Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has signed the 2026 State Appropriation Bill into Law,  describing it as “a breath of fresh air” and the beginning of a new chapter of unity and progress for the State.

At a brief ceremony held at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Fubara expressed gratitude to God, stakeholders, and the State House of Assembly for the successful passage of the budget.

“First of all, we want to thank the Almighty God for making this day a reality. I strongly believe that it is a breath of fresh air and a healthy relationship moving forward,” he  said.

The governor commended the State lawmakers for their diligence and speed in handling the budget at a critical time in the State’s history.

“I thank members of the State House of Assembly for a wonderful job at this very critical time of our life,” he said.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment, to the “Rivers First” mantra, and  pledged  that the 2026 budget will be implemented with the people’s welfare as the central focus.

“ I want to assure you that our intention will still remain the progress and development of our dear State,” he said.

Fubara specially acknowledged the role of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, in facilitating the process that led to the passage of the bill and its eventual signing into law.

“Let me also thank our leader, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief  (Barr.) Nyesom Wike, for facilitating this meeting and this process that we are all signing into,” he stated.

Fubara pledged to ensure  a cordial working relationship with all arms of government and stakeholders going forward.

“Let me thank everyone for this moment and assure you of our most cordial and cooperative relationship going forward,” he said.

The governor also appreciated his family for their support, noting that governance is a collective responsibility.

Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly,  Hon. Major Jack, who had earlier presented the bill to the governor for his assent, said the lawmakers passed the  budget with the best of intentions, believing that it will be implemented accordingly for the benefit of the people of Rivers State.

“It is the expectation of the Honourable Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, that this budget will usher in the desired growth and development of the state. It is therefore with a sense of responsibility that I respectfully present the Rivers State Appropriation Bill No 1. 2026 to the Governor of Rivers State for his assent,” Jack said.

In a remark shortly after the  bill had been signed, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Martin Amaewhule  commended Governor Fubara for the various  provisions made in the budget, describing them as indications that the Fubara administration is prepared to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers State.

“We took time to look at the budget and from what we saw,  we want to tell you that it shows that you are willing to move forward and ensure that this democracy is actually what will get to Rivers people,” Amaewhule said.

The ceremony was attended by members of the State Executive Council, Principal Officers of the State House of Assembly, and other government functionaries.

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday signed the 2026 State Appropriation Bill into Law, describing it as “a breath of fresh air” and the beginning of a new chapter of unity and progress for the state.

At a brief ceremony held at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Governor Fubara expressed gratitude to God, stakeholders, and the State House of Assembly for the successful passage of the budget.

“First of all, we want to thank the Almighty God for making this day a reality. I strongly believe that it is a breath of fresh air and a healthy relationship moving forward,” he said.

Governor Fubara commended the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly particularly, for their diligence and speed in handling the budget at a critical time in the state’s history.

“I thank members of the State House of Assembly for a wonderful job at this very critical time of our life,” he said.

Fubara reaffirmed his administration’s commitment, to the “Rivers First” mantra, and pledged that the 2026 budget will be implemented with the people’s welfare as the central focus.

“ I want to assure you that our intention will still remain the progress and development of our dear state,” he said.

Governor Fubara specially acknowledged the role of the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, in facilitating the process that led to the passage of the bill and its eventual signing into law.

“Let me also thank our leader, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Wike for facilitating this meeting and this process that we are all signing into,” he stated.

The Governor also appreciated his family for their support, noting that governance is a collective responsibility. He further pledged to ensure a cordial working relationship with all arms of government and stakeholders going forward.

“Let me thank everyone for this moment and assure you of our most cordial and cooperative relationship going forward,”
Governor Fubara said.

Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Major Jack, who had earlier presented the bill to the Governor for his assent, said the lawmakers passed the budget with the best of intentions, believing that it will be implemented accordingly for the benefit of the people of Rivers State.

“It is the expectation of the Honourable Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, that this budget will usher in the desired growth and development of the state. It is therefore with a sense of responsibility that I respectfully present the Rivers State Appropriation Bill No 1. 2026 to the Governor of Rivers State for his assent,” Jack said.

In a remark shortly after the bill had been signed, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Martin Amaewhule commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the various provisions made in the budget, describing them as indications that the Fubara administration is prepared to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers State.

“We took time to look at the budget and from what we saw, we want to tell you that it shows that you are willing to move forward and ensure that this democracy is actually what will get to Rivers people,” Amaewhule said.

The ceremony was attended by members of the State Executive Council, Principal Officers of the State House of Assembly, and other government functionaries.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that his administration places premium on healthcare delivery and has taken deliberate steps to provide medical facilities that will ensure people have access to quality healthcare across the State.

Fubara, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi, made the assertion last Friday while unveiling the remodeled and fully furnished 105-bed  Zonal Hospital in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the State.

The governor said the importance attached to the project was driven by the understanding that while lost wealth could potentially be recovered, lost health was much more difficult to regain.

“If you lose wealth, you have lost nothing, because so long as you’re alive, opportunity might come back and you might gain what you have lost. If you lose your health, you have lost something. It’s not an easy thing to regain a health lost,” he said.

Fubara noted that healthcare was among the fundamental responsibilities of government, alongside the protection of lives and property and the provision of essential services.

He said the new health facility would serve communities beyond Omoku, Egbema and Ndoni, describing it as a strategic healthcare facility for the wider Rivers West Senatorial District.

“We know the importance of this, and that is why we pay very serious attention to the well-being of our people as a government.  What are the primary functions of government? To protect life and property, and provide services. These services include healthcare, housing, and even the issue of the road.

“This facility is not just for Omoku. It is a facility that will also cater for the people of Egbema. It can also cater for the people of Ndoni in serious cases. It can even take care of some part of people in this other side of Ahoada,” he said.

The governor appealed to residents and community leaders to take ownership of the facility and protect its infrastructure and equipment from vandalism and theft.

He also urged the traditional rulers, chiefs and community youths to take responsibility for its security.

He said the facility was particularly important given Omoku’s position as the oil and gas hub in the State.

“We need a good health service at this point in Omoku, considering the kind of developments that are coming up here. This is the oil and gas hub of our dear State,” he said.

Fubara said his administration was committed to completing projects to standards that would withstand scrutiny, while urging the media and the public to avoid circulating unconfirmed reports about government projects.

He said the administration had deliberately ensured that projects were completed with the necessary finishing touches before commissioning any of them.

Special Guest of Honour, the Oba of Ogbaland, His Eminence, Dr. Nwachukwu Nnam Obuoha Obi III, who commissioned the health facility, commended the governor for what he described as tangible development projects across the area.

The royal father recalled that the Elele-Omoku road commissioned last Thursday was in a terrible state for many years, adding that the intervention of the governor had changed residents’ perception of their apparent disconnection with the State.

“It was a place where we did not feel the presence of government, neither did we know that we are part of Rivers State,” he said.

He also recalled the completion of the Ahoada-Egbema road and the commissioning of the 33.5-kilometre Elele-Omoku dual-carriageway, describing the projects as evidence of government presence.

On the hospital, the monarch took exception to the description of the Omoku Zonal Hospital as merely a remodeled project, arguing that completing an unfinished facility amounted to building it.

“I am not comfortable with those words, the choice of words. If you have started to build a house and you could not complete it, you have not done the job. He who completes a house is he who has built the house. That is why I’m comfortable to say: Thank you for building us a hospital,” he said.

The monarch linked the facility to the healthcare needs of communities in the area, particularly in a region associated with oil and gas activities.

He said that life and good health were inseparable, adding that the people in his domain had experienced several health challenges that had resulted in unnecessary deaths.

Obi urged the governor to sustain the pace of infrastructure development and remain courageous in order to leave behind lasting legacies.

“Courage is all a man needs. Every man will die one way or the other. The moment you live is what matters. It is not over until it’s over,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, described the Omoku Zonal Hospital as a secondary healthcare facility strategically located in the Orashi region.

According to him, the three-storey facility includes support buildings such as a laundry, mortuary and staff quarters, as well as parking space for about 100 vehicles.

He said the contract was awarded on June 11, 2024, and that the hospital would serve as a referral centre for primary and smaller secondary healthcare facilities across Rivers West, particularly in Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Emohua and parts of Ikwerre Local Government Areas.

Wachukwu said health facility attendance in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni had risen by more than 200 per cent over the past three years, from about 58,914 patients to nearly 225,400 as of December 2025.

He noted that deliveries, skilled birth attendance and four antenatal-care visits had also increased by about 20 per cent, particularly in Omoku and Okwuzi.

The facility includes outpatient clinics, a pharmacy, ECG and ultrasound rooms, accident and emergency services, a dedicated surgical theatre and radiology services on the ground floor.

The first-floor houses laboratories, two operating theatres, a Central Sterilising Services Department, Intensive Care Unit, paediatric wards and a newborn intensive care unit.

The second floor contains obstetrics and gynaecology wards, delivery suites, a nursery, female general and private wards, while the third-floor houses male general and private wards, administrative offices, a library and conference hall.

The project also includes a kitchen and cafeteria, recreational garden, laundry, mortuary, generator house and staff accommodation comprising six one-bedroom units, 12 two-bedroom units and 12 self-contained apartments.

For power supply, the government provided a 500kVA transformer, 350kVA and 150kVA generating sets, as well as the 90KVA solar panels and inverter batteries.

Wachukwu said the facility would provide accessible and affordable secondary healthcare while creating opportunities for professional development, clinical training and medical student postings.

He added that the hospital would strengthen healthcare delivery in the Orashi region and contribute to improved maternal, newborn and child health outcomes.