Abia State Government, through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, has held a One-Day Citizens’ Engagement Forum with stakeholders as part of the process of preparing the state’s 2027 budget.
The event held on Thursday, at the Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre, Umuahia, also provided a platform for participants to review the state’s performance in the first half of 2026 and identify areas that require greater attention in the 2027 fiscal year.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Kingsley Anosike, said the engagement was designed to prevent government from preparing a budget that failed to reflect the realities and aspirations of the people.
Anosike noted that the consultation was particularly significant as the 2027 budget will be the last budget cycle of the current administration.
The commissioner pointed out that citizens’ input were crucial to determine the priorities and projects that should shape the government’s final fiscal plan.
He reiterated that the Otti led government is poised to ensure that the 2027 budget reflects the actual needs of the people rather than being prepared solely from the perspective of government officials.
“We do not want to go into a room and build a budget that does not speak to the needs of the people we serve.
“That is why His Excellency, Dr Alex Otti has mandated that we invite you, a cross-section of the public, into this kind of forum where we bring you up to speed on how we have done so far.
“So far meaning January to June this year, that is half year scorecard and then what we intend to do going forward to the build-up of the 2027 budget.
“If you recall, by about this time last year, we assembled here and we had this kind of discussion also. And we want to tell you how far we have gone this year in actualizing that discussion that we had last year”, Anosike explained.
He cited the redesign of the latest batch of electric buses to include ramps for persons with disabilities as an example of how previous citizens’ engagement had influenced state government decisions.
According to him, the state government cancelled an initial batch of 20 buses after concerns were raised in previous Citizens’ engagement about accessibility for persons living with disability.
Also, the Special Adviser to the governor on Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Eric Egwuibe, explained that the state’s expenditure was divided into four sectors including administration, economic, law and justice as well as social development.
Egwuibe who reviewed the 2026 state’s budget performance for the first six months of the year, disclosed that the 2026 budget allocated ₦64 billion to administration, ₦550 billion to the economic sector, ₦13 billion to law and justice and ₦387 billion to the social sector.
The Governor’s aide said economic sector remains particularly important because investment in infrastructure and productive activities could stimulate economic growth and expand the state’s revenue base.
He further noted that the Otti led administration made budget documents and quarterly implementation reports accessible to the public as part of its commitment to transparency,
On the outlook for the 2027 budget, Egwuibe said the state government is working with key economic assumptions provided by the National Bureau of Statistics.
He listed the assumptions to include an inflation rate of 15.9 per cent, GDP growth of 4.3 per cent, an oil price benchmark of $60 per barrel, oil production of 1.7 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of ₦1,432 to the dollar.
Egwuibe said the assumptions indicated that the state might have less revenue available in 2027 than in the current year, which requires citizens to moderate expectations and prioritize projects with the greatest impact.
In their separate contributions, the Acting Clerk of the Abia State House of Assembly, Comrade Promise Onwukwe, and the Traditional Ruler of Okaiuga Alaike Autonomous Community, Ohuhu, Eze Innocent Nwaigwe, commended Governor Otti for his people-oriented administration demonstrated through its stakeholder engagements and urged all stakeholders to actively support the New Abia project for the benefit of all.
Also, the representative of the Chairman of the Abia State Disability Commission, Mr Ikenna Ebiri, commended the state government for its disability inclusive climate policy and improved accessibility of public infrastructure for persons living with disability particularly the provision of ramps in government buildings.
The Citizens’ Engagement attended by government officials, traditional rulers, civil society groups and other stakeholders, featured an interactive session where participants raised concerns, sought clarifications and made recommendations on government policies, budget priorities and service delivery.
