The Rivers State House of Assembly has finally passed the 2026 Appropriation Bill of ₦1.854 trillion, bringing to an end months of uncertainty and delays that had stalled the state’s spending plans.
The budget, christened the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development,” was passed after extensive consideration by the various committees of the House and legislative deliberations on the proposals presented by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The development comes against the backdrop of the prolonged political crisis that engulfed Rivers State and disrupted the normal legislative process, raising concerns over the state’s ability to implement its 2026 development programme on schedule.
The approved budget stands at ₦1,854,248,734,475.76, representing an increase of about 24.5 per cent over the state’s revised 2025 financial projections.
The passage is expected to pave the way for the Fubara administration to commence full implementation of its 2026 programmes, particularly capital projects and other development initiatives that had been affected by the delay in securing legislative approval.
The delay in passing the budget had also fuelled uncertainty over the implementation of new projects, recurrent obligations and other government programmes requiring appropriations for the 2026 financial year.
The latest development is particularly significant coming only days after Governor Fubara held a meeting with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, as part of efforts to consolidate the reconciliation process between the two political camps.
The meeting followed months of political confrontation between Fubara and Wike, which had profound implications for governance and the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
Although no direct connection has been officially established between the reconciliation meeting and the Assembly’s action on the budget, the passage represents a potentially important step towards restoring greater political stability and normal legislative-business relations in Rivers State.
With the appropriation now approved, attention will shift to implementation, particularly whether the administration can recover lost time and deliver the capital projects and development programmes contained in the ₦1.85 trillion spending plan.
The Assembly’s approval also places renewed focus on the government’s ability to translate the ambitious budget into tangible infrastructure, social and economic development outcomes for residents of the state.