The Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, on Monday presented a ₦605.5 billion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to the Benue State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.
The proposed budget, titled “Budget of Rural Development, Livelihood Support and Sustained Growth,” totals ₦605,506,764,066.16 and is aimed at repositioning the state’s economy and improving the living standards of residents.
Addressing lawmakers at the Assembly Complex in Makurdi, Governor Alia said the budget was designed as a roadmap for inclusive growth, stressing that economic progress must reflect in improved welfare for ordinary citizens.
A total of ₦281.09 billion, representing 46.4 percent of the budget, is earmarked for recurrent expenditure.
The governor noted that the figure represents a 21.69 percent increase over the revised 2025 recurrent spending and would sustain the payment of the new minimum wage and other overhead costs while capital expenditure is projected at ₦342.42 billion, with a strong emphasis on rural development and infrastructure.
Alia said targeted investments in roads and other critical infrastructure would unlock rural productivity and enhance quality of life with a 30.23 per cent of the capital budget allocated to rural roads, feeder roads and bridges to link farming communities to markets, schools, healthcare facilities and processing centres, thereby reducing post-harvest losses and transportation costs.
The governor said priority sectors in the 2026 budget include sustained growth initiatives covering education, health, infrastructure, innovation and digital transformation, which will receive 55.66 per cent of capital allocations.
Also, rural development programmes, including agriculture, rural electrification, water supply and environmental protection, will account for 30.23 per cent, while livelihood support through social protection, MSME growth and cooperative development will receive 14.11 per cent.
Reviewing the performance of the 2025 fiscal year, Alia acknowledged prevailing economic and security challenges but reported notable gains as he disclosed that security coordination had improved with the deployment of 5,000 personnel of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards working with federal agencies and community groups.
On infrastructure, the governor said two underpasses in Makurdi and Gboko were near completion, about 50 kilometres of roads had been completed in Makurdi, while over 387 kilometres of roads were under construction across the state.
He said the projects placed Benue among the top five states in capital expenditure per capita.
Alia also said his administration had reduced inherited salary arrears from 10 months to three months, while pension and gratuity backlogs had been significantly cleared, despite the pressure on state finances.
While in agriculture, he highlighted interventions such as the reactivation of the fertiliser blending plant, subsidised farm inputs, distribution of 150,000 oil palm seedlings, and a test run of a fruit juice factory to reduce post-harvest losses.
He added that the near-completion of the Benue Beer project is expected to generate over 1,000 direct jobs.
The governor further outlined investments in education, health, youth empowerment and digital skills, including upgrades at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and digital training for youths and civil servants.
He assured lawmakers of continued fiscal discipline, revenue expansion through automation, and measures to block financial leakages, expressing confidence that the 2026 budget would accelerate development and improve livelihoods across the state.
