…But Odili’s medical university is sacrificial lamb as lawmakers step down N6bn subvention Less than 72 hours after BusinessDaySunday’s special report on possibility of Rivers State joining the status of an ‘ungoverned territory’, the state’s 2026 budget which had caused uproar for not being looked into by the state’s House of Assembly, was debated, approved, and signed into law.
The speed was described by some observers as “supersonic” for the fact that the budget had remained “abandoned” since July 10, 2026, only to gain speed after media uproar. By Monday, August 31, 2026, the House led by Martin Amaewhule picked it up and began action. By Wednesday, talks were more serious, and by Thursday, September 3, 2026, the budget was transmitted to the Government House for signing.
This, again, has demonstrated the power of public opinion, or what the voice of the masses can do. Friends again: Gov Sim Fubara in warm handshake with Martin Amaewhule, Speaker, backed by others. A Government House statement signed by Onwuka Nzeshi, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, aroused the people of the state announcing that the governor just signed the budget into law.
He said that Governor Fubara described it as “a breath of fresh air” and the beginning of a new chapter of unity and progress for the state. Fubara was quoted thus: “First of all, we want to thank the Almighty God for making this day a reality.
I strongly believe that it is a breath of fresh air and a healthy relationship moving forward.” The governor was said to have commended the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly particularly, for their diligence and speed in handling the budget at a critical time in the state’s history.