In a surprising twist for one of Nigeria’s most resource-challenged states, Kogi State has only spent 18.9% of its ₦582 billion 2025 budget in the first quarter of the year, according to the official Q1 Budget Performance Report just released.The report reveals that while total revenue generated (including opening balance) stood at ₦141.8 billion, total expenditure only reached ₦110.1 billion, leaving the state with a Q1 closing balance of ₦31.7 billion — and over ₦472 billion in unspent funds against the annual budget.Most notable in the revenue figures is a massive underperformance in internally generated revenue (IGR), which only hit ₦9.63 billion in Q1 — representing 27.6% of the projected ₦34.9 billion. Federal allocation (FAAC) also underperformed at 15.2% of the expected ₦364 billion.On the expenditure side, recurrent costs ate up the bulk of the Q1 spending, with personnel and other recurrent expenses totaling ₦79.2 billion. Meanwhile, capital expenditure — the part of the budget meant to build infrastructure and drive growth — only received ₦30.9 billion, just 10.3% of the total projected capital spend for the year.Interestingly, the report also shows a poor performance in aid and grants, which only reached ₦7.9 billion out of ₦111.7 billion projected — just 7.1% of the target.Analysts say the numbers raise serious questions about budget execution capacity, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and whether the state government can meet its full-year development goals with such a slow start.With more than ₦440 billion in revenue still to be generated, and over ₦472 billion in the expenditure plan left untouched, many are calling on the Kogi State Government to accelerate implementation to avoid another year of underperformance and stalled development.
Shola Akinyele
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