A recent analysis of the 2025 half-year budget performance report for Kogi State has revealed that the state government spent a staggering N28.1 billion on debt servicing between January and June, far outpacing its investment in key public sectors like health and water.
According to the data reviewed by SaharaReporters, only N12.3 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Health during the same period, while the Ministry of Water Resources received just N1.4 billion—a combined total of less than N14 billion, which is less than half of what went into debt repayments.
In comparison, the Ministry of Works and Planning—which includes the Road Maintenance Agency and the state’s fire service—recorded a total expenditure of N17.2 billion, and the Ministry of Education received N20.3 billion.
Despite the enormous funds used to service debts, the state has continued to make controversial and lavish budgetary allocations. In the 2025 budget, N7 billion was earmarked for the purchase of 60 vehicles for government ministries and departments. This is in addition to the N4.4 billion already spent on vehicles between January and September 2024.
Originally, the 2024 budget allocated N4.6 billion for the same fleet purchase. With N4.476 billion already spent that year, the remaining N124 million would have sufficed to complete the procurement. Instead, an entirely new N7 billion budget was introduced in 2025, effectively pushing the total cost to N11 billion, translating to an average of N183 million per vehicle.
Further scrutiny of the state’s expenditure revealed other high-cost projects such as the remodelling of the Government House, which has received N3 billion in the 2025 budget. This follows a prior expenditure of N2.2 billion in 2024 on the same project.
Similarly, N200 million was allocated each for renovating and furnishing the Deputy Governor’s Lodge and Office—a repeat of 2024’s expenditure when N100 million each was spent on both structures.
These spending patterns have drawn sharp criticism, especially amid growing calls for more prudent financial management and better prioritisation of essential services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Critics argue that the government’s heavy focus on debt servicing and luxury spending comes at the expense of critical development needs for the people of Kogi State.
