By Henry Iyorkase, Makurdi

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has presented the fiscal year 2025 budget of ₦550,112,988,930.45 to the Benue State House of Assembly.

The 2025 budget, christened the “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and Digital Economy,” was unveiled on Wednesday at the State House of Assembly in Makurdi, Benue State.

Addressing the legislators at the State Assembly complex, Governor Alia stated that the proposed budget, designed to ensure continued progress, prosperity, and well-being for all citizens of the state, has an aggregate expenditure of Five Hundred and Fifty Billion, One Hundred and Twelve Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirty Naira, Forty-Five Kobo only (₦550,112,988,930.45).

He emphasised that the 2025 budget would serve as a roadmap to a brighter and more sustainable future, grounded in the realities of the present and the aspirations of the people.

In the budget, infrastructure development was given top priority, with a budgeted sum of ₦110,022,597,786.09, representing 20% of the total expenditure. This is followed by agriculture, which has a proposed allocation of ₦84,081,754,982.67, representing 15.28%. Meanwhile, education and health sectors each received ₦82,516,948,339.57, representing 15%.

Highlighting other areas covered in the budget, Governor Alia noted that 0.93% of the total expenditure would address programmes aimed at improving social protection, such as unemployment benefits, housing, and poverty alleviation initiatives, as well as strategies for the three IDP pathways.

“In an effort to leave no one behind, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have allocated 0.93% of the budget to programmes aimed at improving social protection. This includes unemployment benefits, housing, and poverty alleviation initiatives, while also evolving strategies for the three IDP pathways: Resettlement, Relocation, and Returnees,” he explained.

“Furthermore, sports, youth development, and creativity, being integral parts of our development efforts, will be funded from 0.93% of the total budget. This budget proposes to increase funding for facilities that support sports development and local talent hunts in the state. It also aims to empower small businesses and startups to thrive. In 2025, we will implement programmes to provide financial support, training, and mentorship to entrepreneurs, particularly in tech-driven industries. Votes amounting to 10.68% of the budget are allocated for this purpose,” the governor added.

On development challenges and progress achieved so far, Governor Alia remarked that issues associated with an unpaid workforce have been stabilised, with the implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage. He also highlighted ongoing infrastructure rehabilitation and improved security across the state.

The governor disclosed that through the Bureau of International Cooperation and Development, the state has received substantial grants from donors, amounting to Eighty-Five Billion, Seventeen Million, Six Hundred and Twenty-One Thousand, One Hundred and Eleven Naira, Eleven Kobo Only (₦85,017,621,111.11). Additionally, forty-six (46) slots for Benue indigenes were secured under the United Nations Volunteer Fully Funded Scholarship Programme.

He further explained that due to adjustments made in the 2024 budget, the overall budget amount for that year came to an aggregate sum of Three Hundred and Seventy-Three Billion, Twenty Million, Five Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Nineteen Naira Only (₦373,020,567,319).

This, according to the governor, represented a 65.3% increase over the original 2024 budget, primarily due to built-in buffers enabling the state to absorb shocks from macroeconomic uncertainties.

The governor assured that, to ensure fiscal transparency and strengthen the state and local government systems, the 2025 budget would be coordinated by the Budget and Economic Planning Commission under his leadership.