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Changing Gears 2.0: Soludo’s Acceleration Budget For Anambra
By Christian ABURIME In an era where Nigerian states often retreat behind the shield of “economic headwinds,” Anambra State is charting a remarkably different course.
This is evident in Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s presentation of the N607 billion 2025 budget. Aptly tagged “Changing Gears 2.0”, the budget tells a compelling story of fiscal ingenuity, one where ambitious development meets pragmatic restraint.
The numbers are striking, not for their size, but for their context. At $357 million, this budget is actually smaller in real terms than what the state spent in 2008 ($517 million) or 2013 ($1.1 billion). Yet, paradoxically, it promises to deliver even more.
This is not just political rhetoric; it is backed by a clear track record of execution. Consider the mathematics of adversity: cement prices have more than tripled to N10,000 per bag, fuel costs have skyrocketed tenfold to over N1,000 per litre, and inflation continues its relentless march.
Lesser administrations might have used these as ready-made excuses. Instead, Governor Soludo’s team has transformed these constraints into a catalyst for innovation. Instructively, the budget’s architecture reveals a government that understands the art of prioritisation.
A 77:23 ratio of capital to recurrent expenditure is beyond just a number; it is a significant shift in state-level governance.
Most Nigerian states struggle to keep their recurrent expenditure below 70%.
By driving it down to 23%, Anambra State under the leadership of Governor Soludo is effectively saying: we will run a lean government to build a rich state.
But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this budget is its candid honesty about weaknesses.
The state’s IGR currently stands at N2.5 billion monthly, against a potential of N10-15 billion.
This admission is not just all about transparency; it is also a challenge to the status quo. It suggests a government willing to confront its shortcomings rather than hide them. What’s more, the execution strategy reads like a business plan rather than a typical government document.
From transforming 22 schools into “smart schools” to distributing millions of economic seedlings and trees, from building the “largest shopping mall in Africa” to creating three new cities, the ambition is breathtaking.
Yet it is tempered with fiscal responsibility: the administration won’t borrow unless the loans are concessionary and tied to self-liquidating projects.
What is particularly noteworthy is the state’s approach to human capital development.
The extension of free education through SS3, recruitment of 8,115 teachers, and the innovative “One Youth, Two Skills” programme suggests a government thinking beyond the next election.
This is governance with a generational perspective. However, the true genius of this budget lies not in what it promises to spend, but in how it plans to achieve more with less.
The emphasis on strategic partnerships, community involvement, and private sector engagement suggests a recognition that the government alone cannot drive development. Critics might argue that the budget’s ambitions exceed its means.
But therein lies its brilliance: by setting ambitious targets while maintaining fiscal discipline, it creates a productive tension between aspiration and reality.
This tension, if properly managed, could be the catalyst for innovation in governance.
As Nigeria contends with the aftermath of fuel subsidy removal and currency unification, Anambra’s approach offers a template for other states.
“One Youth, Two Skills” programme suggests a government thinking beyond the next election.
It demonstrates that the answer to economic challenges is not always more money; sometimes, it is smarter money. Now, the success of this budget will ultimately depend on execution.
But by maintaining a capital-heavy investment profile while keeping recurrent costs low, prioritising revenue generation while resisting reckless borrowing, and balancing ambitious development with fiscal restraint, Governor Soludo is showing that it is possible to dream big while spending smart.
In the end, this “Changing Gears 2.0” budget is more than another routine financial document replete with platitudes.
It is a masterclass in governance under constraint, audaciously extending the mantra of Doing More with Less and representing another major step towards realising Governor Soludo’s vision of transforming Anambra into a smart, livable and prosperous mega city.
News
BREAKING: Private Jet crash Lands in Kano (Video)
A private jet operated by Flybird has reportedly crash-landed at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in the early hour of today.
The aircraft, was said to be flying from Abuja, and landed around 9:30 a.m with 11 people on board, including three crew members.
Reports says passengers were quickly and safely evacuated from the plane, and no deaths were reported.
More details are expected to come in later.
See video below:
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Botswana, Nigeria Explore Deeper Collaboration in Livestock Development (Photos)
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing evidence-based policies that will modernise Nigeria’s livestock sector and position it as a key driver of national economic growth.

The Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, reiterated this position on Friday, 12th December 2025, when he received Her Excellency, Philda Nani Kereng, High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana to Nigeria, during a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Abuja.
He emphasised that the nation can no longer rely on outdated systems but must embrace structured reforms that support productivity, enhance value addition, and create sustainable livelihoods for farmers and livestock value-chain actors.

“The Botswana experience is a major inspiration. Your nation has achieved in 50 years what the world continues to study, and we are interested in domesticating many of those lessons,” the Minister said.
“Nigeria, as the largest market in Africa, is ready to expand its livestock sector to compete globally, while also partnering with Botswana to accelerate the journey,” he added, noting the country’s unique success in exporting beef to Europe, managing transboundary diseases, and integrating technology in livestock traceability.

He stressed Nigeria’s readiness to learn from Botswana’s model, especially as the Ministry moves to rehabilitate and modernise 417 grazing reserves across the country into structured ranching ecosystems.
In her remarks, the High Commissioner highlighted Botswana’s five-decade success story in beef production and export to the European market, describing it as a product of deliberate policies, strong governance structures, and extensive farmer support systems.

She explained that Botswana’s livestock sector grew from a rural development model that prioritised agriculture, backed by policies and laws enabling farmers to produce high-quality cattle for livelihood improvement and national economic growth.
Her Excellency noted that Botswana’s beef sector, second only to diamonds in national revenue, thrives on strict disease-control systems, communal land management, targeted veterinary interventions, and highly subsidised farmer support programmes.
She outlined several areas where Botswana is prepared to collaborate with Nigeria, including beef quality improvement through enhanced genetics, modern abattoir practices, disease management, veterinary protocols, vaccine production, livestock traceability and grazing management.
News
JUST IN: Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda, Overrides President’s Pardon
Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, the Abuja housewife convicted of stabbing her husband to death in 2018, reinstating her original death sentence by hanging.
Sanda, 37, was sentenced to death in January 2020 by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court for culpable homicide punishable with death after she fatally stabbed Bilyaminu Bello during a heated domestic dispute over alleged infidelity. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in December 2020, and the Supreme Court affirmed it in 2023, exhausting her appeals.
In October 2025, President Bola Tinubu initially granted Sanda a full pardon as part of clemency extended to 175 convicts, citing her family’s pleas for the sake of her two children, her good conduct in prison, and remorse. However, amid public backlash, the administration revised the decision, commuting her sentence to 12 years imprisonment on compassionate grounds.
The Supreme Court’s 4-1 majority decision, delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, dismissed Sanda’s final appeal as meritless. Adumein ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, affirming the lower courts’ findings that Sanda’s actions constituted intentional murder.
Crucially, the apex court held that the executive branch’s exercise of pardon powers under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution was invalid in this instance, as Sanda’s appeal was still pending before the judiciary at the time of the grant. “It was wrong for the Executive to seek to exercise its power of pardon over a case of culpable homicide in respect of which an appeal was pending,” Justice Adumein stated in the lead judgment.
The dissenting justice argued for upholding the commutation, emphasizing humanitarian considerations for Sanda’s children and her time served—over seven years at Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The ruling has reignited national debates on the separation of powers, domestic violence, and the application of the death penalty. Sanda’s family expressed devastation, while Bello’s relatives hailed the decision as long-overdue justice. Rights groups decried the outcome, calling for legislative reforms on prerogative of mercy.
Sanda remains in custody pending any further legal maneuvers, though options appear exhausted. The Attorney General’s office confirmed investigations into the pardon process’s procedural flaws.
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