Young Akwa Ibom advocate puts state budgets under a gender lens
Lucy Eyo's project will track three years of spending on health, education, water and women's livelihoods to see whether money reaches women and girls.
Uyo — A youth-led project in Akwa Ibom State will examine whether public money is reaching women, girls and vulnerable people, Premium Times reports.
The project
Budget as Policy: Advancing Gender Justice through Fiscal Analysis is run by Lucy Eyo, a civil society advocate and development communication specialist, with support from the Nigerian Youth Futures Fund. It was launched at an inception meeting on 16 October with civil society groups and journalists, who pledged support.
- Period: the 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets.
- Sectors: health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, and women's economic empowerment.
- Aims: find spending trends and funding gaps, strengthen gender-responsive budgeting, and give civil society, media and government evidence to work with.
Eyo said budgets show a government's real priorities, and that the project will show where public money goes and where the gaps are.
Why it is needed
Earlier Premium Times reporting found that Akwa Ibom received at least N2.934 trillion between May 2023 and June 2026, but its published records lacked detailed capital spending schedules. In 2025 the state allocated N61.61 billion, or 3.73% of a N1.65 trillion budget, to education, with no full performance report for the year. The project's impact will depend on detailed records being available and on the state government, led by Governor Umo Eno, engaging with what it finds.
Source: Premium Times, 22 October 2026.
