Governor Oborevwori Signs N1.7trn 2026 Budget Into Law

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, on Tuesday, signed the state’s 2026 Appropriation Bill of N1. 729 trillion into law.

Tagged the “Budget of Accelerating the MORE Agenda,” Governor Oborevwori also signed into law three other key bills passed by the Delta State House of Assembly.

The other three bills assented include the Delta State Social Investment Programme Law, the Delta State Colleges of Education Law, 2025, and the Delta State Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Cultism (Amendment) Law, 2025.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Governor Oborevwori described the 2026 budget as “not just a budget of figures, but a budget of vision, action and expected deliverables for the next twelve months,” assuring that the state would hit the ground running in 2026 to accelerate development across key sectors.

The N1,729,881,208,779 budget represents an increase of over 70 per cent compared to the 2025 budget.

The Governor said the estimate, though ambitious, was achievable, with 70 per cent dedicated to capital expenditure and 30 per cent to recurrent spending, thus underscoring his administration’s commitment to infrastructure-led growth and sustainable development.

He noted that the state intensified investments in infrastructure, security, fiscal discipline and revenue growth in 2025, leading to improved Internally Generated Revenue without imposing additional burdens on citizens.

Oborevwori explained that the three accompanying laws were designed to further reinforce social welfare, education and security in the State.

He said the Social Investment Programme Law provides a legal framework for equitable, grassroots-focused access to resources and services, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations, without discrimination.

He added that the Colleges of Education Law, 2025, standardises the operations of state-owned colleges, allowing them to award Nigerian Certificate in Education ( NCEs) and education degrees concurrently, and expands their capacity to train more qualified teachers.

The Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Cultism (Amendment) Law, he said, strengthens the legal framework to combat terrorism, cultism and related crimes, aligning state laws with contemporary security realities.

The Governor commended the Speaker, leadership and members of the Delta Assembly for the timely passage of the budget and other bills, highlighting the strong synergy between the executive and the legislature.

He also thanked stakeholders, cabinet members, civil servants and citizens for their contributions, while wishing all Deltans a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Earlier, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, said the passage of the four bills followed rigorous legislative engagement, wide consultations and thorough scrutiny in line with the Assembly’s constitutional mandate.

The Assembly had on Monday passed N1.729 trillion budget for the services of the state government in the 2026 fiscal year.

The passage followed the consideration of a report presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon. Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, during plenary presided over by the Speaker.

Presenting the report, Okowa-Daramola disclosed that the committee noted that the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill was timely and complied with relevant statutory provisions, including Section 121(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), Section 20(1) of the Delta State Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2008 (as amended), and the approved 2026–2028 Fiscal Strategy Paper.

She explained that the committee recommended an upward review of the recurrent expenditure from the proposed N499 billion to N500 billion, representing an increase of N1 billion (0.2 per cent). The capital expenditure was also reviewed from N1.165 trillion to N1.229 trillion, an increase of N64.65 billion over the initial proposal.

Consequently, the total budget size was adjusted from N1.665 trillion to N1.729 trillion.