Delta’s 2026 Budget at 70% Performance
Current Economic Pain Not Deliberate — Ekedayen
By Patrick Ochei
It has been authoritatively confirmed that the 2026 Appropriation Law of Delta State is currently at 70 per cent performance.
The revelation was made when the Delta State Commissioner for Economic Development, Mr. Sonny Ekedayen, hosted members of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN) on a courtesy visit to his office in Asaba.
The Commissioner affirmed that, given the progress recorded so far in the implementation of the budget, its performance could hit the mid-80 per cent mark during the dry season.
Mr. Ekedayen appealed to Deltans to be patient with the government over its policies and programmes, insisting that the current economic hardship in the country is not deliberate but an indication of efforts aimed at repositioning the nation’s economy.
While noting that the macroeconomic indicators were already showing signs of improvement, he assured that the government was making concerted efforts to cascade economic prosperity to the grassroots in order to reactivate microeconomic activities.
The Commissioner said part of the administration’s agenda to positively impact the lives of the people was the enactment of the 13th-month salary for civil servants into law.
“It’s a fatherly gesture by the Governor to cushion the effect of seasonal pressure on the civil servants and, by extension, their families,” he added.
Ekedayen also highlighted the benefits of the recently convened Delta State Economic and Investment Summit, insisting that its essence was to position the state within the international economic space, building on its achievements over the past three years.
He affirmed that the administration had been transformational since Sheriff Oborevwori assumed office as Governor of Delta State more than three years ago.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Newspapers, Sir Prince Orhomonokpaye, who led the publishers to the Commissioner, appreciated him for his fatherly disposition towards community newspaper publishers and practitioners.
He appealed to the Commissioner to use his good offices to facilitate a monthly partnership between the government and community newspapers, to sustain the cordial relationship already established between the government and community-based journalists and publishers.
