The Rivers State government says a boost in sectoral allocations to education and completion of ongoing infrastructural projects will form the main focus of its 2026 Appropriation Bill.
Ayebaesin Jacob Beredugo, principal secretary to the governor on administration, made this known at the public consultation workshop on the 2026 budget estimate.
Beredugo said quite a number of public primary and secondary schools in the state have been in poor condition for years and are in urgent need of attention.
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He added that the 2026 budget will also cover healthcare, security, more funding for the judiciary and youth empowerment, while new projects will be kept minimal.
Beredugo said, “Infrastructure, of course, remains very important, but education will take a large chunk of the budget, because you know the state of our schools, the primary and secondary schools, they have been neglected for a very long time. It did not start with this government.”
He stressed that the 2026 budget is interested in completing ongoing projects, which include big-ticket one, such as the Port Harcourt Ring Road and Trans Kalabari Road.
Imaonyani Ephraim-George, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, speaking at the one-day public consultation workshop on the 2026 budget estimate in Port Harcourt, stressed that the 2026 budget will focus on completing existing projects across the state.
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“It’s not as if one or two areas will not be brought in as new projects. But if we see that 2026 involves an election year, we wouldn’t want a situation where we leave projects unfinished.
“So the emphasis will be on completing ongoing projects with one or new ones being added,” Ephraim-George said.
Meanwhile, state MDAs have been directed to submit their budget estimates to the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
