A review of the 2025 proposed budget for Cross River State has revealed some startling allocations, sparking concerns about the government’s priorities. Despite spending a whopping N2 billion on renovating the Governor’s residence in 2024, the state government has budgeted another N100 million for the same purpose in 2025. Additionally, N100 million has been allocated for furnishing the Governor’s residence, while another N100 million will go towards furnishing the Governor’s lodge. Renovation of the Governor’s lodge is also expected to cost N100 million, despite the state spending N500 million on the same project in 2024.
These lavish expenditures have raised eyebrows, given the state’s history of high spending on governors’ residences and lodges. In 2024, the furnishing of the governors’ lodge alone cost N500.5 million. Furthermore, the state spent N5.5 billion on purchasing SUVs, Prado Jeeps, and Hyundai Elantra between January and September 2024, and another N9.6 billion on buying vehicles for ministries, departments, and agencies.
Critics argue that these priorities are misplaced, given the state’s dire economic situation. Cross River State has 1.9 million poor persons, according to the National Bureau of Statistics’ multidimensional poverty index. Moreover, 36% of children in the state are denied access to education, 82% of households lack access to sanitary facilities, and 81% lack access to clean drinking water.
The state’s reliance on loans to fund its budget has also raised concerns. As of June 2024, Cross River State owed N155.4 billion domestically and $210 million externally. This reliance on loans often leads to high debt servicing figures, which are blamed for poor developments in various states.
Governor Bassey Otu had presented a proposed budget of N498 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, dubbed the “Budget of Sustainable Growth”. However, the allocations for the Governor’s residence and lodge have sparked outrage, with many calling for a rethink of the state’s priorities.
