The gist? Rivers finally has a budget — and everyone actually agreed on it.

In a moment many Rivers people thought would never come this smoothly, Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Thursday signed the much-anticipated 2026 Appropriation Bill into law at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.

And his verdict? He called it a “breath of fresh air.”

Speaking after putting pen to paper, Fubara said he’s optimistic this budget will usher in a new phase of development and, crucially, cooperation. He thanked God for the moment, described it as the start of a healthy relationship between the executive and the legislature, and pointedly thanked his predecessor and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for helping to broker the peace that made it possible.

If you’ve been following Rivers politics, you’ll know why that thank-you matters.

Here’s the background you need:

This is the first full budget since Fubara and the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly returned from that dramatic State of Emergency-induced suspension. Remember, Fubara had presented the estimates way back on July 10th after his Executive Council approved them, but the bill then foot-dragged for over six weeks in the House amid that long-running executive-legislative face-off.

So, Thursday’s signing is huge — it signals a thaw.

The 2026 fiscal plan — christened the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development” — is pegged at ₦1,854,248,734,475.76 (about ₦1.85 trillion).

Let’s put that in perspective:

That figure is a 24.5% jump over the revised 2025 budget, driven largely by improved FAAC allocations and internally generated revenue. The underlying Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2026-2028, which was passed just a day after it was presented, shows the shape of it — over ₦400 billion for recurrent expenditure and a whopping ₦1.4 trillion+ for capital projects. The message is clear: finish ongoing projects and push growth.

During presentation for assent, Majority Leader Major Jack described it as an ambitious budget, saying the House had given it thorough scrutiny with the best intentions for the state.

But it wasn’t passed exactly as Fubara brought it.

Speaker Martin Amaewhule revealed the lawmakers tweaked one line item — the proposed ₦6 billion allocation to PAMO University of Medical Sciences. PAMO, the private university in Port Harcourt founded by former First Lady Justice Eberechi Wike, has been receiving Rivers State scholarships for indigenes since the Wike administration.

The Assembly said the university’s management failed to satisfactorily explain how previous funds were utilised and didn’t even show up when summoned. So, in the spirit of oversight and transparency, they cut that allocation and reassigned part of it to the State Primary Healthcare Development Board.

That’s accountability politics in action — and very on-brand for a legislature keen to show it’s not a rubber stamp.

For Fubara, who has had to govern through months of political turbulence with the machinery of government still running, this budget is more than numbers. It’s political oxygen. A reset.

As originally reported by cbinews.tv, the governor has now assured the Assembly of a cordial, cooperative relationship going forward — with a focus firmly on Rivers’ progress.

Let’s see how the resilience bit plays out.

#RiversState #SimFubara #Rivers2026Budget #BudgetOfResilience #PortHarcourt #NyesomWike #RiversAssembly #NigerianPolitics #cbinewsTV