Calabar— The Cross River State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure has announced an expanded infrastructure agenda for 2026 following a significant increase in its budget, which rose from about ₦99 billion in 2025 to over ₦200 billion in 2026 NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Pius Ankpo Edet, disclosed this on Monday in Calabar during an interaction with staff of the ministry at the resumption of work for the new year.
Edet said the sharp rise in the ministry’s budget reflected the state government’s resolve to scale up infrastructure delivery across the state and would require increased commitment and efficiency from civil servants.
“In 2025, the budget of the Ministry of Works was about ₦99 billion. In 2026, we have over ₦200 billion. That tells you that this year is a different ball game,” the commissioner said.
According to him, the expanded budget is tied to the decision of the state government to extend the dividends of democracy to all local government areas through aggressive road construction, rehabilitation and bridge projects.
He explained that the Ministry of Works, as a pilot agency in infrastructure delivery, would play a central role in implementing the state’s development agenda, making staff performance and punctuality critical to success.
“This money cannot fly alone. It requires people to apportion it through responsibility and hard work. That is why we expect our staff to be proactive in service delivery,” Edet said.
The commissioner further noted that 2026 would involve more work than the previous year, urging staff to prepare for what he described as a period of intensified project execution.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Engr. Paul Bepeh, also charged staff to embrace punctuality and discipline, warning that the new year would demand higher productivity.
“Proactiveness to duty is key this year. Being a civil servant goes beyond signing the time book,” Bepeh said, adding that management would closely monitor attendance and performance.
Edet highlighted some of the ministry’s achievements in 2025, including road rehabilitation and construction projects across the northern, central and southern senatorial districts of the state.
In the northern part of the state, he listed the rehabilitation of the Ogoja road network, the Mbube route, the Ukele route and the Alifokpa axis, as well as the ongoing construction of a bridge project.
In Central Cross River, the commissioner said several roads were under construction, including the Ochinedo Road, while additional routes covering about 15 kilometres were scheduled to commence in January.
He also cited progress in the southern part of the state, particularly the Adiabo–Eseku Road, which he said had been neglected for over 30 years but was now nearing completion, as well as the Obansan Road and several internal roads within Calabar metropolis.
The commissioner said the scale of projects planned for 2026 would build on the gains recorded in 2025 and further reposition the state’s infrastructure sector.
“This is the season of sweetness in infrastructure development in Cross River State,” Edet said, adding that the ministry was committed to delivering projects that would have direct impact on communities across the state.
