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THE Federal Government and a publishing firm, University Press Plc, have partnered to strengthen the capacities of youths in the area of publishing, printing operations and management. The partnership is a three-month skill acquisition and empowerment training for beneficiary youths to make them job-ready in the world of printing, or even set up their own […]
Hot SourceMbah Presents N1.62 Trillion 2026 ‘Budget of Renewed Momentum’
•Projects N1.3trn capital expenditure, N321bn recurrent expenditure
•Education gets 32.27% of total budget
•Economic, social sectors lead sectoral allocations with N825.9bn, N644.7bn, respectively
•Lauds Tinubu’s policies as Enugu exceeds projected FAAC inflow
Gideon Arinze in Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Tuesday, presented a record N1.62 trillion budget estimate for the 2026 fiscal year to the House of Assembly, saying the administration is moving from laying foundation to scaling transformation across every sector.
The figure represented a 66.5 per cent increase over the N971 billion revised 2025 budget.
Dubbed “Budget of Renewed Momentum”, Mbah said the budget comprised a capital expenditure of N1,296,092,465,000, representing 80 per cent of the total budget, and recurrent component of N321,305,000,000, being 20 per cent of the budget.
Mbah said the budget would be funded through a projected N870 billion Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while N387 billion would come from federal allocation, and N329 billion from capital receipts.
A sectoral breakdown of the budget showed that the economic sector got N825.9 billion, representing N51 per cent of the total budget, followed by the social sector (N644.7 billion, representing 40.1 per cent of the budget), while administration, justice, and regional sectors got N128 billion, N15.8 billion, and N2 billion, respectively.
Mbah explained, “Allocating N825.9 billion to the economic sector is strategic and deliberate. When we invest in agriculture, industry, and trade, we create jobs, reduce poverty, and generate revenue that strengthens the entire economy.
“The performance of this sector remains central to our vision of achieving a seven-fold GDP growth in Enugu State.”
Highlights of the economic sector include roads/infrastructure, where the governor plans to construct 1,200 urban roads and a significant number of rural roads, while also completing the ongoing 40-kilometre Owo-Ubahu-Amankanu-Neke-Ikem dual carriageway, dualisation of the Abakpa Nike – Ugwogo Nike – Ekwegbe – Opi-Nsukka Road, and the 21.65-kilometre Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway.
Concerning transportation, Mbah announced that the state would acquire 14 additional aircraft to bring Enugu Air’s fleet to 20, stating that three additional planes would arrive before the end of 2025.
He said the administration planned to build five more transport terminals in Emene, Udi, Awgu, Four-Corners (Ozalla), and Obollo-Afor. It equally set aside 15 per cent of the budget for the provision of 15,000 mass housing units, while ramping up infrastructural development at the New Enugu City.
In the agricultural sector, Mbah said the government would, among others, step up the construction of 20-hectare farm estates in the 260 wards of the state, with some already underway.
In the social sector, education got the lion’s share of 32.27 per cent of the entire budget, following patterns of the 2024 and 2025 budgets, where it also got over 30 per cent.
The governor said with the 260 Smart Green Schools already completed or nearing completion, the state would focus on the construction of Smart Secondary Schools and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Colleges across the state in 2026.
He stated, “There are some, who might look at what we spend on education and cringe. But what we spend currently on education is largely insignificant weighed against the future social cost of having a disproportionate population of out-of-school children.”
He said his administration budgeted N20 billion to clear longstanding gratuities inherited by the government, saying, “Our workers should not wait years to receive benefits they have earned.”
N11 billion was budgeted to, among others, fund the second phase of the administration’s security surveillance system, while the health sector got 10 per cent of the total budget.
2025 Budget Performance
On the 2025 budget performance, Mbah said the administration had so far spent about N806 billion.
He said, “This means that we utilized 97.5 per cent of all the money that came into the state and achieved 83 per cent of the total budget implementation as against the revised budget of N871 billion.”
The governor said regarding revenue performance, “The money coming into Enugu State has grown in ways we have never seen before.”
According to him “Our internally generated revenue is set to exceed N400 billion by the end of the year. It is not yet where we ultimately want to be, but it is already the highest IGR in the history of Enugu State – a 221.6 per cent increase over 2024.”
Mbah commended Tinubu’s economic policies, saying they have revved up federal allocations to Enugu State.
He stated, “Our FAAC inflow did not just meet expectations – it exceeded them by more than half. We projected about N150 billion but we received N230 billion – over 50 per cent above projection.
“This is not accidental. It reflects the impact of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold economic reforms.
“The removal of fuel subsidies, unification of foreign exchange rate and other fiscal measures have strengthened key macro indicators – inflation has declined and continues to trend downwardly, interest rates have eased, and the exchange rate has stabilised. And our foreign reserve has continued to be strengthened, and recently hit the $46 billion mark.”
Read moreHot SourcePresident Nominates Former CDS, General Christopher Musa, as New Defence Minister
Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, nominated the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.
In a letter to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu conveyed Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
In the letter, Tinubu, according to a release issued by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, expressed confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
The senate said it will today screen the retired military chief as the new Minister of Defence.
The nomination, coming less than 24 hours after the former defence minister’s resignation on health grounds, triggered an accelerated confirmation process in the upper chamber amid intensified national security concerns.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who announced the development in a statement from his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, on Tuesday, said the upper chamber would treat the screening as a matter of urgent national importance.
According to Bamidele, the senate is “already in possession” of Tinubu’s request and will read the letter on the floor Wednesday before moving immediately to the screening exercise, in line with Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution.
Bamidele stressed that the senate could not afford any delay “at this crucial time in the history of our fatherland,” stating that the appointment is central to sustaining ongoing military campaigns against bandits, terrorists, extremists and other violent actors undermining national stability.
The statement read, “With the president having declared a state of emergency on national security, both the Presidency and the National Assembly must work hand in hand to ensure peace, stability and good governance.
“The screening of the defence minister nominee is one clear way to demonstrate that synergy in the national interest.”
Musa, who retired recently as Chief of Defence Staff, is widely regarded for his frontline operational experience across multiple theatres of conflict.
The senate is expected to conclude the screening on Wednesday as part of the administration’s attempt to quickly restore leadership at the defence ministry and reinforce the country’s security command structure.
Musa, 58, is a distinguished soldier, who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto on December 25, 1967, Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria.
He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career.
His appointments included General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.
In 2021, Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by Tinubu in 2023.
Congratulating him, the governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwan, expressed delight over the nomination of Musa.
In a statement by his Director of Press, Gyang Bere, the governor conveyed his appreciation to Tinubu for deeming Musa worthy of the noble responsibility of providing leadership in the safeguard and defence of the country.
Mutfwang described Musa as a gallant, courageous, and exceptionally competent officer who had made immeasurable sacrifices in fostering peace, unity, and national cohesion.
He commended Musa’s doggedness and steadfast commitment during his tenure as Chief of Defence Staff, expressing confidence that he would bring renewed vigour, clarity of purpose, and effective strategy to Nigeria’s ongoing fight against terrorism, banditry, and other security challenges.
The governor stated that Musa’s appointment was a fitting recognition for a man whose life embodied intellectual depth, professional excellence, discipline, and an unshakable dedication to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
Meanwhile, THISDAY checks revealed that Badaru should have been removed the last time the president reshuffled his cabinet, but he pleaded to be allowed more time.
THISDAY sources disclosed that Badaru was so petrified that he was breaking out in sweats and the president had to offer him a handkerchief to calm nerves.
However, when the security situation deteriorated, with the abduction of the 24 Kebbi schoolgirls, and the president had to order the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to the embattled state/region, at a time Badaru was out of town, it became evident that his days were numbered.
THISDAY further gathered that more heads might roll in the security sector as the president had indicated his disposition to rejigging the country’s security architecture.
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