Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday, signed the N1.85 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, in what could mark a new phase in his administration’s relationship with the state legislature after a prolonged political crisis. The signing, done at the Government House in Port Harcourt, is the first budget Mr Fubara has assented to as governor since assuming office in 2023.
The governor described the development as “a breath of fresh air” and expressed optimism that the passage and signing of the budget would usher in a period of cooperation among the state’s political actors. Mr Fubara praised the Rivers State House of Assembly for what he described as its diligence in processing the budget, his spokesperson, Onwuka Nzeshi, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
The Assembly passed the budget earlier on Thursday, approving a total of N1,849,648,734,475.08 for the 2026 fiscal year ending 2 September 2027. Mr Fubara had presented the budget, which he called the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development,” to the legislature in July. It proposed more than N1.4 trillion for capital expenditure and over N413 billion for recurrent expenditure.
The Assembly said its budget estimates were anchored on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2026–2028, with emphasis on fiscal discipline and transparency in public revenue management. The lawmakers, however, expunged N6 billion earmarked as grants for PAMO University of Medical Sciences and Wigwe University, pending an investigation into the actual beneficiaries, the spokesperson for the assembly speaker, Martins Wachukwu, said in a statement.
They also recommended funding for the Primary Health Management Board to rebuild its storage facility at No. 2 Accra Street, which was gutted by fire. In an indication of the changed political atmosphere, Mr Fubara specifically thanked his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom