Rivers Council Okays ₦1.8trn 2026 Budget, Targets Growth, Infrastructure

 

The Rivers State Executive Council has approved a ₦1.8 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year, underscoring the state government’s resolve to sustain development, complete ongoing projects and stimulate economic growth.

The approval was given at the Executive Council meeting held on Friday evening in Port Harcourt, presided over by Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the newly appointed Special Adviser to the Governor on Economic Matters and Social Development, Prof. Peter Medee, said the proposed budget was designed to consolidate existing development gains while opening new frontiers across key sectors of the state’s economy.

According to him, the total size of the 2026 budget stands at ₦1,854,248,734,475.76, describing it as a strategic response to prevailing economic and governance challenges.

Prof. Medee disclosed that the spending plan has been named the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development,” reflecting the administration’s determination to remain focused on its development agenda despite fiscal pressures.

“The government is committed to meeting its development targets for the people of Rivers State, notwithstanding the challenges confronting the administration,” he said.

He explained that the budget framework prioritises strategic investments aimed at boosting economic growth, improving service delivery and ensuring continuity of critical infrastructure and social development projects across the state.

Also present at the briefing were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Honour Sirawoo, and the newly sworn-in Special Adviser on Finance, Barrister Frank Fubara.

Earlier on Friday, Governor Fubara charged newly appointed Special Advisers to embrace teamwork, discipline and collective responsibility in the discharge of their duties.

The governor gave the charge after administering the oath of office to five Special Advisers at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.

Those sworn in are Barrister Eloka Tasie-Amadi, Prof. Peter Medee, Barrister Emmanuel Frank Fubara, Hon. Victor Ekaro and Dr Darlington Orji.

Fubara said the appointments were aimed at strengthening collaboration within government and ensuring effective, people-centred governance.

“So what we are doing is bringing in some persons on board to ensure that the wheels of governance continue to roll smoothly in our state,” he said.

The governor noted that the appointees were not new to the administration, having worked with him in different capacities, and therefore understood the vision and philosophy of his government.

He stressed that governance was about service, not ceremony, warning against complacency.

“This is not pleasure; it is work. Expectations are high, and our social contract with the people of Rivers State is to work and deliver,” Fubara said.

He expressed confidence that the new advisers would work as a cohesive team to translate the administration’s policies, including the proposed 2026 budget, into tangible benefits for the people of the state.