Budget Overview and Key Highlights
The Chairman of Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Uche Ogalla, on Tuesday presented a budget estimate of ₦5,632,723,592 to the legislative council for the 2025 fiscal year.
Christened the “Budget of Grassroots Transformation,” it allocated a significant 53% to recurrent expenditure to ensure timely payment of workers’ salaries and efficient operation of government services.
The budget equally allocated 47% to capital projects to enable the development of critical infrastructure, improving the economic and social status of the people in the council area.
While presenting the budget to the Igbo-Eze North Legislative Council headed by the Leader, Hon. Celestine Ali Omeke, the local government chairman, Ogalla, explained that the 2025 budget is a roadmap for progress, aligned with the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) for 2025-2029. This plan was developed with support from UNICEF and the Enugu State Government.
The budget prioritizes key sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, and market development.
Ogalla lauded the state Governor, Barr. Peter Mbah, for providing adequate security in the state, stating that sustainable development cannot thrive in an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity.
“This budget, themed ‘A Budget of Grassroots Transformation,’ reflects our unwavering commitment to transforming our local government into a thriving and prosperous community where every citizen enjoys a high quality of life.”
“The past few years have witnessed significant strides in our development journey. Let me especially appreciate my predecessors, especially the immediate past, Hon Prince William Ejike Itodo, who undertook crucial initiatives in key sectors such as Education, Healthcare, Infrastructure, General Administration, and Security.”
Ogalla acknowledged challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which negatively affected the local economy, as well as the current economic reforms at the federal level. These reforms, aimed at addressing fiscal, monetary, and structural challenges, have led to rising costs of living and unemployment due to petrol deregulation and currency depreciation.
He provided a breakdown of the budget:
- Recurrent Expenditure: 53% of the total budget ensures timely salary payments and efficient government operations.
- Capital Projects: 47% is dedicated to delivering tangible infrastructure and development projects.
Sources of Revenue
The 2025 budget projects a total revenue of ₦5,632,723,592, broken down as follows:
- Statutory Allocation: ₦1,000,000,000
- Value Added Tax (VAT): ₦2,700,000,000
- Excess Crude and other FAAC Accruals: ₦1,900,000,000
- Internally Generated Revenue (IGR): ₦32,673,592
Ogalla emphasized the local government’s commitment to diversifying revenue streams and enhancing IGR generation capacity through innovative strategies.
