In an era where Nigerian states often retreat behind the shield of “economic hardship,” Anambra State is charting a remarkably different course. This is evident in Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s presentation of the six hundred and seven billion naira billion 2025 budget. Aptly tagged “Changing Gears two point zero”, the budget tells a compelling story of fiscal ingenuity.
The budget’s architecture reveals a government that understands the art of prioritisation. Most Nigerian states struggle to keep their recurrent expenditure below seventy per cent. By driving it down to twenty-three per cent, Anambra State under the leadership of Governor Soludo is effectively saying: we will run a lean government to build a rich state.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this budget is its honesty about weaknesses. The state’s internally generated revenue IGR currently stands at two point five billion naira monthly, against a potential of ten to fifteen billion naira. This admission is not just all about transparency. It also suggests a government willing to confront its shortcomings rather than hide them.
The execution strategy reads like a business plan rather than a typical government document. From transforming twenty-two schools into “smart schools” to distributing millions of economic seedlings and trees, from building the “largest shopping mall in Africa” to creating three new cities, the ambition is heartwarming. Yet it is tempered with fiscal responsibility as the administration will not borrow unless the loans are concessionary and tied to self-liquidating projects.
What is particularly noteworthy is the state’s approach to human capital development. The extension of free education to Senior Secondary School three, recruitment of eight thousand one hundred and fifteen teachers, and the innovative “One Youth, Two Skills” programme suggest a government thinking beyond the next election. This is governance with a generational perspective.
However, the true genius of this budget lies not in what it promises to spend, but in how it plans to achieve more with less. The emphasis on strategic partnerships, community involvement, and private sector engagement suggests a recognition that the government alone cannot drive development.
As Nigeria contends with the aftermath of fuel subsidy removal and currency unification, Anambra’s approach offers a template for other states. It demonstrates that the answer to economic challenges is not always more money; sometimes, it is smarter money.
The success of this budget will ultimately depend on execution. But by maintaining a capital-heavy investment profile while keeping recurrent costs low, prioritizing revenue generation while resisting reckless borrowing, and balancing ambitious development with fiscal restraint, Governor Soludo is showing that it is possible to dream big while spending smart.
In the end, this “Changing Gears two point zero” budget is more than another routine financial document replete with platitudes. It is a master class in governance under constraint, audaciously extending the mantra of Doing More with Less and representing another major step towards realizing Governor Soludo’s vision of transforming Anambra into a smart, livable and prosperous mega city.
CHRISTIAN ABURIME
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