Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has signed the much-anticipated 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, describing the budget as a “breath of fresh air”.

The governor performed the exercise on Thursday at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt, the state capital.

He expressed optimism that the budget would usher in a new phase of development and cooperation in the state.

Fubara said his administration’s commitment remains focused on the progress and development of Rivers State, while assuring the State Assembly of a cordial and cooperative relationship going forward.

The Rivers governor thanked God for making the occasion possible, describing it as the beginning of a healthy relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.

He also acknowledged the role of the former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, in facilitating the meeting and the progress that culminated in the passage and signing of the budget.

While presenting the budget to the governor for assent, the Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Major Jack, described the appropriation bill as an ambitious budget.

Jack said the Rivers Assembly had subjected the estimates to thorough scrutiny, with the best of intentions, in the expectation that the budget would deliver the desired growth and development for the state.

In his address, the Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, disclosed that the budget figure was not passed exactly as presented by the Governor, following the lawmakers’ decision to review downward the proposed ₦6 billion allocation to PAMO University of Medical Sciences, a private university where Rivers indigenes have been receiving scholarships from the state government since the previous administration.

Amaewhule said the allocation was reduced, with part of the funds reassigned to the State Primary Healthcare Development Board, after the management of the institution failed to provide satisfactory explanations on the utilisation of the funds and also failed to send representatives to appear before the Assembly.

The Speaker said the Assembly’s action was part of its oversight responsibility to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of public funds.

The 2026 budget, christened the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development”, was passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly earlier on Thursday.

Fubara had, in July, presented a fiscal estimate of ₦1,854,248,734,475.76 to the Assembly. The estimate represented a 24.5 per cent increase over the revised 2025 financial figures. (Channels TV)