By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) has called on the Abia State House of Assembly to subject Governor Alex Otti’s proposed ₦1.016 trillion 2026 budget to rigorous legislative scrutiny, insisting that the document cannot be approved without a transparent account of how the 2025 budget and its supplementary allocation were spent.
The civil society organisation, headquartered in Umuahia, issued the warning on Wednesday, stressing that the 2026 financial plan must be anchored on verifiable performance data, audit findings, and a breakdown of all expenditures from the 2025 fiscal year.
According to FENRAD, the 2025 approved budget stood at ₦750.28 billion, out of which ₦611.7 billion (82%) was allocated to capital expenditure and ₦138.6 billion (18%) to recurrent spending. The state also projected a ₦375.14 billion deficit, to be financed through domestic and foreign borrowing.
In mid-2025, lawmakers further approved a ₦150 billion supplementary budget, which FENRAD noted was passed under accelerated procedures and without amendments. The organisation insists that the Assembly must now demand a full utilization report, detailing how the extra funds were spent, what projects benefitted, when funds were released, and what outcomes were achieved.
‘2026 Budget Must Not Be Built on Speculation’ – FENRAD
FENRAD argued that approving the 2026 budget without reviewing the 2025 performance report, the supplementary budget expenditure, and the state’s audit records would amount to endorsing speculative planning. It warned that Abia risks drifting into deeper debt if lawmakers approve another large deficit — projected at ₦409 billion in the 2026 proposal — without a debt sustainability assessment.
The group further flagged the ambitious Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) projection of ₦223.4 billion, describing it as unrealistic unless backed by a clear strategy and breakdown of targeted revenue sources.
Key Oversight Areas Identified
FENRAD urged lawmakers to prioritise:
- A full review of how the 2025 and supplementary budgets were implemented
- Verification of all contracts awarded, especially those funded with borrowed money
- Publication of debt records and liabilities
- Protection of funding for health, education, social welfare, environmental resilience and climate adaptation
- Completion of ongoing projects before approving new capital-heavy proposals
- Stronger public participation in the 2026 budget process
The organisation stressed that allocation patterns in 2025 show a worrying tilt toward capital projects at the expense of social services, warning that flashy infrastructure should not overshadow essential welfare and environmental needs.
Call for Transparency and Public Engagement
FENRAD concluded by urging the Abia Assembly to hold open public hearings and allow civil society, the media, and citizens to interrogate the 2026 budget before passage.
“The 2026 budget is an opportunity to strengthen reforms, but only if it is examined with transparency and accountability,” said Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, the organisation’s Executive Director.
Newspot Nigeria will continue to monitor developments around the proposed 2026 Abia State Budget.
