The Abia State Government has commenced consultations with citizens and stakeholders to identify priority areas for inclusion in the state’s 2027 budget.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Kingsley Anosike, disclosed this at a Citizens’ Engagement Forum at the Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre, Umuahia, on Thursday.
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Mr Anosike said the engagement was meant to ensure that the 2027 budget reflected the needs, aspirations and realities of the people.
According to him, the consultation was particularly important because the 2027 budget will be the last budget cycle of the current administration.
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He said the citizens’ contributions would help determine the priorities and projects to be captured in the Abia State Government’s final fiscal plan.
He said the present administration would not prepare the budget solely from the perspective of government officials without considering the views of the people.
“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 Dr Alex Otti has mandated that we invite you, a cross-section of the public, into this kind of forum.
“We want to bring you up to speed on what we have done so far—meaning January to June this year, that is the half-year scorecard—and then what we intend to do going forward to build up the 2027 budget,” he said.
Mr Anosike said previous citizens’ engagements influenced government decisions, citing the redesign of the latest batch of electric buses to include ramps for persons with disabilities.
He added that the Abia State Government cancelled an initial order for 20 buses after stakeholders raised concerns about accessibility for persons living with disabilities during an earlier engagement.
Abia’s expenditure classified into four areas
Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Budget and Economic Planning, Eric Egwuibe, said the state’s expenditure was classified into administration, economic, law and justice, and social development sectors.
Mr Egwuibe, while reviewing the 2026 budget performance for the first six months, said that N64 billion was allocated to administration, N550 billion to the economic sector, N13 billion to law and justice and N387 billion to the social sector.
He said the economic sector remained critical because investment in infrastructure and productive activities could stimulate economic growth and expand the state’s revenue base.
The governor’s aide said that the Otti administration had made budget documents and quarterly implementation reports accessible to the public as part of its commitment to transparency.
On the 2027 budget outlook, Mr Egwuibe said the state government was working with key economic assumptions provided by the National Bureau of Statistics.
He listed the assumptions as 15.9 per cent inflation, 4.3 per cent GDP growth, $60 per barrel oil benchmark, crude oil production of 1.7 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N1,432 to the US dollar.
Mr Egwuibe said the assumptions suggested that the state might have less revenue available in 2027 than in the current year.
He, therefore, urged citizens to moderate their expectations and prioritise projects capable of delivering the greatest impact.
In their separate contributions, the Acting Clerk of the Abia State House of Assembly, Promise Onwukwe and Innocent Nwaigwe of Okaiuga Alaike Autonomous Community commended the government for engaging citizens in the budget process.
They urged stakeholders to support the present administration’s New Abia initiative for the benefit of all.
In his remark, the Chairman of the Abia Disability Commission, David Anyaele, commended the government for promoting disability inclusion and improving accessibility of public infrastructure.
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Mr Anyaele, represented by Ikenna Ebiri-Okoro, particularly cited the provision of ramps in government buildings as evidence of increased consideration for persons living with disabilities.
The engagement was attended by top government officials, traditional rulers, civil society groups and other stakeholders.
It featured an interactive session during which participants raised concerns and made recommendations on policies, budget priorities and service delivery.
(NAN)
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