Sunday July 27, 2025
By TheNewsDESK |
Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Linus Nkan, has presented the 2025 Budget Implementation Second Quarter Report.
The quarter ended last month.
Nkan reaffirmed the government’s resolve to remain open and accountable in the implementation of the N955 billion budget, with N300 billion allocated for recurrent expenditure and N655 billion for capital expenditure.
He said the total recurrent expenditure for the second quarter was N47.7 billion, while the year-to-date recurrent expenditure performance stood at N113.4 billion. The capital expenditure’s performance was N45.8 billion, bringing the year-to-date figure to N179.8 billion.
Nkan explained that the reported capital expenditure for the quarter excluded advance payment guarantees, funded Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) awaiting drawdown, and service-wide emergencies. These items, he said, would reflect in future reports and push the values up.
He said a supplementary budget, which captures provisions for projects and needs not listed in the 2025 fiscal estimate, would soon be sent to the House of Assembly for consideration.
Nkan said Governor Umo Eno had been prudent with the state’s finances, noting that the governor only embarks on projects after ensuring that the necessary funds are available.
According to him, the administration has not resorted to borrowing to fund any project.
He listed over 60 new projects initiated under the Eno administration, such as the State Security and Command Centre, Elderly Citizens Centre, 5,000-capacity Ibom Convention Centre, Ibom Hotels, Ibom Shopping Centre, Judiciary Village, Doctors’ Quarters, AKBC House, AKICorp Building, Itam Industrial Park, Ibom Hotels in Abuja, Ibom Model Farm, AkwaGIS building, and Aviation Village. He also mentioned the Ewet Luxury Garden, Mother and Child Hospital in Ibiono Ibom, Local Government Chairmen’s Lodge, ARISE Shopping Centre, Sports Academy in Eket, and CNG City Bus Initiative, among others.
Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniekan Umanah, described the presentation as a practical demonstration of Eno’s transparency mantra and a vital instrument for public accountability. He said the quarterly report reflected the administration’s resolve to manage public resources prudently and keep citizens informed.
Umanah described the report as the best budget performance recorded in the state and arguably across the country, contrasting it with states where the 2024 budget is still being implemented alongside that of 2025. He praised Eno’s fiscal discipline, saying the administration has instituted mechanisms to track and account for every naira spent.
State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Amos Etuk, hailed Eno for upholding the principles of transparency and accountability.
At the event were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Akparawa James Edet; his Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning counterpart, Christopher Udoh; and some other top government officials.
