A review of the Cross River State approved budget for the 2026 fiscal year has shown that the state government plans to spend N2billion on the renovation of the governor’s lodge.
The budget document indicates that the amount is part of a series of allocations related to the maintenance, renovation and furnishing of properties connected to the governor’s official residence.
Further checks show that a total of N994million had already been spent on the renovation of the governor’s lodge between January and September 2025.
Despite the significant expenditure within that nine-month period, the 2026 budget proposal includes another N2 billion allocation for the same renovation project.
In addition to the renovation cost, the approved 2026 budget also set aside N150million for the furnishing of the governor’s lodge.
The document further reveals additional allocations related to the governor’s residence. A sum of N150million was budgeted for the renovation of the governor’s residence, while another N150 million was earmarked for furnishing the residence.
Altogether, the combined allocations for renovation and furnishing connected to the governor’s lodge and residence in the 2026 budget amount to billions of naira.
Previously, SaharaReporters had uncovered a pattern of questionable spending linked to budgetary provisions by the Cross River State government regarding the rehabilitation of the governor’s offices.
According to budget records reviewed by SaharaReporters, a total of N7.6 billion was spent on the rehabilitation of the governor’s offices during the 2024 fiscal year.
However, official budget documents showed that only N4billion had been approved for the project, raising concerns over the difference between the approved amount and the total expenditure recorded.
The initial 2024 budget had earmarked just N1 billion for the rehabilitation of the governor’s offices.
But in July 2024, the Cross River State House of Assembly approved a supplementary budget that increased the allocation from N1 billion to N4 billion, according to official records.
Budget performance data for the 2024 fiscal year confirmed that no further allocations were approved beyond the N4billion contained in the revised budget.
Despite this, the total amount eventually spent on the rehabilitation of the governor’s offices rose to N7.6billion, indicating that an additional N3.6billion was expended beyond the approved allocation.
There have been concerns on states prioritisation of luxurious expenditures amid developmental and economic needs.