Kwara Assembly Passes N656.5bn 2026 Budget

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Kwara State House of Assembly has passed the 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, approving a total budget size of N656.5 billion, representing an increase of N10.5 billion over the initial proposal submitted by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The budget was passed yesterday after the House considered and adopted the report of its Committee on Finance and Appropriation during plenary.

Announcing the passage, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, said the upward review followed a thorough scrutiny of the estimates to ensure fiscal realism and effective implementation in the interest of Kwarans.

According to him, “The revised budget reflects the House’s commitment to ensuring that government spending aligns with developmental priorities and economic realities.

“A breakdown of the approved budget shows that recurrent expenditure has increased to over N409.6 billion, representing an upward adjustment of about N10.5 billion from the initial estimate submitted by the executive,” he said.

The Speaker disclosed that capital expenditure allocation has also been raised to N271 billion, up from N254 billion, to strengthen funding for key infrastructure and development projects across the state.

He explained that the adjustment was necessary to fast-track critical projects and enhance service delivery in line with the administration’s development agenda.

Danladi-Salihu further revealed that debt servicing for the 2026 fiscal year now stands at N14.2 billion, slightly higher than the earlier projection.

“The House carefully examined the budget in line with constitutional provisions and resolved to approve a realistic and implementable budget that will bring maximum benefits to the people of Kwara State,” the Speaker said.

He added that the legislature would continue to exercise its oversight responsibility to ensure prudent implementation of the budget and accountability in public spending.