NEWS
Abia Begins 2027 Budget Preparation, Says Citizens’ Voices Will Shape Otti Administration’s Final Fiscal Plan
Abia Begins 2027 Budget Preparation, Says Citizens’ Voices Will Shape Otti Administration’s Final Fiscal Plan
…as State Gov. Seeks Citizens’ Input As 2027 Budget Process Begins
The Abia State Government has commenced consultations toward the preparation of the 2027 Appropriation Bill, with the Ministry of Budget and Planning convening a One-Day Citizens’ Engagement Forum to give residents and other stakeholders a direct role in determining the priorities of the state’s next budget.
The forum, held on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre, Umuahia, brought together government officials, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, representatives of persons with disabilities and other stakeholders to assess the state’s performance during the first half of 2026 and make recommendations for the 2027 fiscal year.
The engagement is particularly significant as the 2027 budget is expected to be the final budget cycle of the administration of Governor Alex Otti, making citizens’ contributions critical to determining the projects, policies and programmes that will define the government’s concluding fiscal plan.
Speaking at the forum, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Kingsley Anosike, said the government deliberately organised the consultation to ensure that the 2027 budget reflects the actual needs, aspirations and priorities of Abians rather than being designed exclusively by government officials.
He said the administration was determined to maintain an open budgeting process in which citizens could evaluate what had been achieved, identify gaps and influence what should receive priority in the coming fiscal year.
“We do not want to go into a room and build a budget that does not speak to the needs of the people we serve.
“That is why His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti has mandated that we invite you, a cross-section of the public, into this kind of forum where we bring you up to speed on how we have done so far.
“So far meaning January to June this year, that is half year scorecard and then what we intend to do going forward to the build-up of the 2027 budget.
“If you recall, by about this time last year, we assembled here and we had this kind of discussion also. And we want to tell you how far we have gone this year in actualizing that discussion that we had last year,“ Anosike explained.
The commissioner stressed that the value of citizens’ engagement was not merely in gathering opinions but in translating legitimate concerns raised by residents into concrete government decisions.
He pointed to the state government’s electric bus programme as an example, explaining that concerns raised during an earlier citizens’ engagement over the accessibility of public transportation for persons living with disabilities prompted the government to reconsider its initial plans.
According to Anosike, the government eventually cancelled an initial batch of 20 electric buses after stakeholders raised concerns about their suitability for persons with disabilities. The latest batch, he said, was redesigned to incorporate ramps and other accessibility features.
The development, he noted, demonstrated that citizens’ participation could directly influence government policies and infrastructure decisions when such engagements were taken seriously.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Budget and Planning, Dr Eric Egwuibe, gave an overview of the state’s 2026 budget implementation during the first six months of the year.
Egwuibe explained that the state’s expenditure framework is structured around four major sectors: administration, economic affairs, law and justice, and social development.
According to him, the 2026 budget allocated ₦64 billion to administration, ₦550 billion to the economic sector, ₦13 billion to law and justice, and ₦387 billion to the social sector.
He emphasised the importance of the economic sector, noting that sustained investment in infrastructure and productive activities has the potential to stimulate economic growth, improve economic opportunities and ultimately expand the state’s revenue base.
The governor’s aide also highlighted the administration’s efforts to strengthen fiscal transparency by making budget documents and quarterly budget implementation reports available to members of the public.
On the preparation of the 2027 budget, Egwuibe said the state was working with key economic assumptions provided by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The assumptions include an inflation rate of 15.9 per cent, GDP growth of 4.3 per cent, an oil price benchmark of $60 per barrel, oil production of 1.7 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of ₦1,432 to the dollar.
He explained that the projections suggest the state could have fewer resources available in 2027 compared with the current fiscal year, making prioritisation and prudent allocation of available funds particularly important.
Egwuibe therefore urged citizens and stakeholders to moderate their expectations and support the prioritisation of projects and programmes capable of delivering the greatest impact across the state.
In their separate contributions, the Acting Clerk of the Abia State House of Assembly, Comrade Promise Onwukwe, and the Traditional Ruler of Okaiuga Alaike Autonomous Community, Ohuhu, Eze Innocent Nwaigwe, commended the Otti administration for adopting a people-oriented approach to governance through regular stakeholder consultations.
They urged Abians and other stakeholders to continue supporting the New Abia project, stressing the importance of collective participation in sustaining the state’s development efforts.
The representative of the Chairman of the Abia State Disability Commission, Mr Ikenna Ebiri, also commended the government for what he described as progress in creating a more disability-inclusive environment.
Ebiri particularly highlighted the state’s disability-inclusive climate policy and improvements in the accessibility of public infrastructure, including the installation of ramps in government buildings.
The forum subsequently provided an interactive platform where participants questioned government officials, sought clarification on policies and programmes, highlighted areas of concern and made recommendations on budget priorities and service delivery.
With the 2027 budget expected to serve as the final major fiscal blueprint of the current administration, the engagement marks another step in Abia’s evolving participatory budgeting process, placing citizens and stakeholders at the centre of discussions on how scarce public resources should be deploy
ed to deliver the greatest impact across the state.
