Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa StateBayelsa State on Thursday presented the 2026 appropriation bill of N998.37 billion to the State House of Assembly.
Presenting the proposal tagged “Budget of Assured Prosperity II”, Governor Diri said it would be funded through multiple revenue sources, including statutory allocation of N42.2 billion, Value Added Tax (N84 billion), 13 percent derivation (N212.6 billion), and other FAAC receipts totaling N488 billion.
Other expected inflows include N85.9 billion from internally generated revenue, N24.9 billion in internal and external grants, and N50 billion from domestic loans.
The governor explained that capital expenditure would take N645.2 billion, representing 64.6 percent of the total budget, while recurrent expenditure was projected at N353.1 billion or 35.4 percent.
As in previous years, the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure received the largest allocation of N298.6 billion, reflecting the administration’s commitment to expanding and completing key projects such as the state’s road network and the nine-storey civil servants’ secretariat.
The Education Ministry was allotted N75.1 billion, Sports got N46.5 billion, while Health received N39.7 billion.
To address the perennial water challenge in the state, N10.8 billion was earmarked for the provision of pipe-borne water. Other allocations include N16.5 billion for power generation and supply, N21.5 billion for security, and N15.6 billion for agriculture.
Governor Diri commended the cooperation of the legislature, noting that both arms of government share a common vision of improving the lives of Bayelsans.
“Bayelsans elected us to take bold actions to improve their quality of life. That is what we are doing and will continue to do,” he said. “I trust that when history reviews our actions and this budget, our choices will be seen as the right ones.”
He listed key ongoing projects to be continued in the 2026 fiscal year, including the three senatorial roads, Glory Drive Phase 3, the Ogu–Akaba–Okodi Road, Sabagreia–Polaku Road, Toru–Orua–Bolu–Orua–Kabeama–Ebeni Road, internal roads, and the ultra-modern state secretariat.
Diri appealed to the Assembly to give the budget careful consideration and speedy passage.
In his remarks, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, commended the governor’s dedication to infrastructure, education, sports, healthcare, and power, describing them as transformative.
He lauded the administration’s overhaul of the education sector through improved infrastructure, teacher recruitment and training, and the establishment of technical and vocational schools across all local government areas, saying the initiatives were yielding tangible results.
Ingobere assured that the Assembly would prioritise the appropriation bill and ensure its timely passage.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
