By Ruben Mario Brodrick
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday presented an audacious ₦939.85 billion Appropriation Bill for the 2026 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly, which he christened the “Budget of Hope and Growth.” This proposal outlines an ambitious fiscal roadmap designed to consolidate the gains of his first year in office, significantly accelerate development, and restore public confidence in governance.
Governor Okpebholo affirmed that the 2026 fiscal plan is a strategic blueprint to build on the foundations laid in 2025, ensuring government programmes directly and positively impact the lives of Edo citizens across all sectors of the economy. The budget strategically prioritises key areas critical to sustainable development, including security, infrastructure, agriculture, education, job creation, and healthcare, with a focus on delivering "development the people can see and feel."
The defining feature of this plan is its heavy commitment to capital spending, with a breakdown showing a total expenditure of ₦939.85 billion, where
capital expenditure stands at ₦637 billion (68 per cent of the budget) and recurrent expenditure is pegged at ₦302 billion (32 per cent).
The Governor explained that this heavy tilt towards capital investment underscores his administration’s resolve to fast-track development through investments in critical public works such as roads, schools, hospitals, water supply, and other economically impactful projects across the state.
The Governor disclosed that funding for the 2026 budget would be sourced from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) projected at ₦160 billion, Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) inflows estimated at ₦480 billion, capital receipts and grants of ₦153 billion, as well as ₦146 billion expected from Public-Private Partnerships and other revenue windows. He assured Edo residents that the government would not impose unnecessary financial burdens, stressing that efforts would instead be intensified to strengthen revenue systems, block leakages, and improve public finance management.
In the sectoral allocation, the economic sector received the largest share with
₦614.2 billion earmarked for agriculture, roads, transport, urban development, and energy, with priority given to rural and urban road construction, completion of two flyovers, drainage works, urban renewal, and expansion of farm estates and irrigation facilities. The social sector was allocated
₦148.9 billion to cater for education, healthcare, youth development, women affairs, and social welfare, including plans for extensive school renovations, recruitment and training of teachers, expansion of healthcare facilities, and investments in youth skills, sports, and entrepreneurship programmes.
For governance and service delivery, the administration sector was allocated
₦157.7 billion to drive civil service reforms, deployment of digital tools, improved revenue collection systems, and the rollout of e-governance platforms. The justice sector received
₦19 billion to strengthen courts, enhance justice delivery, and support legal reforms, while regional development and local government support will focus on grassroots empowerment, community roads, rural electrification, water and sanitation projects, and security outposts in border communities. Governor Okpebholo stated that the 2026 Budget of Hope and Growth is fundamentally anchored on his
SHINE Agenda, built around five pillars of Security, Health, Infrastructure, Natural Resources/Agriculture, and Education, with the ultimate vision of creating a prosperous, united Edo State where every citizen feels the impact of governance.
He concluded by expressing gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for national reforms that have boosted revenue flows and commended the Speaker and members of the House for their cooperation, formally laying the 2026 Appropriation Bill before the Assembly for consideration and approval.
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