By Precious Amadi
The Rivers State House of Assembly has commenced detailed scrutiny of budget proposals submitted by major educational institutions in the state as part of its consideration of the 2026 Rivers State Appropriation Bill.
The exercise took place during a budget defence session convened by the House Committee on Education, chaired by Dr. Aforji Igwe, to examine the financial proposals of institutions captured in the 2026 budget presented before the House by Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
The session brought together heads of key tertiary institutions in the state and the Commissioner for Education, who appeared before the committee to defend their respective budget proposals.
Among those who participated were the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peter Nwagor; Vice-Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Okey Onuchuku; Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi; Rector of Port Harcourt Polytechnic, Dr. Moses S. Neebee; and Rector of Kenule Beeson Polytechnic, Dr. George Chile Wadike.
During the session, the institutional heads outlined their funding requirements and highlighted areas they considered critical to the development of their respective institutions.
The proposals covered ongoing projects, infrastructure, academic programmes, institutional development and other areas requiring government intervention and financial support.
Members of the committee sought clarifications on the submissions and examined the various requests to determine their relevance, necessity and potential impact on the education sector.
The budget defence also provided an opportunity for lawmakers and education stakeholders to discuss challenges confronting tertiary institutions across the state and identify areas requiring increased government attention and appropriate budgetary intervention.
The Chairman of the Committee on Education assured the people of Rivers State that the legislature would continue to subject the 2026 budget proposals to thorough scrutiny in order to promote accountability, transparency and responsible allocation of public resources.
Dr. Igwe stressed that sustained investment in education was essential to human capital development, improving the quality of learning and driving the socio-economic advancement of the state.
He further assured stakeholders that all submissions made during the budget defence would receive due legislative consideration as the House continues its examination of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
