By Amos Ogunrinde
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has presented a N415.57 billion budget estimate for the 2026 fiscal year to the Ekiti State House of Assembly, EKHA, focusing on completing ongoing projects and consolidating his administration’s achievements.
Dubbed the “Budget of Impactful Governance,” the proposal allocates N221.87 billion (53%) to recurrent expenditure and N193.7 billion (46%) to capital expenditure.
The 2026 budget represents an 11% increase over the 2025 approved budget of N375.79 billion.
Governor Oyebanji told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Old Assembly Complex in Ado-Ekiti that the budget prioritizes the completion of all ongoing infrastructure projects.
He said it would also channel investments into agriculture and its value chain to address wealth creation and public welfare, fulfilling his administration’s “Shared Prosperity” agenda.
The governor stated that these agricultural investments aim to generate employment, stabilize food prices, ensure food security, and boost the sector’s contribution to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He outlined Federal Allocation, Value Added Tax (VAT), Independent Revenue from MDAs, international donor funds, and other incomes as the primary revenue sources to fund the budget.
Governor Oyebanji explained that the budget emerged from statewide consultations, including town hall meetings across the three senatorial districts with community representatives, interest groups, traditional rulers, and civil society organizations.
He added that the estimate aligns with the State Development Plan (2021-2050), the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (2026-2028), and adheres to the National Chart of Accounts template adopted by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF.
In his response, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, EKHA, Mr Adeoye Aribasoye, thanked the governor for the budget’s early presentation and promised the assembly would conduct a thorough scrutiny before its passage.
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