Inside Edo
Okpebholo approves N799.82 Billion 2025 supplementary budget, urged to fund newly established Edo disability commission
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
30 Sep 2025 04:30 PM
Benin, Edo – The Edo State Executive Council has approved a revised supplementary budget of N799.820 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, a significant 18% increase from the initial N675.220 billion appropriation passed in December 2024.
The N124.6 billion boost, unveiled during a Monday meeting chaired by Governor Monday Okpebholo, aims to turbocharge infrastructure, security, and social services under the administration’s “Budget of Renewed Hope for a Rising Edo.”
However, as the state celebrates this fiscal expansion, disability rights advocates are sounding a clarion call for the government to prioritize funding for the Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, a body established after the 2025 budget’s passage and thus excluded from its allocations, leaving it hamstrung in fulfilling its mandate.
The supplementary budget, ratified at the Government House, reflects the state’s response to economic pressures, including inflation rates hovering above 25% and dwindling federal allocations.
Initially proposed at N605.776 billion by Governor Okpebholo on December 10, 2024, the budget grew through legislative tweaks and this latest revision, now standing 32% above its original blueprint.
“This adjustment equips us to tackle urgent needs,” said Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Osaro Onaiwu, addressing journalists post-meeting, adding, “From road rehabilitation to healthcare upgrades and food security, we’re laying the foundation for a prosperous Edo.”
The budget allocates over N480 billion (60%) to capital projects, while recurrent costs absorb roughly 37%, supporting the state’s 50,000-strong workforce.
Yet, a critical oversight looms large: the Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, established in early 2025 under the Edo State Disability Rights Law of 2022, remains unfunded.
Daily South Nigeria understands that the commission was created after the 2025 budget was signed into law, apparently missing the fiscal planning cycle, leaving it without resources to execute its mandate—safeguarding the rights of over 500,000 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Edo, roughly 5% of the state’s population.
The commission, tasked with ensuring accessibility, combating discrimination, and providing vocational training, assistive devices, and legal advocacy for PWDs was established following years of advocacy, culminating in the 2022 law that mandated its creation within 12 months.
However, bureaucratic delays pushed its formal setup to February 2025, post-budget approval, leaving it in limbo.
“People with disabilities are not an afterthought; they deserve equal treatment like others.
”the supplementary budget is an opportunity for the governor to send the commission's budget, for them to start work", said Onobun Olisa, a disability rights scholar, during a recent event at the University of Benin
The Okpebholo administration has made strides in social welfare, with N15 billion for healthcare (including prosthetic subsidies) and N20 billion for education, potentially benefiting special needs schools. However, advocates argue these are insufficient without a centralized commission to coordinate efforts.
The Edo House of Assembly, led by Speaker Blessing Agbebaku, is set to review the supplementary budget next week, offering a window to insert PWD funding, as advocates are pressing for swift action, citing the risk of legal challenges under the 2022 law if the commission remains dormant.
"We need the commission to enforce accessibility laws, train sign language interpreters, and fund startups for PWDs.”
“The government’s ‘Rising Edo’ vision must include us. Fund the commission, or you’re telling us that we don’t matter.”, a physically challenged civil servant told Daily South Nigeria in Benin
With implementation guidelines due by mid-October, the ball is in the government’s court. Will the N799.82 billion budget reflect true inclusivity, or sideline Edo’s most vulnerable?
The N124.6 billion boost, unveiled during a Monday meeting chaired by Governor Monday Okpebholo, aims to turbocharge infrastructure, security, and social services under the administration’s “Budget of Renewed Hope for a Rising Edo.”
However, as the state celebrates this fiscal expansion, disability rights advocates are sounding a clarion call for the government to prioritize funding for the Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, a body established after the 2025 budget’s passage and thus excluded from its allocations, leaving it hamstrung in fulfilling its mandate.
The supplementary budget, ratified at the Government House, reflects the state’s response to economic pressures, including inflation rates hovering above 25% and dwindling federal allocations.
Initially proposed at N605.776 billion by Governor Okpebholo on December 10, 2024, the budget grew through legislative tweaks and this latest revision, now standing 32% above its original blueprint.
“This adjustment equips us to tackle urgent needs,” said Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Osaro Onaiwu, addressing journalists post-meeting, adding, “From road rehabilitation to healthcare upgrades and food security, we’re laying the foundation for a prosperous Edo.”
The budget allocates over N480 billion (60%) to capital projects, while recurrent costs absorb roughly 37%, supporting the state’s 50,000-strong workforce.
Yet, a critical oversight looms large: the Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, established in early 2025 under the Edo State Disability Rights Law of 2022, remains unfunded.
Daily South Nigeria understands that the commission was created after the 2025 budget was signed into law, apparently missing the fiscal planning cycle, leaving it without resources to execute its mandate—safeguarding the rights of over 500,000 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Edo, roughly 5% of the state’s population.
The commission, tasked with ensuring accessibility, combating discrimination, and providing vocational training, assistive devices, and legal advocacy for PWDs was established following years of advocacy, culminating in the 2022 law that mandated its creation within 12 months.
However, bureaucratic delays pushed its formal setup to February 2025, post-budget approval, leaving it in limbo.
“People with disabilities are not an afterthought; they deserve equal treatment like others.
”the supplementary budget is an opportunity for the governor to send the commission's budget, for them to start work", said Onobun Olisa, a disability rights scholar, during a recent event at the University of Benin
The Okpebholo administration has made strides in social welfare, with N15 billion for healthcare (including prosthetic subsidies) and N20 billion for education, potentially benefiting special needs schools. However, advocates argue these are insufficient without a centralized commission to coordinate efforts.
The Edo House of Assembly, led by Speaker Blessing Agbebaku, is set to review the supplementary budget next week, offering a window to insert PWD funding, as advocates are pressing for swift action, citing the risk of legal challenges under the 2022 law if the commission remains dormant.
"We need the commission to enforce accessibility laws, train sign language interpreters, and fund startups for PWDs.”
“The government’s ‘Rising Edo’ vision must include us. Fund the commission, or you’re telling us that we don’t matter.”, a physically challenged civil servant told Daily South Nigeria in Benin
With implementation guidelines due by mid-October, the ball is in the government’s court. Will the N799.82 billion budget reflect true inclusivity, or sideline Edo’s most vulnerable?
Comments
Oisamaye bright
Thanks to the governor and I will advise the edo state government to include one member each from the 18 local government for the planning because anything for us without us does not always go well
06 Oct 2025 07:58 AM