Enugu LGA Proposes ₦18.87bn For 2026 Fiscal Year

A sum of ₦18.87bn has been proposed by the Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State for the 2026 fiscal year.

The Chairman of the local government area, Pastor Beloved Dan Anike, disclosed this during the presentation of the budget to the council’s legislative council.

He said the budget was anchored on infrastructure expansion, economic growth, social welfare and institutional consolidation.

Christened “The Budget of Consolidation and Economic Advancement,” the council chairman described the 2026 fiscal year “as a decisive scaling phase” for his administration.

He said while 2025 served as a transition period for stabilising systems and aligning policies, the coming year would focus on accelerating delivery and deepening the impact of governance across communities.

He stated that the proposed budget represented “a significant expansion over the 2025 estimates and is deliberately investment-driven, with 78 per cent allocated to capital expenditure and 22 per cent to recurrent expenditure, reflecting the council’s commitment to growth-oriented spending”.

Appraising the outgoing fiscal year, Pastor Anike said the council made targeted interventions in education, healthcare, youth development and infrastructure.

WAEC examination fees were paid for 1,700 students, while scholarship schemes for secondary and tertiary students were introduced, the chairman said.

In the health sector, the chairman said over 5,000 residents were enrolled in the Health Insurance Scheme, while three new primary health centres were constructed to complement the 12 Type-2 health centres being built by the state government.

“These efforts earned Enugu East commendation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Grand Champion Award 2025 from the Enugu State Universal Health Coverage Agency,” he said.

He added that over 3,000 youths are currently benefiting from vocational and technical training in ICT, mechanical trades, aviation middle-level skills and emerging technologies through partnerships with relevant institutions. He pledged that his administration would in 2006 launch the One-Youth-One-Skill Initiative.

Obi-Anike also listed the construction and rehabilitation of about 10.4 kilometres of roads in Emene, Ugwomu, Ifo/Harmony Bypass, Eziama and Ibagwa, alongside drainage works, culverts and a mini-bridge among the achievements of his administration in the year under review.

He used the presentation to announce the opening of new access roads linking Onyohu–Awhum (10km) and the Ako–Ugwuomu farm estate corridor (6km). His administration, according to him, also enhanced power supply through the installation and energisation of 15 transformers across several communities.

He said in the 2026 estimates, the economic sector received the largest allocation of ₦7.52 billion (38.36 per cent), targeted at road construction, agriculture, market development, rural and urban electrification, tourism and housing.

The social sector, according to him, was allocated ₦4.45 billion (24.25 per cent) to support education, healthcare, youth empowerment, sports development, gender inclusion and social protection, while the administrative sector received ₦2.05 billion (10.87 per cent) to strengthen governance efficiency, digital transformation and staff capacity. He added that the sum of ₦810 million (4.5 per cent) was earmarked for law, justice and security to boost surveillance, neighbourhood watch operations and community safety.

He said his administration plans to establish women empowerment cooperatives in all wards, interest-free revolving loans for traders and farmers, bursary payments for about 1,000 undergraduates, full sponsorship of at least 100 students in medicine and other critical professions, expanded healthcare coverage targeting 10,000 enrollees, completion of ongoing road projects, development of modern markets, and full operation of the Enugu East Investment Company in 2026.