Kwara prioritises security spending, project completion in ₦644bn 2026 budget

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly on Monday.

The Kwara State Government has earmarked a significant portion of its proposed ₦644 billion 2026 budget for capital projects and security infrastructure, as authorities seek to respond to worsening insecurity across several rural communities in the state.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly on Monday. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the proposal reflects the administration’s resolve to complete ongoing projects while strengthening the state’s security architecture.

“The total size of the proposal is ₦644,004,816,893, with 65.98 per cent dedicated to capital expenditure,” Mr Ajakaye said, quoting the governor. “The plan prioritises the completion of ongoing projects and investments in areas of urgent need, including security hardware, vehicles and technologies to enhance responses to kidnapping and other criminal activities.”

According to the governor, recurrent expenditure accounts for 34.02 per cent of the budget and covers workers’ welfare, social protection and support for vulnerable residents. He described the document as a “budget of consolidation and sustained growth,” anchored on national economic assumptions including an oil price benchmark of $64.85 per barrel and an exchange rate of ₦1,400 to the dollar.

Security spending featured prominently in the presentation, coming against the backdrop of a spike in violent incidents across parts of the state. In recent weeks, communities in Ekiti Local Government Area have endured repeated raids, including the 19 November attack on a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku that left three worshippers dead and more than 30 abducted before they were freed on 23 November. Days later, bandits struck Isapa, abducting 11 residents, including a pregnant woman and young children.

Beyond those high-profile incidents, farmers have been kidnapped from farmlands in Patigi, labourers have been driven from their work sites and, on 1 December, two Chinese workers were seized from a BUA road project in the Bode Saadu–Kaiama area. The Oba of Bayagan Ile has also remained missing since his abduction at the end of November.

Governor AbdulRazaq told lawmakers that the state would “invest in security hardwares, vehicles and technologies to enhance our response to kidnapping and the activities of bad faith actors,” while complementing ongoing operations by the police, the State Security Service and the military.

Beyond security, the governor said the budget focuses on finishing ongoing capital projects and initiating new ones aligned with the state’s strategic needs. He cited road construction across the three senatorial districts, investments in health, education and agriculture, and projects aimed at strengthening Kwara’s service, creative and technology economy.

He also announced adjustments to medical officers’ pay and the introduction of a Teachers Salary Allowance from 2026, alongside investments in the Alfalfa Estate to address farmer-herder conflicts and improve food security.

Speaker of the House, Salihu Yakubu-Danladi, commended the governor for fiscal discipline and transparency, pledging that lawmakers would give the proposal expedited consideration. He said the legislature was encouraged by the administration’s infrastructure projects, security efforts and welfare policies.

The budget presentation was attended by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, senior government officials, traditional rulers and leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the security emphasis in the 2026 budget underscores growing concerns among residents and community leaders, who have called for stronger, sustained and coordinated action against armed groups operating across forested corridors linking Patigi, Kaiama, Ifelodun and Edu local government areas. Recent events have illustrated that insecurity remains a significant barrier to economic activity and development across parts of Kwara State.