and access-to-justice programmes, while regional development and local government support will focus on grassroots empowerment, community road construction, rural electrification, water and sanitation projects, and security outposts in border communities.

Okpebholo said the 2026 budget is anchored on his SHINE Agenda, a vision for creating a prosperous and united Edo State where every citizen feels the impact of governance.

He also noted that the 2025 budget recorded strong performance in both capital and recurrent expenditure, driven by improved Internally Generated Revenue.

On security, he said his administration inherited a grave situation marked by cult killings, kidnapping, robbery and cybercrime, with over 300 cult-related killings recorded in 2024 alone.

He said measures, including the enactment of a stronger anti-cultism law, the procurement of 80 Hilux vans and 400 motorcycles for security agencies, and the recruitment and absorption of 2,500 officers into the Edo State Security Corps, were taken, which significantly reduced insecurity across the state.

Governor Okpebholo stated that his government is constructing new primary healthcare centres, providing diagnostic equipment, and is currently building a 150-bed specialist hospital in the Edo Central Senatorial District.

He also outlined the award of 28 new road projects covering 255 kilometres, the construction of two flyovers in Benin City, at Ramat Park and Sapele Road, by Adesuwa Junction, and the rehabilitation of critical roads linking communities across the state.

The governor also stated that the agriculture sector’s budget had been expanded from ₦6.9 billion to ₦57 billion, with over 400 hectares of farmland cultivated and harvesting already underway across several farm clusters.

In the education sector, he stated that the government recruited 5,000 permanent teachers, upgraded 63 schools to modern standards, increased the monthly subvention to Ambrose Alli University from ₦41 million to ₦500 million, and raised the monthly subvention to Edo State University, Iyamoh, from ₦25 million to ₦250 million.

On economic growth and job creation, Governor Okpebholo disclosed that his administration has created over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, launched a ₦1 billion interest-free loan scheme for market women and traders, and has steadily reduced inherited foreign and domestic debts owed to contractors.