The Abia State Government has issued a clarification regarding the absence of a N250 million allocation for a copier designated for its Lagos Liaison Office.
This statement, released by the State Ministry of Budget and Planning on February 7, states that the misinterpretation stemmed from a clerical and formatting error in the 2026 Approved Budget.
The clarification follows numerous media reports and public discussions questioning the allocation, which seemed abnormally high for a single copier within the Lagos Liaison Office's budget for 2026.
Concerns about potential budget inflation led the ministry to respond with this explanation.
According to the ministry, a review of the budget document published on January 31 indicates that N210.83 million was set for the rehabilitation and repair of residential buildings and staff quarters at the Lagos Liaison Office, while only N12 million was actually allocated for the procurement of one Sharp copier alongside other office equipment.
The ministry emphasized that the confusion arose from a technical error that occurred during the final stages of compiling the budget.
The statement elaborated that a misalignment occurred on page 289 of the budget document, causing incorrect descriptions to align with the wrong figures, thereby leading to a misunderstanding.
It noted that the figure of N250 million referenced in the reports pertains to a separate, larger capital project within the budget that was misplaced due to formatting issues. Thus, the budget for the copier and additional equipment remains at N12 million as correctly reflected on page 60.
The ministry assured the public that there was no inflation of costs associated with the copier procurement, underscoring that the error was merely clerical in nature.
Additionally, the ministry provided insights into the broader budgeting and procurement process, explaining that the published budget serves as a planning document that authorizes spending only within the approved limits, without allowing immediate fund disbursement.
All procurement activities by the Abia State Government must go through several layers of statutory approvals, including assessments from the Departmental and Ministerial Tenders Boards, as well as final approvals from both the Finance and General Purpose Committee and the State Executive Council.
The ministry expressed regret over the confusion caused by the clerical issue and reaffirmed the administration's dedication to transparent budgeting, the wise use of public funds, and openness to scrutiny as part of its commitment to accountability.
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