The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed the ₦1.84 trillion 2026 Appropriations Bill into law after adopting recommendations from its Committee on Appropriations, which proposed several adjustments to the fiscal document before final approval.
According to the committee’s breakdown, the budget will be financed through Internally Generated Revenue of ₦487.6 billion, Federation Account Allocation Committee receipts of ₦936.052 billion, an opening and closing balance of ₦48 billion, proposed internal loans of ₦50 billion, and ₦25 billion expected from the sale of state assets.
Sectoral allocations include ₦262 billion for Agriculture, ₦625.8 billion for the Economic sector, ₦65 billion for Law and Justice, and ₦435.4 billion for the Social sector. The committee also recommended ₦1.4 billion for the Primary Health Management Board to rebuild its facility on Accra Street, alongside a total capital expenditure of ₦1.4 trillion for the fiscal year.
Deliberations on the budget were dominated by controversy surrounding the ₦6 billion allocation proposed for PAMO University of Medical Sciences, a privately owned institution. Committee members questioned the justification for the sum, citing the university’s failure to provide clear details on how previous allocations were utilised. The debate intensified when the Commissioner for Education wrote to the Assembly requesting an increase of the allocation from ₦6 billion to ₦8 billion, describing the initial figure as inadequate.
Lawmakers expressed concern that the university had not demonstrated accountability, especially when compared with Rivers State University, a public institution allocated ₦6.1 billion in the same budget. They argued that granting a similar or higher sum to a private university without adequate transparency would be difficult to defend.
Following these concerns, the committee resolved that no further funds should be released to PAMO University until the Assembly is satisfied with its accountability measures. This led to an amendment stepping down the proposed ₦6 billion allocation pending further investigation.
With the adjustments incorporated, the House voted to pass the ₦1.84 trillion Appropriations Bill into law, marking the completion of the legislative process for the 2026 fiscal year.
