Economy
Delta Earmarks Bulk Of 2026 Budget To Infrastructure, Social Welfare
Delta Earmarks Bulk Of 2026 Budget To Infrastructure, Social Welfare
Delta earmarks bulk of 2026 budget to infrastructure, social welfare. The Delta government has rolled out plans for its 2026 Appropriation Act, with a total expenditure plan of about N1.7 trillion.
The Delta government has rolled out plans for its 2026 Appropriation Act, with a total expenditure plan of about N1.7 trillion.
The budget allocated N500 billion to recurrent expenditure and N1.229 trillion to capital expenditure.
The commissioner for economic planning, Sunny Ekedayen, gave a breakdown of the budget at a news briefing in Asaba on Wednesday.
Mr Ekedayen said that the spending framework, recently approved by the House of Assembly and assented to by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented a significant increase over the 2025 budget of N979 billion.
According to him, the initial proposal of N1.664 trillion submitted to the House underwent scrutiny and adjustments, resulting in a final figure that better reflects the government’s developmental priorities.
He confirmed that the budget would take effect on January 1, 2026. A major highlight of the 2026 fiscal plan is the emphasis on capital expenditure.
Mr Ekedayen disclosed that more than N1.165 trillion, over 70 per cent of the total budget outlay, was earmarked for capital projects, a departure from previous spending patterns.
He described the allocation as unprecedented, saying that the capital component alone exceeded the entire 2025 budget.
He said the shift was designed to fast-track development across Delta’s 25 local government areas by improving infrastructure and public facilities.
The commissioner said that the existing projects would be completed, while new ones would be carefully selected to deliver measurable benefits.
He also said that social welfare would feature prominently in 2026, with about N20 billion set aside for programmes targeting artisans, small traders, and vulnerable citizens, among others.
He said that the support would be delivered through a mix of cash transfers and material assistance.
Mr Ekedayen said that to sustain the initiative, a Social Protection Bill had been forwarded to the House to provide a legal and institutional framework for its operation.
He restated that infrastructure development would be spread across both urban and rural communities, reflecting the state’s dispersed settlement structure.
He also announced that N100 billion was budgeted for special interventions at the local government level to address pressing community needs identified through grassroots engagement.
In the health sector, the commissioner revealed plans for major upgrades to tertiary healthcare facilities, including the acquisition of advanced diagnostic equipment from Germany for the three state-owned hospitals.
He also spoke of ongoing efforts to strengthen primary healthcare, expand medical training programmes, recruit more health workers and sustain the state’s health insurance scheme.
Mr Ekedayen said that education remained a core focus of the present administration.
He gave assurance that there would be continuous funding for state universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, schools of nursing and health technology, as well as numerous public primary and secondary schools.
He described agriculture as another key pillar of the 2026 budget, with plans anchored on direct government investment, partnerships with the private sector and large-scale agribusiness ventures.
Mr Ekedayen said the measures would help to boost food production, create employment opportunities and minimise post-harvest losses.
Delta Governor Oborevwori
He said that Delta was well placed to benefit from the second phase of the federal government’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme.
On the revenue side, Mr Ekedayen reported a sharp rise in internally generated revenue, which grew by more than 140 per cent since 2023 – from N83 billion to over N200 billion.
He said that the target for 2026 was at least N250 billion and attributed the increase to improved efficiency and reforms rather than additional tax pressure on the people.
He disclosed that the state was exploring new revenue streams, including participation in the blue carbon market through mangrove restoration and climate finance initiatives, as well as collaboration with international partners and the federal government.
The commissioner described Mr Oborevwori as a result-driven leader focused on long-term impact.
He assured Delta residents that the benefits of governance would be felt across all the communities.
“As of January 1, 2026, the machinery of government will be fully activated. Development efforts will intensify, projects will advance, and communities across the state will experience visible progress,” Mr Ekedayen said.
Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Capacity, Destroys Site With 3 Storage Tanks in Rivers
The Nigerian Navy, through FOB BONNY, has dismantled an illegal refining site discovered in Promise Land Community along Nanabie Creek, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, further denying criminal operators the infrastructure required to process stolen crude oil.
Eereporter.com
The site was discovered on 30 September 2026 following credible intelligence and comprised one large cooking pot and 3 large storage tanks intended for illegal refining activities. On 2 October 2026, the Commanding Officer, FOB BONNY, Captain SMC Umeh, led a team to the location, where the illegal refining site and associated equipment were destroyed in accordance with established regulations.
The intervention represents a further disruption of illegal refining capacity within the Bonny area, particularly by removing infrastructure that could be used to process and store stolen crude oil. It also follows recent operations by FOB BONNY under Operation DELTA SENTINEL that uncovered substantial volumes of suspected stolen crude oil and associated illegal refining infrastructure within its Area of Operations
Oil
The Nigerian Navy has continued to strengthen surveillance and monitoring across the area to prevent the establishment or reactivation of illegal refining sites and deny criminal operators the infrastructure required to sustain crude oil theft and related activities.
ABIODUN FOLORUNSHO
Navy Captain
Director Naval Information
Nigerian Navy
Eereporter.com
NNPC Ltd Offers N66 Fuel Discount Throughout the Nation
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has unveiled a nationwide ₦66 fuel discount promotion for customers using the NNPC Fuel App.
Eereporter.com
In a post obtained from its X handle on Friday, the promotion, which runs from October 1 to 7, is being held across NNPC stations nationwide as part of activities marking the period.
“The ₦66 Discount Promo is ongoing & the excitement is already happening across our stations nationwide!
“All over Nigeria, our customers are getting in on the action & there’s still time for you to benefit!
The promo runs from 1–7 October on the NNPC Fuel App,” the post read.
NNPC said customers across the country have already begun participating in the promotion, with highlights from the first day showing activities at several stations.
“Keep fueling, keep transacting and keep your eyes on our pages,” the post read.
NNPC
NNPC also shared moments from the first day of the promotion and said more pictures and activities from stations across the country would be released.
The company urged customers not to miss the opportunity to participate before the promotion ends on October 7.
The ₦66 discount offer is available through the NNPC Fuel App during the stated promotional period.
Eereporter.com
President Tinubu Tells EFCC: You Have Justified my Confidence in You
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has applauded the efforts and performance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country, stressing that it has justified the confidence reposed on it.
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He gave this commendation on Friday, October 2, 2026 in Awka, Anambra State at the commissioning of a new Zonal Directorate of the EFCC. The President pointed out that there are evidential proofs of the success of the Commission in convictions, recoveries and other landmark achievements
Represented by Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker, House of Representatives, Tinubu noted that “supporting the EFCC is not particularly difficult. The agency has consistently demonstrated that the confidence reposed on it is well founded. Without mincing words, the evidential proof of the EFCC’s success speaks loudly in convictions secured, assets and properties recovered”
He affirmed that the strides of the Commission are in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.
“When we came in three years ago, I highlighted nine major focal areas of my administration. Two of which are reforming the economy for sustained and inclusive growth and promotion of good governance. The anti-graft agency compliments this agenda as they are focused on accountability and transparency and appropriate deployment of resources”, he said.
At the commissioning, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede restated the commitment of the Commission to preventive frameworks in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country.
According to him, the Commission will continue its focus on making corrupt practices difficult by blocking avenues through which they may happen.
“This new Directorate will not only enforce the law professionally and courageously, it will be high on corruption prevention. It will engage government institutions, businesses, financial institutions, professional bodies, schools, markets, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies and communities. It will educate stakeholders, build relationships and mobilise the people to own the fight against all forms of corrupt practices in the zone”, he said
He assured Nigerians that the EFCC would not relent in the pursuit of its mandate, recalling the achievements of the Commission in the last 34 months and describing them as impressive progress.
“The pursuit of our mandate has been our dominant engagement and in the past few years, we have made impressive progress. Between October 2023 and July 2026, the Commission received 49, 673 petitions, investigated 39, 615 cases, filed 14, 476 cases in court and secured 10, 872 convictions. This gives a conviction-to-filing ratio of 75.1 percent. In the first half of 2026 alone, we recorded 1, 370 convictions from 1, 889 filings. The Commission also recorded recoveries of N1, 233, 612, 040, 411. 11, $684, 478, 457. 32, £373, 905. 78, €9, 343, 803. 66 inn addition to recoveries in other currencies”, he said.
He noted that at the institutional level, the Commission has made radical reforms that have been yielding optimal results as there are consequential improvements in the agency’s processes and procedures, which partly explains the impacts the EFCC has made and will continue to make in all the matrices of law enforcement.
“Reforms that have strengthened the Commission during the period include new guidelines on arrest and bail, a review of sting operations, the establishment of the Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, the Security Department, the Immigration and Visa Section and the Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre”, he said.
While charging Ndi Anambra on whistleblowing, the anti-graft czar said that the Commission has established channels through which members of the public can submit petitions and provide information. He noted that the Commission’s Eagle Eye App allows citizens to provide details of suspected wrongdoing and makes the provision of an informant’s personal details optional. “However, whistleblowing must be responsible and based on facts. It must not become an instrument for settling scores”, he said.
EFCC
He thereafter said that Anambra and Imo States deserve effective and responsive institutional presence as they are renowned for enterprise, innovation, commerce and an extraordinary culture of industry, adding that these legitimate activities must be protected from fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, investment fraud, diversion of public resources and other forms of economic and financial crimes. “Therefore, our coming to Awka is beyond geographical expansion. It is about taking the mandate of the EFCC closer to the people and closer to the economic activities we are meant to protect”, he said.
In their remarks, His Excellencies, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State and Senator Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State said that they were pleased with the activities and management of the EFCC under the leadership of Olukoyede. They pledged their support to the Commission as it opened a new Zonal Directorate in their domain.
The commissioning of the new Directorate witnessed massive turn out of distinguished Nigerians, including members of the National Assembly, civil society organisations, community leaders, students, media among others.
Eereporter.com
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