Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti has expressed delight over the 2025 BudgIT Report, which ranked Abia State 4th in fiscal performance.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, the Governor described the development — the first time Abia has achieved such a feat since the inception of BudgIT — as “a significant achievement for Abia State.”
“Under Alex Otti’s leadership, Abia State has demonstrated focused and intentional governance, as also recognized by the Debt Management Office (DMO) report earlier in the year,” the statement read.
It further noted that “BudgIT relies strictly on factual economic and financial data to objectively evaluate and analyze the financial management and sustainability of states in Nigeria. The BudgIT Report is an independent assessment from the most authoritative fiscal transparency and accountability civic-tech organization in the country.”
According to the statement, the BudgIT ranking is based on five key metrics: a state’s ability to meet operating expenses using Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), year-on-year IGR growth, capacity to cover expenses and loan obligations without borrowing, debt sustainability, and prioritization of capital expenditure over recurrent spending.
The statement added that “in the same 2025 BudgIT Report, Abia led all states in terms of capital expenditure, spending 77.05% of its total budget on capital projects.”
“This report and ranking will certainly excite the general public while unsettling the wailing camp of the social media opposition,” it concluded.
