Rivers Assembly Receives Fubara’s Fiscal Framework for 2026‑2028

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

After a pause of roughly three months, the Rivers State House of Assembly received the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2026‑2028 from Governor Siminialayi Fubara when the legislature reconvened yesterday.

The MTEF, which outlines the state’s spending plan and revenue estimates over a three‑year horizon, was presented to the Assembly via a letter read by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, during the first sitting of the Fourth Session of the Tenth Assembly.

During the reading, Amaewhule announced that he had received the MTEF document, which was subsequently laid before the House by the Majority Leader, Hon. Major Jack, who also chairs government business.

According to the Speaker, the governor’s letter contained the administration’s proposed MTEF for 2026‑2028, a document that is expected to inform the drafting of the 2026 Appropriation Bill and the following annual budgets.

Lawmakers postponed debate on the framework to a later session to allow for a thorough review and scrutiny of its contents.

The submission is a key statutory requirement in the budgeting process, as the MTEF sets out the government’s economic assumptions, projected revenues, expenditure ceilings and development priorities over the medium term.

While the fiscal projections in the document were not disclosed during the plenary, sources indicated that the framework is likely to reflect the administration’s focus on infrastructure development, human capital advancement and sustainable economic growth across the state.

The House had not met for more than three months before this session, having last convened to screen commissioner nominees submitted by Governor Fubara. Prior to that, lawmakers met on January 8, when impeachment proceedings were initiated against the governor before the Assembly adjourned, and the body failed to reconvene on its scheduled resumption date of January 15.

Additionally, the House received a petition from the Ngo‑Oyorokoto Communities Stakeholders, presented by Hon. Ofiks Kagbang, requesting a full legislative investigation into the circumstances surrounding the stoppage and abandonment of the Ngo‑Oyorokoto Atlantic Road Project.