Governor Bassey Otu has increased the 2026 budget of Cross River State to N963.1 billion through a newly signed Supplementary Appropriation Law.
The governor signed the 2026 Supplementary Appropriation Law on Wednesday, raising the state’s expenditure ceiling from N961,624,047,275.08 to N963,074,438,018.60.
The adjustment adds approximately N1.45 billion to the state’s fiscal plan, providing additional funding for government operations and priority projects as the state navigates its 2026 financial year.
Alongside the budget amendment, Senator Otu signed two other pieces of legislation: the Cross River State Social Investment and Protection Law and the Health Quackery (Prohibition) Law.
Social Investment and Health Regulation
The signing of the Cross River State Social Investment and Protection Law creates a legal framework for the state to implement poverty alleviation programmes. This law is expected to streamline how the government identifies and supports vulnerable populations, ensuring that social safety nets are managed with greater transparency and institutional backing.
Simultaneously, the Health Quackery (Prohibition) Law targets the proliferation of unlicensed medical practitioners and fake clinics across the state. The law provides the government with stronger legal powers to prosecute individuals practising medicine without valid certification, a move aimed at reducing preventable deaths caused by substandard healthcare services.
These legislative actions suggest a dual focus on economic cushioning for the poor and the enforcement of professional standards in the health sector. The prohibition of health quackery, in particular, addresses a long-standing challenge in Nigerian state capitals where unregulated clinics often operate in residential areas.
The budgetary increase comes at a time when many Nigerian states are adjusting their spending to cope with fluctuating internally generated revenue (IGR) and the volatile cost of infrastructure materials. By raising the 2026 budget to over N963 billion, the Otu administration is maintaining a high spending trajectory to fund its development agenda.
The state government has not yet released a detailed breakdown of the specific projects or departments that will benefit from the additional N1.45 billion provided by the supplementary law.
The implementation of these laws now moves to the respective state ministries and regulatory agencies, with the Cross River State House of Assembly expected to monitor the expenditure of the supplementary funds.
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