“Our goal is simple”: Governor Alia Presents ₦605.5 Billion Budget
- Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, on Monday, December 22, 2025, presented the 2026 Budget for Benue State
- Alia presented the 2026 budget before the Members of the Benue State House of Assembly, for consideration and approval
- The All Progressives Congress (APC) governor titled the 2026 budget "Budget of Rural Development, Livelihood Support and Sustained Growth”
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Makurdi, Benue State – Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia has presented Benue State's 2026 Budget before the Members of the Assembly, in Makurdi, for consideration and approval.
The 2026 budget estimates totalling Six Hundred and Five Billion, Five Hundred and Six Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Four Thousand, and Sixty-Six Naira, Sixteen Kobo (₦605,506,764,066.16K).
Source: Facebook
Governor Alia said the 2026 budget is a deliberate strategy aimed at repositioning the state’s economy, and to improve the living standards of the people of the State.
He stated this while addressing the Honourable Members at the Benue State House of Assembly Complex, on Monday, December 22, 2025.
Governor Alia titled the 2026 budget "Budget of Rural Development, Livelihood Support and Sustained Growth,”
According to the governor, the 2026 budget as a practical roadmap to inclusive growth, stressing that economic progress must translate into better living conditions for ordinary households.
He emphasized that transforming the state requires targeted investments that unlock rural productivity and improve everyday living conditions.
The major key priority areas in the 2026 budget are the sustained growth agenda, covering Education and Health Sector investment, Infrastructure for Long-Term Competitiveness, as well as innovation and Digital Transformation, with an allocation of 55.66%.
This is followed by the Rural Development agenda which comprises of Rural Electrification, Water Supply, and Environmental Protection and Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development with an allocation of 30.23% of the capital budget, while the Livelihood support with Social Protection Programs, MSME Growth and Cooperative Development is allocated 14.11% of the budget.
"Transforming our rural economy is not an option, it is a necessity. This budget prioritizes targeted investments in roads, infrastructure, and activities that will unlock rural productivity and improve quality of life.
"We will embark on a phased rehabilitation and construction of feeder roads linking farming communities to major markets, processing clusters to distribution hubs, and rural areas to health and educational facilities.
"This will reduce post-harvest losses, lower transport costs, and stimulate local commerce. We have allocated 30.23% of the capital budget to the development of rural roads, feeder roads, and bridges. Our goal is simple: connect farmers to markets, children to schools, and communities to essential services."
Governor Alia dismisses defection rumours to ADC
Recall that a alse report claiming Governor Alia planned to defect from the APC was dismissed as malicious propaganda.
His Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said the Governor’s visits to elder statesmen were part of his inclusive leadership style
The administration stressed that opposition structures in Benue were collapsing daily into the APC under Alia’s directives.
Petitions over alleged Benue governor financial misconduct
;Legit.ng also reported that a civil society group had petitioned President Bola Tinubu, EFCC, ICPC, and NHRC over alleged corruption and human rights violations by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The group had accused the governor of mismanaging security votes, awarding inflated contracts, and withholding local government funds.
NTG had also raised concerns over killings, displacement of rural communities, and alleged denial of the scale of violence in the state.
Source: Legit.ng
