PRESS RELEASE
26 November 2025
Aba, Abia State
2026 ABIA BUDGET: CHARS-AFRICA COMMENDS DEVELOPMENT INTENT, DEMANDS FULL TRANSPARENCY, FISCAL DISCIPLINE AND AN INCLUSIVE BUDGETING PROCESS
The African Centre for Human Advancement and Resource Support (CHARS-Africa) has carefully reviewed the 2026 Budget Proposal titled “Budget of Acceleration and New Possibilities” as presented by the Governor of Abia State to the Abia State House of Assembly on 25 November 2025.
As a civil rights and governance accountability organisation, CHARS-Africa recognises that public budgeting is a constitutional, moral and social contract between the government and the people. Accordingly, though our assessment commends visible strides as set by the present administration, we also encourage should be open to accountability, inclusiveness, and the rule of law.
CHARS-Africa acknowledges the following policy directions and commitments disclosed in the 2026 budget proposal:
1. Strong capital investment orientation, particularly in roads, public transport, energy, housing and urban renewal.
2. Sustained prioritisation of education and health, with significant allocations to school infrastructure, teacher recruitment, healthcare equipment, health insurance and hospital upgrades.
3. Focus on job creation and productivity, including agriculture, youth enterprise, ICT, skills development, and resuscitation of dormant economic assets.
4. Improved revenue performance outlook, with projected expansion of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and adoption of technological systems for revenue collection.
These directions, if implemented transparently and equitably, have the potential to promote social development, economic inclusion and improved quality of life for the people of Abia State.
CRITICAL GOVERNANCE AND LEGAL CONCERNS
Notwithstanding the stated intentions, CHARS-Africa raises serious concerns that must be addressed before legislative approval of the 2026 budget.
1. Accountability Gap in the 2025 Budget Cycle
The Governor acknowledged that parts of the 2025 budget were not fully implemented due to unmet projections and emerging contingencies. We thus opine that a detailed 2025 Budget Performance Report be published and made available in public space showing:
✓ Actual capital and recurrent expenditures
✓ Use of supplementary appropriations
✓ Completion status of funded projects
✓ Variances between approved and executed budgets
With this disclosure, citizens or lawmakers can objectively assess fiscal discipline or performance continuity.
2. Borrowing Plan and Fiscal Sustainability Risks
The proposed 2026 budget indicates a deficit of approximately ₦409 billion, to be financed through borrowing.
CHARS-Africa warns that borrowing at this scale, in the absence of:
✓ Disclosed loan terms and conditions;
✓ A medium-term debt repayment plan; and
✓ Public debt sustainability analysis
poses risks to future social spending and inter-generational equity.
Fiscal prudence demands transparency and restraint, especially where essential services such as healthcare, education and pensions may be indirectly affected.
3. Procurement Transparency and Value-for-Money Concerns
With over ₦800 billion allocated to capital projects, the risk of inflated contracts, cost overruns, abandoned projects and procurement abuse cannot be ruled out. We therefore suggest that it should be proactively addressed.
CHARS-Africa insists that:
✓ All procurement processes under the 2026 budget must be open, competitive and transparent.
✓ Contract awards, project costs, timelines, contractors and funding sources must be publicly disclosed.
✓ Independent monitoring and social accountability mechanisms should be institutionalised to guarantee value for public money.
Public procurement is not a privilege, it is a trust obligation.
4. Lack of Demonstrable Citizen Participation
Democratic budgeting requires active citizen engagement beyond policy statements.
An inclusive budget must reflect realities, not just executive projections.
5. Risk of Over-Concentration on Infrastructure at the Expense of Social Services
While infrastructure is vital, CHARS-Africa cautions against the historic tendency to prioritise high-visibility capital projects while under-funding social protection, education quality, healthcare delivery and environmental resilience.
It is our opinion that balanced development must protect human capital.
OUR DEMANDS
CHARS-Africa therefore calls for the following actions before the final passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill:
1. Immediate publication of the full 2025 Budget Performance Report, detailing expenditures, project status and supplementary spending.
2. Public disclosure of the borrowing framework for 2026, including loan terms, repayment schedules and debt sustainability safeguards.
3. Adoption of an open and accountable procurement regime, with public access to contract details and project monitoring data.
4. Protection and ring-fencing of social sector allocations, particularly education, healthcare, social welfare and environmental protection.
6. Domestication and full implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act in Abia State, and proper implementation of its principles, including medium-term fiscal planning, debt limits, transparency obligations and independent oversight.
CONCLUSION
The 2026 budget presents an opportunity to consolidate development gains and deepen democratic governance in Abia State. However, development without accountability will remain unsustainable, while fiscal ambition without transparency erodes public trust.
CHARS-Africa calls on all concerned to monitoring the budget process, engage stakeholders, and defend the rights of citizens to transparency, participation and responsible governance.
Abia deserves a budget that is realistic, inclusive, accountable, transparent and lawful, not merely ambitious.
Signed:
Amaka Biachi, Esq.
Executive Director, CHARS-Africa
charsafrica.ng@gmail.com
