Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has officially presented a massive N878 billion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly, requesting their swift scrutiny and approval.
The presentation, which took place on Thursday, November 27, 2025, was tagged the "Budget of Consolidation and Sustainability." This financial plan represents a significant 41.07 per cent increase compared to the budget presented for the 2025 fiscal year.
Budget Breakdown and Sectoral Allocation
The governor provided a detailed breakdown of the proposed expenditure. A substantial N567 billion, representing 65 per cent of the total budget, is earmarked for capital projects. Meanwhile, N310 billion, or 35 per cent, is allocated for recurrent expenditure.
Key sectors received priority funding as follows:
- Economic Sector: N435 billion (49.6%)
- Social Sector: N310 billion (34.4%)
- Administration Sector: N120 billion (13.7%)
- Law and Justice Sector: N12 billion (1.4%)
Governor Mohammed attributed the budget's increase to a surge in state revenue from implemented reforms and an anticipated price rise resulting from new tax reforms scheduled to take effect in January 2026.
Implementation Assurance and Legislative Cooperation
Addressing the lawmakers, Governor Mohammed assured them that the budget would be fully implemented. He explained that the proposal was meticulously prepared in line with the state's Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and the Bauchi State Fiscal Responsibility Law.
"My administration has adopted a conservative approach to ensure that the projects and programmes captured were realistically implementable," the governor stated, emphasizing that the budget preparation process was both inclusive and participatory.
While appraising the outgoing year, Mohammed reported that the 2025 budget had achieved a 79.1 per cent implementation rate as of September 2025, expressing confidence that it would reach at least 85 per cent by the end of the fiscal year.
In response, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Abubakar Sulaiman, commended the governor for the timely presentation and assured that the legislature would speedily scrutinize and pass the 2026 Appropriation Bill into law. He reaffirmed the assembly's commitment to the state's development.
In Other News: Creation of New Local Government Areas
In a related development, the Bauchi State Government has signed a new law creating an additional 29 local government areas. Governor Bala Mohammed signed the legislation on October 28, 2025.
The proposal has been forwarded to the National Assembly's Committee on Constitution Review for ratification as part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process. Currently, Bauchi State has 20 local government areas recognized by the 1999 Constitution. If approved, the state, with an estimated population of 10 million people, will have a total of 49 Local Government Areas.
