Benue Gov presents N550bn 2025 Budget to State Assembly
On Wednesday, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State presented a budget estimate of N550 billion for the 2025 fiscal year to the State Assembly.
In his presentation, Alia explained that the proposed budget represents a 47.5% increase over the 2024 revised budget. Titled the “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and Digital Economy,” the governor emphasised that his administration aims to remain within the state’s recurring revenue limits to achieve its objectives without accruing excessive debt for future generations.
Alia further noted that, as the 2025 budget is projected to run at a deficit, his government anticipates borrowing a conservative N26 billion.
The budget allocates over N174 billion for current expenditure, including funds for salary payments and other operational costs, while the proposed capital expenditure is N375 billion—an increase of 71.5% compared to the 2024 revised budget.
The governor remarked, “Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, our goal is to stay within the confines of our recurring revenue to build the Benue of our dreams, without burdening future generations with unnecessary debts.”
He continued, “This is why Benue State stands out among the few states that are managing to offset debts, pay salaries, and meet other financial obligations without resorting to borrowing.”
However, he acknowledged the deficit in the proposed budget and outlined a borrowing plan of N26,053,953,736.32, which represents 4.7% of the total budget expenditure. This amount is well below the state’s Debt-to-GDP ratio of 8.2%, remaining within the recommended 25% debt sustainability threshold.
In terms of sectoral expenditure, the largest portion—over N212 billion—is allocated to the administration, followed by approximately N197 billion for the economy. Other key allocations include N83 billion each for education and health, N84 billion for agriculture and food security, N47 billion for security, and N110 billion for infrastructure. Smaller allocations include N5 billion for social welfare, N59 billion for commerce, N19 billion for the digital economy, and N35 billion for other sectors.
