Since Governor Bassey Otu took office on May 29, 2023, Cross River has operated with two financial tracks. The first is the Appropriation Law he signs in Calabar, which rose from N538 billion to N642 billion in 2025 after a N104 billion supplementary budget to cover counterpart obligations and shifting economic realities. The second track is quieter but heavier: intervention funds that never pass through the budget until the state pays its share. These are World Bank reimbursements, UBEC matching grants, SMEDAN funds, Federal Government social transfers, donor health money, and climate finance. They are not “budgetary details” in the traditional sense, yet they now bankroll classrooms, PHCs, livelihoods, and erosion control across the state.
The sources are specific and verifiable. The World Bank’s NG-CARES program reimbursed Cross River N20.67 billion as part of a N438.36 billion national payout, after the state pre-financed cash transfers, farm inputs, and MSME grants. An earlier NG-CARES assessment also earned the state N10.94 billion, putting total NG-CARES receipts from May 2023 to May 2026 at N31.61 billion. In education, the state paid its counterpart and drew down UBEC matching grants for 2023, 2024, and 2025 amounting to N17.01 billion. By June 15, 2026, the Commissioner for Education confirmed that this delivered 149 new classrooms, 50 rehabilitated blocks, 30 boreholes, and 23,461 pieces of furniture across all 18 LGAs, with 229 projects executed or ongoing. For MSMEs, Cross River signed a N1 billion matching fund MoU with SMEDAN in 2023, with the state and the agency putting N500 million each, and the Cross River Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency as the SPV. In August 2025, the Minister of State for Industry also announced a separate N500 million MSME grant for the state, targeting 1,000-plus beneficiaries. By May 2026, MEDA had sponsored 1,000 CAC certificates and screened 500 entrepreneurs for 5% loans with Sterling Bank.
Health has seen the deepest intervention footprint. The IMPACT Project, a World Bank credit, is upgrading 82 Primary Health Centers to level two status. Procurement advanced through 2024 and 2025, and by May 2026 the first set of contracts for equipment and civil works had been awarded. The project also donated 196 laptops for digital health records in all wards. The Federal Government’s Saving One Million Lives initiative gave the Primary Health Care Development Agency $1.5 million to access after inauguration of committees. The state flagged off a Drug Revolving Fund reform with N15 million initial stock of carbetocin and tranexamic acid to fight postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death. Development partners weighed in too: the UK and WHO delivered £3.8 million in equipment and buses to nursing schools, while Médecins Sans Frontières handed over two PHCs in Akampa LGA in September 2025 after three years of running 73,000 consultations, 2,123 deliveries, and 9,303 vaccinations. By May 2026, Cross River ranked first nationally in routine immunization at 95%, a direct outcome of IMPACT, WHO, and state funding.
Climate and erosion funds have continued. NEWMAP, though closed in 2022, earned the state World Bank certification for completing 11 erosion sites after setting aside N4.2 billion counterpart. A new €175 million EIB climate project covers 23 states including Cross River, with first disbursement of €17.5 million made in August 2025 for erosion and watershed management. By May 2026, site assessments had been concluded in Calabar South, Ogoja, and Ikom, with procurement for civil works ongoing. The Cross River Basin Development Authority also keyed into the Federal Government’s 2026 irrigation roadmap, prioritizing the Boki-Ikom Irrigation Project for 2,000 hectares. At its first general staff meeting for 2026 in Calabar, the Authority confirmed that designs were completed and contractor mobilization was set for Q3 2026.
The Federal Government’s direct social transfers reached the state as well. In December 2023, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs paid 5,000 vulnerable persons N20,000 each in Calabar, a N100 million injection. Between March 2024 and May 2025, the Federal Government also released N1.6 trillion to states and FCT from non-oil savings for infrastructure and security. The exact share to Cross River is not published, but the state’s 2025 supplementary budget cites “counterpart funds for key national and international projects” as a driver, indicating drawdown. By the 2nd State Executive Council meeting of 2026 held on May 14, approvals were granted for Phase 2 road networks in Abi, Bekwarra, Akpabuyo, Bakassi access road to the Deep Seaport, and Calabar Municipality, totaling 54.7km, funded through a mix of state and intervention sources. The same EXCO approved N873.5 million for 850KW solar at Ogoja Governor’s Lodge, EV charging and battery swap infrastructure, and the remodeling of Calabar International Convention Center to attract tourism receipts.
Adding the confirmed, post-May 2023 inflows to May 2026: NG-CARES N31.61 billion, UBEC N17.01 billion, SMEDAN N1 billion, MSME Minister grant N500 million, Humanitarian grant N100 million, DRF N15 million, SOML $1.5 million at roughly N2.4 billion, NEWMAP/EIB first tranche €17.5 million at about N30.6 billion, and UK/WHO £3.8 million at about N7.6 billion. That is N90.8 billion in quantifiable interventions in 36 months, excluding the undisclosed slice of the N1.6 trillion FG infrastructure fund and the full value of IMPACT PHC upgrades funded by the World Bank’s $570 million HOPE-PHC national credit.
Have these funds been utilized? For Program-for-Results like NG-CARES and UBEC, yes. The state spent first, an independent verification was done, and reimbursement followed. Cross River ranked second nationally in NG-CARES results and is “up to date” on UBEC access as of June 15, 2026. IMPACT and WHO interventions are visible: 82 PHCs in contract award stage by May 2026, 196 laptops deployed, immunization at 95%. MSF’s handover note credits the ministry with capacity to run the facilities it built. SMEDAN’s N1 billion is moving: 1,000 CAC certificates issued, 500 MSMEs screened for loans, and disbursement ongoing through MEDA. Where utilization is weak is at project monitoring. UBEC boreholes in Idundu, Akpabuyo failed after two months, and NEWMAP’s Ikot Nkebre site drew a petition to the World Bank over poor work. The AfDB-funded Yahe-Wanikade road, awarded for N792.863 million, lay abandoned for ten years until re-awarded in 2026 and is now under construction with EXCO approval for slope stability and lighting.
Diversion is difficult under PforR, because money comes after results. The risk is in counterpart funding and procurement. The N4.2 billion Cross River set aside for erosion and the N104 billion supplementary budget are state funds. If contractors under-deliver, that is state money lost, not donor money. The N873.5 million approved in May 2026 for solar at Ogoja Governor’s Lodge is another state spend outside core budget, lawful because it went through EXCO and supplementary appropriation, but it underscores how “interventions” now stretch to cover both donor-driven and state-initiated extras.
How has the state fared? Better than the 2015-2023 cycle of MoU mirages. The Otu administration shifted to MoUs with cash attached and results required. NG-CARES reimbursed N20.67 billion because 20,000+ results were verified. UBEC’s N17 billion built classrooms you can count, with 229 projects reported by June 2026. SMEDAN’s N1 billion has a SPV and a bank partner. IMPACT’s 82 PHCs moved from bid to award by May 2026. The financial incentive changed: donors now pay for delivery, not promises, and the state is responding. Debt is still heavy at N218 billion inherited in 2023, and each new counterpart obligation pushes it, but the N104 billion supplementary was strategic, ring-fencing money for projects that unlock more funds. The EXCO of May 14, 2026 also approved a draft Public Health Security Law and Animal Health Law, and adopted a new Policy on Environment, showing institutional backing for donor compliance.
Kudos must go to Governor Bassey Otu for this pivot. He met a state known for signing and not delivering, and he chose to pay counterpart on time, access UBEC three years straight, take NG-CARES to second place nationally, and create the legal framework with the Counterpart Funds Amendment Law 2025 to manage donor money transparently. He brought the House along, got the supplementary passed, and put MEDA and SUBEB to work. He also stabilized health: 95% immunization, DRF reform, and MSF’s commendation that the ministry can now run what partners built. In agriculture, 108 mini-tractors and 100 fishing boats went out under NG-CARES, and the Basin Authority’s 2,000-hectare irrigation plan is now at mobilization stage. In MSMEs, 1,000 entrepreneurs now have CAC certificates and a path to single-digit loans. In infrastructure, 54.7km of new roads were approved in May 2026, and the CICC remodeling was approved to restore tourism revenue. These are not press releases. They are disbursements, deliveries, rankings, and EXCO approvals minuted and published.
Yet the job is not finished. A borehole that fails in two months is not an intervention. An MoU on gas or diaspora mapping without a budget line is not development. The House should codify an MoU Registry so citizens see costs and status. MDAs must maintain what donors build. And the state must keep publishing what it receives: how much of the N1.6 trillion FG infrastructure fund came to Cross River, what the IMPACT PHC sum is, and when the 82 clinics will open.
Apart from budgetary details, Cross River runs on intervention fuel: NG-CARES, UBEC, SMEDAN, IMPACT, SOML, NEWMAP, EIB, WHO, MSF, and direct FG grants. From May 29, 2023 to May 2026, that fuel is worth at least N90.8 billion and rising. Governor Otu deserves credit for aligning the state to draw it down and for tying spending to results. Cross River has fared well compared to the lost years, and if the next 12 months finish the classrooms, equip the PHCs, irrigate the farms, complete the 54.7km roads, and publish every kobo, the state will have turned intervention into transformation.
Peter Agi is a Cross Riverian , Public Affairs Commentator and served as Bursar of the University of Calabar. He writes from Ijegu-Ojor, Yala LGA.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Peter Agi, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
Billions Outside The Budget: Counting Cross River’s Interventions Since May 2023 BY PETER AGI
Since Governor Bassey Otu took office on May 29, 2023, Cross River has operated with two financial tracks. The first is the Appropriation Law he signs in Calabar, which rose from N538 billion to N642 billion in 2025 after a N104 billion supplementary budget to cover counterpart obligations and shifting economic realities. The second track is quieter but heavier: intervention funds that never pass through the budget until the state pays its share. These are World Bank reimbursements, UBEC matching grants, SMEDAN funds, Federal Government social transfers, donor health money, and climate finance. They are not “budgetary details” in the traditional sense, yet they now bankroll classrooms, PHCs, livelihoods, and erosion control across the state.
The sources are specific and verifiable. The World Bank’s NG-CARES program reimbursed Cross River N20.67 billion as part of a N438.36 billion national payout, after the state pre-financed cash transfers, farm inputs, and MSME grants. An earlier NG-CARES assessment also earned the state N10.94 billion, putting total NG-CARES receipts from May 2023 to May 2026 at N31.61 billion. In education, the state paid its counterpart and drew down UBEC matching grants for 2023, 2024, and 2025 amounting to N17.01 billion. By June 15, 2026, the Commissioner for Education confirmed that this delivered 149 new classrooms, 50 rehabilitated blocks, 30 boreholes, and 23,461 pieces of furniture across all 18 LGAs, with 229 projects executed or ongoing. For MSMEs, Cross River signed a N1 billion matching fund MoU with SMEDAN in 2023, with the state and the agency putting N500 million each, and the Cross River Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency as the SPV. In August 2025, the Minister of State for Industry also announced a separate N500 million MSME grant for the state, targeting 1,000-plus beneficiaries. By May 2026, MEDA had sponsored 1,000 CAC certificates and screened 500 entrepreneurs for 5% loans with Sterling Bank.
Health has seen the deepest intervention footprint. The IMPACT Project, a World Bank credit, is upgrading 82 Primary Health Centers to level two status. Procurement advanced through 2024 and 2025, and by May 2026 the first set of contracts for equipment and civil works had been awarded. The project also donated 196 laptops for digital health records in all wards. The Federal Government’s Saving One Million Lives initiative gave the Primary Health Care Development Agency $1.5 million to access after inauguration of committees. The state flagged off a Drug Revolving Fund reform with N15 million initial stock of carbetocin and tranexamic acid to fight postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death. Development partners weighed in too: the UK and WHO delivered £3.8 million in equipment and buses to nursing schools, while Médecins Sans Frontières handed over two PHCs in Akampa LGA in September 2025 after three years of running 73,000 consultations, 2,123 deliveries, and 9,303 vaccinations. By May 2026, Cross River ranked first nationally in routine immunization at 95%, a direct outcome of IMPACT, WHO, and state funding.
Climate and erosion funds have continued. NEWMAP, though closed in 2022, earned the state World Bank certification for completing 11 erosion sites after setting aside N4.2 billion counterpart. A new €175 million EIB climate project covers 23 states including Cross River, with first disbursement of €17.5 million made in August 2025 for erosion and watershed management. By May 2026, site assessments had been concluded in Calabar South, Ogoja, and Ikom, with procurement for civil works ongoing. The Cross River Basin Development Authority also keyed into the Federal Government’s 2026 irrigation roadmap, prioritizing the Boki-Ikom Irrigation Project for 2,000 hectares. At its first general staff meeting for 2026 in Calabar, the Authority confirmed that designs were completed and contractor mobilization was set for Q3 2026.
The Federal Government’s direct social transfers reached the state as well. In December 2023, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs paid 5,000 vulnerable persons N20,000 each in Calabar, a N100 million injection. Between March 2024 and May 2025, the Federal Government also released N1.6 trillion to states and FCT from non-oil savings for infrastructure and security. The exact share to Cross River is not published, but the state’s 2025 supplementary budget cites “counterpart funds for key national and international projects” as a driver, indicating drawdown. By the 2nd State Executive Council meeting of 2026 held on May 14, approvals were granted for Phase 2 road networks in Abi, Bekwarra, Akpabuyo, Bakassi access road to the Deep Seaport, and Calabar Municipality, totaling 54.7km, funded through a mix of state and intervention sources. The same EXCO approved N873.5 million for 850KW solar at Ogoja Governor’s Lodge, EV charging and battery swap infrastructure, and the remodeling of Calabar International Convention Center to attract tourism receipts.
Adding the confirmed, post-May 2023 inflows to May 2026: NG-CARES N31.61 billion, UBEC N17.01 billion, SMEDAN N1 billion, MSME Minister grant N500 million, Humanitarian grant N100 million, DRF N15 million, SOML $1.5 million at roughly N2.4 billion, NEWMAP/EIB first tranche €17.5 million at about N30.6 billion, and UK/WHO £3.8 million at about N7.6 billion. That is N90.8 billion in quantifiable interventions in 36 months, excluding the undisclosed slice of the N1.6 trillion FG infrastructure fund and the full value of IMPACT PHC upgrades funded by the World Bank’s $570 million HOPE-PHC national credit.
Have these funds been utilized? For Program-for-Results like NG-CARES and UBEC, yes. The state spent first, an independent verification was done, and reimbursement followed. Cross River ranked second nationally in NG-CARES results and is “up to date” on UBEC access as of June 15, 2026. IMPACT and WHO interventions are visible: 82 PHCs in contract award stage by May 2026, 196 laptops deployed, immunization at 95%. MSF’s handover note credits the ministry with capacity to run the facilities it built. SMEDAN’s N1 billion is moving: 1,000 CAC certificates issued, 500 MSMEs screened for loans, and disbursement ongoing through MEDA. Where utilization is weak is at project monitoring. UBEC boreholes in Idundu, Akpabuyo failed after two months, and NEWMAP’s Ikot Nkebre site drew a petition to the World Bank over poor work. The AfDB-funded Yahe-Wanikade road, awarded for N792.863 million, lay abandoned for ten years until re-awarded in 2026 and is now under construction with EXCO approval for slope stability and lighting.
Diversion is difficult under PforR, because money comes after results. The risk is in counterpart funding and procurement. The N4.2 billion Cross River set aside for erosion and the N104 billion supplementary budget are state funds. If contractors under-deliver, that is state money lost, not donor money. The N873.5 million approved in May 2026 for solar at Ogoja Governor’s Lodge is another state spend outside core budget, lawful because it went through EXCO and supplementary appropriation, but it underscores how “interventions” now stretch to cover both donor-driven and state-initiated extras.
How has the state fared? Better than the 2015-2023 cycle of MoU mirages. The Otu administration shifted to MoUs with cash attached and results required. NG-CARES reimbursed N20.67 billion because 20,000+ results were verified. UBEC’s N17 billion built classrooms you can count, with 229 projects reported by June 2026. SMEDAN’s N1 billion has a SPV and a bank partner. IMPACT’s 82 PHCs moved from bid to award by May 2026. The financial incentive changed: donors now pay for delivery, not promises, and the state is responding. Debt is still heavy at N218 billion inherited in 2023, and each new counterpart obligation pushes it, but the N104 billion supplementary was strategic, ring-fencing money for projects that unlock more funds. The EXCO of May 14, 2026 also approved a draft Public Health Security Law and Animal Health Law, and adopted a new Policy on Environment, showing institutional backing for donor compliance.
Kudos must go to Governor Bassey Otu for this pivot. He met a state known for signing and not delivering, and he chose to pay counterpart on time, access UBEC three years straight, take NG-CARES to second place nationally, and create the legal framework with the Counterpart Funds Amendment Law 2025 to manage donor money transparently. He brought the House along, got the supplementary passed, and put MEDA and SUBEB to work. He also stabilized health: 95% immunization, DRF reform, and MSF’s commendation that the ministry can now run what partners built. In agriculture, 108 mini-tractors and 100 fishing boats went out under NG-CARES, and the Basin Authority’s 2,000-hectare irrigation plan is now at mobilization stage. In MSMEs, 1,000 entrepreneurs now have CAC certificates and a path to single-digit loans. In infrastructure, 54.7km of new roads were approved in May 2026, and the CICC remodeling was approved to restore tourism revenue. These are not press releases. They are disbursements, deliveries, rankings, and EXCO approvals minuted and published.
Yet the job is not finished. A borehole that fails in two months is not an intervention. An MoU on gas or diaspora mapping without a budget line is not development. The House should codify an MoU Registry so citizens see costs and status. MDAs must maintain what donors build. And the state must keep publishing what it receives: how much of the N1.6 trillion FG infrastructure fund came to Cross River, what the IMPACT PHC sum is, and when the 82 clinics will open.
Apart from budgetary details, Cross River runs on intervention fuel: NG-CARES, UBEC, SMEDAN, IMPACT, SOML, NEWMAP, EIB, WHO, MSF, and direct FG grants. From May 29, 2023 to May 2026, that fuel is worth at least N90.8 billion and rising. Governor Otu deserves credit for aligning the state to draw it down and for tying spending to results. Cross River has fared well compared to the lost years, and if the next 12 months finish the classrooms, equip the PHCs, irrigate the farms, complete the 54.7km roads, and publish every kobo, the state will have turned intervention into transformation.
Peter Agi is a Cross Riverian , Public Affairs Commentator and served as Bursar of the University of Calabar. He writes from Ijegu-Ojor, Yala LGA.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Peter Agi, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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budgetbusiness and economyInterventionPeter AgiPublic Affairs Commentator