By Law Mefor
“Follow who know road”, i.e., stick with the expert, is a cliché in Anambra politics. Governor Chukwuma Soludo has once again confirmed the spirit of the statement with his 2026 Budget. The 2026 Anambra State Budget, appropriately titled “Changing Gears 3.0: Solution Continues”, will culminate Governor Soludo’s first term with great success and usher in a more ambitious second term, a commitment made by the Solution Governor to drive Anambra towards accelerated growth.
With the budget as input, the expected output and projected outcomes are in plain sight, showing that Governor Soludo is committed to delivering the new Anambra he promised.
The presentation of the draft Anambra State Budget proposals for 2026 to the Anambra State House of Assembly, Awka, on November 25, 2025, was an epochal event. The figures presented do great credit to Prof. Soludo as a world-class economist and global citizen poised to transform Anambra State into a destination of choice for all humankind.
Coming from winning re-election in all 21 local government areas with a historic 73 percent of the votes cast amid an unprecedented voter turnout, Soludo magnanimously stated: “Ours is one state, one people, with one agenda. Let us unite and build Anambra together!”
As the first term of the administration ends on March 17, 2026, Soludo has been very intentional and focused on delivering across the five pillars of his manifesto, to wit, Soludo Solution: A People’s Manifesto for a Greater Anambra, namely, security, law and order; infrastructure and economic transformation; human capital and social agenda; governance and new value system; and environmental sustainability.
The budget stands on the solid pedestal of Soludo having built fit-for-purpose infrastructure across Anambra, constructing well over 900 kilometres of roads with up to 600 km already asphalted, undertaking eight bridges including the Ekwulobia Flyover/Bus-terminal/Shopping-mall, dualisation of over 100km of all Trunk A federal/state roads, completion of the Aroma Link Bridge, connecting the two major sections of Awka, breaking the 34-year-old of not having a befitting Government House and Governor’s Lodge with the construction of the commodious “Light House”, delivering the largest West African leisure statement of the Solution Fun City, employing 8115 teachers on merit from 18 states in Nigeria, providing free antenatal and delivery services for pregnant women including 594 free cesarean surgeries, commissioning four out of five new general hospitals, modernising 326 Primary Health Centres, constructing the Trauma Centre at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, empowering 13,300 youth entrepreneurs through the One-Youth-Two-Skills programme, building the iconic Solution Innovation District (SID) and training 95,735 young people in various digital skills, clearing N22 billion in arrears of gratuity, etc.
It needs to be recalled that on November 19, 2024, Governor Soludo presented the 2025 Budget, titled “Changing Gears 2.0”, which proposed a modest budget of ₦606,991,849,118 for the 2025 fiscal year, compared to ₦410 billion for 2024, representing a 48 percent increase.
Soludo’s proposed budget size for the 2026 fiscal year is ₦757,884,487,705. When compared to the 2025 budget of ₦606,991,849,118, this represents a 24.1 percent increase, reflecting the government’s intensified focus on execution. The recurrent expenditure is projected at ₦162.6 billion, representing a 16.6 per cent year-on-year growth, while capital expenditure stands at ₦595.3 billion, a 26.3 per cent growth relative to 2025.
The important point is that the capital budget makes up 79 percent of the total budget, while recurrent expenditure is 21 percent, and as Soludo mentioned, “this clearly shows our commitment to achieving real results for Ndi Anambra.”
The budget deficit, which is estimated at ₦225.7 billion, representing 29.8 percent of the total budget size, is “expected to be financed, if necessary, through hybrid financing options, including possible privatisation proceeds, a bump in IGR collections, and concessionary borrowing, mostly for bankable projects.”
In the words of Soludo: “Since the beginning of this administration, we have not borrowed to finance budget deficits, and depending on the pace of execution in 2026, we may still not need to borrow. Our fiscal discipline remains firm. Relative to 2025, all key sectors increased year-on-year: Administrative Sector (12.2%), Economic Sector (26.7%), Social Sector (31.4%), Education (46.9%), Health (13%), and Infrastructure Investments (27.7%). These increases reflect our priorities in strengthening human capital, boosting economic growth, expanding critical infrastructure, and securing the well-being of Ndi Anambra.”
The government plans to continue delivering across the five pillars of the Solution Agenda, notably security, law, and order; infrastructure and economic transformation; and human capital development. The government has allocated about 70 percent of the 2026 Budget to these critical sectors, highlighting their significance to the government’s long-term development trajectory.
The momentum will be sustained on the transport infrastructure revolution, especially building/dualising strategic roads, bridges, and flyovers that connect the entire state. Major investments will be highlighted in the mass transit systems by expanding buses, developing new jetties, acquiring boats, and facilitating safer, faster transportation along our waterways. The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) financing model is being explored for the Rail Masterplan. The government is progressing with the development of three new cities: Awka 2.0, Greater Niger, and the Aerotropolis/New Industrial-Commercial City. Also, the construction of the Anambra Mixed-Use Industrial City will begin in earnest in 2026, signalling the next phase of Anambra’s industrial transformation.
Soludo informs that the weakest link remains the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He plans to solve this through partnering to launch an aggressive, technology-driven renewal of the revenue system by blocking leakages, widening the tax net, supporting willing taxpayers, and enforcing compliance where necessary.
The current state of affairs in Anambra clearly demonstrates that Anambra is progressing under Soludo’s leadership. The infrastructure development is on a first-class platform. The 2026 Budget will greatly deepen and expand the achievements along the five pillars of the Soludo Manifesto. The glorious future that awaits Ndi Anambra stares an adoring public in the face for all to behold. With Soludo’s vision of a liveable and prosperous homeland, Anambra, is on the verge of becoming a tangible reality.
It’s all thanks to the power of one man transforming Anambra into a smart megacity and destination of choice, rather than a departure lounge. Soludo’s ultimate dream of turning Anambra into the African-Dubai-Taiwan-Silicon Valley (ADTS) is emerging and becoming a reality before our very eyes. Soludo’s tour de force – a performance and achievements that he has accomplished and managed with great skill as an international economist.
So, when Ndi Anambra say, ‘Follow who know road’, they know what they are talking about.
Law Mefor, PhD, is the Anambra State Commissioner for Information.
