Ebonyi topped other South-East states in two of the three selected sectors’ budget performance reports (BIR). The state recorded 58.65 percent performance in education and 88.54 percent performance in health by the end of the third quarter(Q3) of 2022.
The state budgeted N18.29 billion for education but spent N10.73 billion by the end of Q3. In the health sector, it spent N5.06 billion of its budgeted N5.72 billion.
Though Ebonyi spent N668.8 million of its N2.57 billion budget on agriculture, its 26.03 percent performance is the fourth in the region.
Of the five states in the region, Abia, Anambra, and Ebonyi had BIR reports at the end of the third quarter of 2022. Abia budgeted N13.25 billion for education, N8.5 billion for health, and N2.78 billion for agriculture.
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Anambra State earmarked N9.2 billion for education, N5.88 billion for health, and N1.52 billion for agriculture.
Ebonyi State set aside N18.3 billion for education, N5.72 billion for health, and N2.57 billion for agriculture.
The budgets also show that N13.51 billion was earmarked for education in Enugu State, N9.91 billion for health, and N5.65 billion for agriculture.
Imo State had 26.9 billion going to education, N8.97 billion for health, and N3.04 billion for agriculture.
Health Sector
Across the states, Enugu State budgeted N9.91 billion for health – the highest for the sector. Imo State earmarked N8.99 billion while Abia set aside N8.5 billion for the sector. Anambra budgeted N5.88 billion while Ebonyi earmarked N5.72 billion for health.
By the end of Q3 2022, Ebonyi had remained the only state with an 88.54 percent health expenditure performance. Anambra is close, with a 54.19 percent performance. The other three states performed between 35 percent and 44 percent.
Almost all the states (except Ebonyi) spent at least 77 percent of their health budgets on recurrent items by the end of Q3.
Ebonyi is the only state with most health budget for capital expenditure. The state spent N4.27 billion of its N5.29 health budget on capital items. This represented 81 percent of its health expenditure for the period.
Education sector
The education budget returned an average performance in most of the states across the region. Three states recorded approximately 50 percent performance on the average. By spending N10.73 billion out of N18.29 billion, N4.63 billion out of N9.2 billion, and N6.73 billion out of N13.51 billion, Ebonyi, Anambra, and Enugu states recorded 58.65 percent, 50.28 percent and 49.82 percent performances, respectively.
Abia and Imo states recorded 30.89 percent and 17.87 percent performances on education respectively. Abia State, on the other hand, spent N4.09 billion out of N13.25 billion, while Imo State expended just N4.81 billion out of N26.9 billion budget.
Most of the funds spent on the education sector went to recurrent expenditure. Across the states, recurrent expenditure received between 53 percent in Ebonyi State and 97 percent in Enugu.
Ebonyi is the only state that spent a sizable portion of its education budget on capital items The state spent N5.07 billion of its N10.73 education budget on capital projects. This represented 47 percent of the education budget.
Capital expenditure received 29 percent in Imo State, 11 percent in Abia State, 10 percent in Anambra, and 3 percent in Enugu.
Agricultural sector
The agricultural sector received the least amount across the states in the region. Likewise, the sector’s performance was the lowest.
Only Anambra was able to spend 53.96 percent of its budget on the agriculture sector. The state budgeted to splash N1.52 billion by the end of Q3 2022 but spent N802.7 million.
Other states’ performances were 47.08 percent in Imo, 26.87 percent in Abia, 26.03 percent in Ebonyi and 3.49 percent in Enugu State.
Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi states spent 87 percent, 65 percent, and 58 percent of their agriculture budgets on capital items respectively from January to September 2022.
In the South-East region, while Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo states spent fair shares of their budgets on capital items, Enugu and Abia states spent virtually nothing on capital projects as all expenses went to recurrent issues.