Rivers State Governor, 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.

The State House of Assembly had earlier on Thursday passed the state’s 2026 Appropriation Bill of N1.

85 trillion, christened the “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development,” into law following extensive committee reviews, deliberations and legislative scrutiny.

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.

Fubara commended the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly particularly, for their diligence and speed in handling the budget.

“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.

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 Nyesom Wike for facilitating this meeting and this process that we are all signing into.”

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.

In a remark shortly after the bill was 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.

“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.

Fubara had a few months ago presented a budget of ₦1,854,248,734,475.76, representing approximately ₦1.85 trillion to the house.

The 2026 appropriation is 24.5% higher than the revised 2025 financial estimates.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has ordered the transfer of Inland Dry Port (IDP) functions from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

Oyetola said the move was aimed at separating regulatory functions from operations and establishing clear institutional boundaries among agencies under the ministry.

The minister gave the directive in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos by his Special Adviser, Dr Bolaji Akinola.

He also directed the immediate constitution of a ministerial committee to oversee the transition of the NSC into the newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA).

The transition follows President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act in August, formally establishing a substantive economic regulator for Nigeria’s port sector.

Oyetola said the reforms would provide a clear framework for the new port economic regulatory regime, eliminate overlapping responsibilities and ensure that agencies operated within defined mandates.

He said the NSC, which had served as the interim port economic regulator since 2014, would transition into NPERA with expanded statutory powers.

According to him, NPERA will be responsible for tariff regulation, promotion of competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protection of port users nationwide.

The minister said the transition offered an opportunity to establish a regulator clearly separated from the operational, developmental and promotional responsibilities previously domiciled in the NSC.

“We must get the transition right. The establishment of NPERA is a landmark reform and must be carefully managed for seamless institutional alignment,” he said.

Oyetola said the ministerial committee would oversee the process to ensure that every function was domiciled in the appropriate institution and that no critical responsibility was lost during the transition.

He stressed that the credibility of an economic regulator depended on its ability to function as an impartial referee without operational duties capable of creating actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

“A regulator cannot be an operator and still be perceived as unbiased. Clear separation will strengthen confidence, transparency and predictability for investors and port users,” Oyetola said.

On the transfer of IDP functions to NPA, the minister said the decision did not signal reduced government commitment to the dry port programme.

Rather, he said, it was designed to strengthen the programme by placing the functions within the authority’s operational and infrastructure mandate.

“We are committed to efficient, integrated ports serving the entire country. Placing IDPs with NPA will improve connectivity and delivery across Nigeria’s logistics chain,” he said.(NAN)

By David Torough, Abuja

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday declined to order the release of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the detained self-styled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), pending a response from the police and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, ruling on an ex-parte application filed by Adeyemi through his lawyer, M.

B. Abdulazeez, held that the applicant’s requests for bail, medical attention and other reliefs could not be determined without hearing from the respondents.

The judge, however, granted Adeyemi’s request for unhindered access to his lawyers while in custody. He directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Nigeria Police Force and the AGF to allow the detainee access to legal practitioners of his choice at all reasonable hours.

Justice Egwuatu also ordered the respondents to, within 72 hours, show cause why the other reliefs sought by Adeyemi should not be granted. The matter was adjourned until September 9 for the respondents to respond.

Adeyemi had approached the court to enforce his fundamental rights, seeking six reliefs, including an order for his release on bail, access to medical practitioners of his choice and an injunction restraining the police from interrogating him or obtaining any statement from him without his lawyers present.

The application followed his arrest by the police after Justice Mohammed Umar, who is handling a separate criminal case against him, issued a warrant for his arrest on July 14. Adeyemi was subsequently apprehended in Osun State and has remained in police custody.

The police have accused Adeyemi of forgery and impersonation, alleging that he falsely presented himself as the Director-General of a federal agency that investigators say does not exist.

A pending eight-count criminal charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, was filed against Adeyemi and two other suspects identified as “Femi Surname Unknown” and “Anu Surname Unknown.” The charges relate to alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.

Justice Umar fixed September 30 for Adeyemi’s arraignment.

According to the police investigation, the case arose from a petition submitted by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President to the IGP on October 17, 2025, over alleged forgery of official appointment letters.

Investigators alleged that the documents contained falsified signatures, reference numbers, official seals and the Nigerian Coat of Arms and were used to create the impression that the disputed PFIPC was a legitimate government agency.

The police further alleged that Adeyemi operated an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Abuja, where he purportedly carried out activities in the name of the council.

Among the witnesses listed by the prosecution are the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and rejected the claim that the PFIPC is non-existent. He has also alleged that he paid N400 million through a proxy to Gbajabiamila to secure his appointment as the council’s Director-General. Gbajabiamila has been named by the prosecution as a witness in the criminal proceedings.

Adeyemi previously said he stayed out of public view because of alleged threats to his life, denying that he was evading law enforcement.

He has also called for an independent, multi-stakeholder investigation into the controversy, particularly allegations surrounding an alleged N1.3 billion budget insertion for the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

For now, the court has stopped short of ordering his release, with the substantive reliefs in his fundamental rights suit awaiting the response of the police and the AGF on September 9.