Despite unveiling a ₦1.62 trillion “Budget of Renewed Momentum,” the administration’s provisions for the healthcare needs of its 4.7 million residents reveal a troubling disregard for human life.
An analysis of the Enugu State 2026 budget has revealed a pattern of profligate spending and misplaced priorities by the administration of Governor Peter Mbah, which earmarked billions of naira for luxury furniture and aircraft while neglecting the state’s healthcare system.
Despite unveiling a ₦1.62 trillion “Budget of Renewed Momentum,” the administration’s provisions for the healthcare needs of its 4.7 million residents reveal a troubling disregard for human life.
According to official budget documents obtained and analysed by SaharaReporters, the state government allocated a paltry ₦679.8 million for the purchase of drugs, laboratory equipment, and medical supplies.
When broken down, this reveals that the Mbah administration intends to spend less than ₦150 per person on medical supplies for the entire year, an amount that cannot buy a single sachet of basic painkillers in today's inflationary economy.
While the state’s medical supply chain is left with "starvation wages," the budget for the comfort of government officials is bloated with astronomical figures.
The documents show that ₦115.8 billion has been set aside for office furniture and rehabilitation, nearly 170 times the amount meant for life-saving drugs.
Also, ₦35 billion is budgeted for the purchase of aircraft, as the governor continues to prioritise aviation luxury over rural health. The documents also show that ₦21.8 billion has been earmarked for the purchase of motor vehicles for government use.
The Mbah administration has also budgeted over ₦50.3 billion for foodstuffs and catering materials.
Observers have tagged this "stomach infrastructure at scale," noting that the government is spending 74 times more on feeding officials and "catering" than on stocking state hospitals with drugs and diagnostic tools.
"This is not a budget for the people; it is a budget for the comfort of the ruling class," a civil society activist in Enugu told SaharaReporters. "How do you explain spending ₦115 billion on chairs and desks when women are dying in hospitals because there are no basic medical consumables?"
Governor Mbah has consistently touted his 80% capital expenditure ratio as evidence of his "disruptive innovation" strategy. The administration claims that the high spending on furniture and vehicles is linked to its "Smart Green Schools" project and new administrative hubs.
However, medical professionals in the state have raised the alarm that the government is focused on building "empty carcasses" of hospitals.
While the state is constructing 230 Type-2 primary healthcare centres, the ₦679 million for supplies means these centres will likely remain "consulting clinics" without actual medication for patients.
The wide disparity in the budget has sparked outrage among residents, many of whom are struggling with the rising cost of living and a lack of access to affordable healthcare.