Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, has signed an unprecedented N897 billion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law.
With this, Katsina is the first state in the country to conclude its budget process for the coming fiscal year.
Radda, who assented to the budget at the Government House, Katsina, hailed the lawmakers for what he described as an “impressively swift and patriotic” passage of the bill, just three weeks after he laid the proposal before the Assembly.
He said the early passage offers Katsina a rare head start in planning, procurement, and project execution as 2026 approaches.
But beyond the early passage, the governor pushed a bolder message: Katsina is entering a development-driven year with the lowest recurrent expenditure in its history and an aggressive capital investment agenda.
82% for capital projects
Radda disclosed that 82 percent of the entire budget is dedicated to capital projects—roads, schools, hospitals, water infrastructure, youth empowerment, and other development priorities—leaving only 18 percent for recurrent spending.
This ratio, he noted, does not only break away from the state’s historical spending pattern but also surpasses the fiscal discipline benchmark set nearly two decades ago by the administration of the late Governor Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“Of all the budgets passed in this state, the 2026 budget has the lowest percentage of recurrent expenditure,” Radda said.
“A law was passed during late President Yar’Adua’s administration as governor mandating that recurrent expenditure must not exceed 30 percent.
“Today, we have not only met that requirement; we have outperformed it—with just 18 percent allocated to recurrent spending.
Affirmation of commitment
“This is a bold reaffirmation of our commitment to development and to his legacy.”
The governor emphasised that the budget was not drafted from the top but shaped by inputs from ordinary citizens across the state.
He described it as a “people’s budget,” explaining that contributions gathered from town hall meetings held across all 361 wards informed key decisions and allocations.
This, he said, aligns with his administration’s participatory governance model aimed at ensuring that projects financed by public funds reflect community priorities.
While promising strict implementation of the budget, Governor Radda urged the State House of Assembly committees to intensify oversight in order to guarantee that every allocation is translated into visible results.
“We can only achieve the full impact of this budget if oversight is strong and if all MDAs stay faithful to the development agenda,” he added.
Earlier, the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Alhaji Nasir Yahaya, presented the appropriation bill to the governor for assent.
He described the lawmakers’ accelerated vetting process as a commitment to accountability and good governance, noting that their efficiency made Katsina the first state in Nigeria to enact its 2026 appropriation law.
With the signing, Katsina is set for what the governor calls a “transformative fiscal year,” driven by capital investment, community engagement, and early readiness for project delivery.
