The governor performed the exercise on Thursday at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt, shortly after the Rivers State House of Assembly unanimously passed it during a resumed sitting in the state capital.
The budget, christened the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development,” is expected to guide the state’s spending priorities and development agenda throughout the 2026 fiscal year. Fubara had, in July, presented a fiscal estimate of ₦1,854,248,734,475.76 to the Assembly, a figure representing a 24.5 percent increase over the state’s revised 2025 financial estimates.
Speaking after signing the bill, Fubara described the development as a breath of fresh air, expressing optimism that its implementation would usher in a new phase of development and cooperation in the state. He said his administration’s commitment remains focused on the progress and development of Rivers State, while assuring the Assembly of a cordial and cooperative relationship going forward. The 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 former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, in facilitating the meeting and progress that culminated in the passage and signing of the budget.
While presenting the budget for assent, Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Major Jack, described the appropriation bill as an ambitious budget, noting that the Assembly had subjected the estimates to thorough scrutiny with the best of intentions, in the expectation that it would deliver the desired growth and development for the state.
In his address, Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, disclosed that the budget figure was not passed exactly as presented by the governor. Lawmakers reviewed 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 institution’s management 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 action was part of the Assembly’s oversight responsibility to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of public funds.
The passage marks the first time the Assembly, under Speaker Amaewhule’s leadership, has approved a state budget since the Fubara administration began, closing a chapter of prolonged political tension between the two arms of government.
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