The Abia State Government has commenced consultations with citizens and stakeholders to identify priority areas and projects to be captured in the state’s 2027 budget.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Kingsley Anosike, disclosed this on Thursday at a Citizens’ Engagement Forum held at the Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre, Umuahia.

Anosike said the consultation was aimed at ensuring that the 2027 budget reflected the needs, aspirations and realities of Abia residents.

He noted that the engagement was particularly important because the 2027 budget would be the final budget cycle of the current administration.

According to him, the contributions of citizens and stakeholders would help the government determine the priorities and projects to be included in its final fiscal plan.

Anosike stressed that the administration would not prepare the budget solely from the perspective of government officials without considering the views of the people.

“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 Dr Alex Otti has mandated that we invite you, a cross-section of the public, into this kind of forum.

“We want to bring you up to speed on what we have done so far—meaning January to June this year, that is the half-year scorecard—and then what we intend to do going forward to build up the 2027 budget,” he said.

The commissioner said previous citizens’ engagements had influenced government decisions, citing the redesign of the latest batch of electric buses to accommodate ramps for persons living with disabilities.

He disclosed that the state government had cancelled an initial order for 20 buses after stakeholders raised concerns about accessibility for persons with disabilities during an earlier engagement.

Abia Classifies Expenditure Into Four Areas

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Budget and Economic Planning, Eric Egwuibe, said the state’s expenditure was divided into four broad sectors: administration, economic, law and justice, and social development.

Reviewing the implementation of the 2026 budget during its first six months, Egwuibe said N64 billion was allocated to administration, N550 billion to the economic sector, N13 billion to law and justice, and N387 billion to the social sector.

He described the economic sector as particularly important, noting that investments in infrastructure and productive activities could stimulate economic growth and expand the state’s revenue base.

Egwuibe said the Otti administration had also 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, he said the state government was working with key economic assumptions provided by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The assumptions include an inflation rate of 15.9 per cent, GDP growth of 4.3 per cent, an oil benchmark of $60 per barrel, crude oil production of 1.7 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N1,432 to the US dollar.

Egwuibe said the projections suggested that the state could have less revenue available in 2027 compared with the current year.

He therefore urged citizens to moderate their expectations and prioritise projects capable of delivering the greatest impact with available resources.

In their separate contributions, the Acting Clerk of the Abia State House of Assembly, Promise Onwukwe, and Innocent Nwaigwe of Okaiuga Alaike Autonomous Community commended the government for involving citizens in the budget preparation process.

They also urged stakeholders to support the administration’s New Abia initiative for the benefit of residents.

The Chairman of the Abia Disability Commission, David Anyaele, commended the government for promoting disability inclusion and improving accessibility across public infrastructure.

Anyaele, who was represented by Ikenna Ebiri-Okoro, particularly cited the provision of ramps in government buildings as evidence of increased consideration for persons living with disabilities.

The engagement was attended by government officials, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

It featured an interactive session during which participants raised concerns and made recommendations on government policies, budget priorities and service delivery.