February 10, 2026
A review of the Kogi State 2025 Fourth Quarter (Q4) Budget Performance Report has revealed that the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo failed to release capital funds to several ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) throughout the entire 2025 fiscal year, despite substantial budgetary allocations.
SUNTV Global Channel findings show that from Q1 to Q4 (January–December 2025), numerous government offices recorded zero capital expenditure releases, raising serious concerns about budget implementation and fiscal accountability in the state.
According to the report, the Deputy Governor’s Office, which was allocated ₦1.175 billion in both the original and final 2025 budget, did not receive a single naira for capital projects across all four quarters of the year.
Similarly, the Kogi State Pension Commission, allocated ₦101 million, recorded no capital funding releases between January and December 2025.
The report further shows that the Kogi State Ministry of Information, with a total capital allocation of ₦736.53 million, received zero funding for the entire year. The same fate befell the Office of the Public Defender, which was allocated ₦130 million but received no capital releases.
Other agencies affected include the State House of Assembly Commission (₦180.35 million), the Kogi State Civil Service Commission (₦16.01 million), and the Christian Pilgrimage Commission (₦10 million)—all of which recorded zero capital expenditure releases throughout 2025.
The situation extended to major MDAs such as the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (₦472 million), the Ministry of Youths and Sports (₦1.801 billion), the Office of the State/Local Government Auditor-General (₦20 million), the Bureau of Public Procurement (₦500 million), and the Kogi State Water Board (₦460 million), none of which received capital funding during the period under review.
In addition, the State Bureau of Statistics, which had ₦30 million in the original budget and ₦330 million in the final budget, as well as the Kogi State Agro-Allied Company, which saw its allocation increase from ₦0 to ₦1 billion in the final budget, also received no capital releases.
Beyond capital expenditure, the report revealed troubling gaps in personnel expenditure funding. The Rural Access Road Agency, allocated ₦3.8 million for personnel costs, received no funds throughout 2025.
Likewise, the State Bureau of Statistics (₦43.57 million), the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (₦126.42 million), the Office of the Public Defender (₦50.48 million), and the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency (₦102.26 million) recorded zero personnel expenditure releases from January to December 2025.
Governor Ododo assumed office in January 2024, following the November 2023 governorship election, succeeding former governor Yahaya Bello, whose administration faced widespread criticism over fiscal transparency, debt management, and stalled capital projects.
Ironically, Governor Ododo, a former Auditor-General of Local Governments in Kogi State, had campaigned on promises of financial discipline, transparent budgeting, and grassroots development, assuring citizens that budgetary allocations would result in visible projects and functional institutions.
However, the 2025 budget performance findings raise fresh questions about the gap between budget approvals and actual fund releases, as well as the broader implications for governance, service delivery, and public trust in Kogi State.
