The Anambra State Government spent more than N159.65 million on refreshments and meals in the first six months of 2026, more than the N135.7 million released for erosion and flood control over the same period.
The spending comes as floods continue to cause deaths and destroy property across the state.
The half-year 2026 budget implementation report, reviewed by THE WHISTLER, shows the state earmarked N1.45 billion for refreshments and meals this year. It spent N83.52 million in the first quarter and N76.126 million in the second, an 11 per cent budget performance.
About N1.292 billion remains for the rest of the year, meaning the government still plans to spend over N1 billion on the line item.
By contrast, an earlier THE WHISTLER investigation found that Anambra planned to commit N5.12 billion to erosion and flood management in 2026 but released only N135.70 million in the first half. That is just 2.7 per cent of the budget.
The difference means the state spent about N23.945 million more on refreshments and meals than it released for flood control.
The figures contradict Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s repeated warnings that Anambra has 1,000 active gully erosion sites affecting over 30 per cent of its landmass.
The danger is already playing out. On September 22, a flood trapped a vehicle along the Nibo–Isiagu Ring Road in Awka South. Seven primary school pupils and two adults were rescued, but six-year-old Success Ezenwafor was later found dead.
Expert: “We are pricing lives below lunch”
Anthony Adejuwon, Chief Executive Officer of the accountability group Urban Alert, said the figures show a government that values officials’ comfort over community safety. He described the priorities as “upside down” and accused the government of putting “feeding meeting” ahead of protecting residents on floodplains.
“We are pricing lives below lunch,” he said, warning that every naira left unspent on flood management will return as higher costs in rescue operations, relief materials, lost harvests and lost lives. He called for proactive investment in drainage, early warning systems and riverbank protection.
Adejuwon also said refreshment spending is one of the easiest places for waste and inflated contracts to hide, because it leaves nothing physical to verify. This, he said, erodes public trust and weakens the social contract needed to respond to crises.
He proposed that the government publish a detailed breakdown of the refreshments spending, showing who was paid, for what events and at what unit cost.
He also urged the Anambra State House of Assembly to use its oversight powers to cap discretionary recurrent spending and redirect the savings to flood control and climate adaptation. He added that flood control budgets should be tied to visible projects, with locations, contractors and timelines published so communities can monitor them.
“Public money is public business, and silence is what allows the priority of the belly to persist,” he said.
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