Fubara signs Rivers’ 2026 budget after political crisis

Summary

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has signed the state’s 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, his first budget assent since taking office in 2023.

Highlights

• The N1.85 trillion budget was signed at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
• The Rivers State House of Assembly passed the budget earlier on Thursday.
• Fubara had presented the spending plan in July as the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development.”
• The Assembly said the budget is anchored on the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, with emphasis on fiscal discipline and transparency.
• Lawmakers removed N6 billion earmarked for grants to PAMO University of Medical Sciences and Wigwe University pending an investigation into the beneficiaries.
• Fubara described the development as a “breath of fresh air” and thanked the Assembly for its handling of the budget.