By Matthew Ajai-Kume & Brenda Agba
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, on Monday presented the state’s 2026 Budget estimates in the sum of Six Hundred and Five Billion, Five Hundred and Six Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Four Thousand, Sixty-Six Naira, Sixteen Kobo (₦605,506,764,066.16K), before the Members of the Benue State House of Assembly (BSHA), in Makurdi.
Presenting the budget christened “Budget of Rural Development, Livelihood Support and Sustained Growth,” Governor Alia explained that it is a deliberate strategy aimed at repositioning the state’s economy towards improving the living standards of the people of the State.
The Governor described the budget as a practical roadmap to inclusive growth, stressing that economic progress must translate into better living conditions for ordinary households.
According to him, the sum of Two Hundred and Eighty-One Billion, Eighty-Six Million, Four Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty-Five Naira, Five Kobo (₦281,086,430,485.05K) only is expected to fund total recurrent expenditure, accounting for 46.4% of the total budget size of 2026. This amount according to him, represents a 21.69% increment over the total recurrent cost of the revised 2025 budget, adding that “these votes will account for the sustenance of the payment of minimum wage and other incidental costs associated with our overheads”.
The Governor who emphasized that transforming the state requires targeted investments that unlock rural productivity and improve everyday living conditions,
further stated that, three Hundred and Forty-Two Billion, Four Hundred and Twenty Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Eighty-One Naira, Ten Kobo (₦342,420,333,581.10K) only, is for capital expenditure.
According to him, “Transforming our rural economy is not an option, it is a necessity. This budget prioritizes targeted investments in roads, infrastructure, and activities that will unlock rural productivity and improve quality of life.
“We will embark on a phased rehabilitation and construction of feeder roads linking farming communities to major markets, processing clusters to distribution hubs, and rural areas to health and educational facilities.
“This will reduce post-harvest losses, lower transport costs, and stimulate local commerce. We have allocated 30.23% of the capital budget to the development of rural roads, feeder roads, and bridges. Our goal is simple: connect farmers to markets, children to schools, and communities to essential services,” the Governor explained.
The major key priority areas in the 2026 budget are the sustained growth agenda, covering Education and Health Sector investment, Infrastructure for Long-Term Competitiveness, as well as innovation and Digital Transformation, with an allocation of 55.66%. This is followed by the Rural Development agenda which comprises of Rural Electrification, Water Supply, and Environmental Protection and Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development with an allocation of 30.23% of the capital budget, while the Livelihood support with Social Protection Programs, MSMEs Growth and Cooperative Development is allocated 14.11% of the budget.
While reviewing the performance of the 2025 fiscal year, the Governor acknowledged the economic pressures and security challenges, but highlighted major gains across critical sectors.
He disclosed that security coordination was strengthened through the deployment of 5,000 personnel of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards, working alongside federal agencies and community structures to restore relative peace in previously affected areas.
On infrastructure, Governor Alia reported near completion of two underpasses in Makurdi, and Gboko, completion of about 50 kilometres of roads in the state capital, and ongoing work on over 387 kilometres of roads across the state. These efforts, he said, have placed Benue among the top five states nationally in capital expenditure per capita.
He also highlighted progress in workers’ welfare, revealing that salary arrears inherited by his administration had been reduced from ten months to three, while pension and gratuity backlogs were similarly reduced adding that although the measures placed pressure on state finances, his administration chose to prioritize workers and retirees as a moral and economic necessity.
In the area of agriculture, Governor Alia outlined landmark interventions including the reactivation of the fertilizer blending plant, subsidized farm inputs, distribution of 150,000 oil palm seedlings under the Benue Alia Palm Project, and the test run of a fruit juice factory to curb post-harvest losses.
He added that the near-completion of the Benue Beer project is expected to create over 1,000 direct jobs and deepen backward integration with local farmers.
Education, health, digital skills, and youth empowerment also featured prominently, with investments in school infrastructure, teacher recruitment, digital training for civil servants and youths, and the upgrade of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.
The Governor assured that his administration will continue to maintain strict fiscal discipline, block leakages, and expand internally generated revenue through automation, without imposing undue burdens on citizens.
He further expressed confidence that with legislative support, the 2026 Budget would deepen development, expand opportunities, and secure a more prosperous future for Benue State.
