Enugu Government Peter Mbah Spent N23 Billion Beyond Budget
By: Abudu Olalekan
Enugu Government Peter Mbah went and blew past every budget limit in the 2025 books. The administration dropped ₦23.83 billion over what was actually approved for capital projects. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a statement.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, which Reportersroom obtained, affected projects racked up actual expenditure of ₦26.46 billion. The revised budget? Only ₦2.64 billion was set aside. Do the math. There’s ₦23.83 billion sitting in excess expenditure. Unapproved. Unexplained.
The Office of the Secretary to the State Government was one of worst offenders. They dropped ₦2.382 billion on utility vehicles for MDAs. The revised provision was just ₦480 million. That’s excess of ₦1.902 billion, right there. Then there’s ₦52.02 million spent on furnishing the new Executive Council Secretariat building, against budget of ₦30 million. Another ₦22.02 million over. They also spent ₦270 million on more utility vehicles. For that line? There was no revised budgetary provision. None.
But the real eye-opener was ₦8.98 billion. The same office paid that as financial commitment for preparation of Competent Person Report. The report said there was no budgetary provision for expenditure, meaning entire ₦8.98 billion was classified as excess. Every single naira.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization wasn’t far behind. They spent ₦4.004 billion on establishment of new abattoirs and upgrading four existing ones at Ogbete, Garriki, Emene and Abakpa. No revised provision existed. Then they threw ₦1.398 billion at agricultural consulting. Again, nothing approved. Together, two expenditures came to about ₦5.4 billion. Just floating in air.
The Office of the Executive Governor also had its hands full. They spent ₦3.75 billion on flood control and road rehabilitation without revised budgetary provision. Another ₦330.41 million went into construction, reconstruction and renovation of offices and lounges at Government House. Plus ₦227.5 million replacing damaged waste bins across metropolis. Add ₦27.59 million for communication equipment for security personnel, ₦25 million for computer software development, and ₦11.19 million for rehabilitation of governor’s office and Executive Council Hall. The Auditor-General noted none of these had provisions.
Transport ministry exceeded its own allocation too. They were meant to spend ₦2 billion procuring 2,000 taxis for Youth Empowerment Scheme. Actual spending hit ₦2.3 billion. That’s ₦300 million extra.
Enugu State Internal Revenue Service joined in. They spent ₦322.62 million on office equipment, including laptops and Samsung Galaxy devices, printers and photocopiers. The revised provision? ₦75.05 million. Excess of ₦247.57 million. They also installed high-capacity solar system for outstation offices for ₦168.54 million, against approved provision of ₦50 million. Another ₦118.54 million gone. Then ₦410.25 million for construction and equipping of training centre, and ₦20.05 million on four buses and four Hilux vans for zonal offices. The report said no revised provisions were recorded.
Other MDAs got flagged as well. The State Science Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board spent ₦255.63 million on furniture for staff rooms, libraries, zonal offices and headquarters. No provision. The Post Primary Schools Management Board dropped ₦817.22 million renovating 50 public secondary schools across state. No corresponding provision. Enugu State Marketing Company incurred ₦644.70 million on construction of farm estates. Meanwhile, state judiciary spent ₦21.62 million on additional hardware for digitisation of High Court of Justice and ₦43.37 million renovating Justice A.I. Umezuluike Auditorium.
The report also looked at pension and gratuity. 868 files belonging to retired civil and public servants came in for verification and computation in 2025. The state spent ₦9.16 billion on pensions, compared with approved budget of ₦8.113 billion. That’s 112.92 percent performance. Gratuity was different. They spent only ₦1.92 billion against provision of ₦15.104 billion. Just 12.73 percent.
All of this raises real questions. Compliance with approved appropriations seems shaky at best. With ₦23.83 billion in capital spending sitting outside the revised 2025 budget, there’s a massive gap between plan and reality. The Auditor-General flagged it. Now it’s up to the government to explain how every naira got there.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.
