Taraba Gov Assents to 2026 Budget
By Henry Agbu
Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has assented to the 2026 Appropriation Bill, officially signing it into law.
Gov Agbu Kefas signing the bill into law
Speaking shortly after the assent, Governor Kefas expressed appreciation to members of the Taraba State House of Assembly for their diligent and timely consideration of the 2026 budget proposal, which he presented to the House on November 19, 2025.
He noted that the passage of the budget into law reflects a shared commitment between the executive and legislative arms of government to the progress and well-being of the people of Taraba State.
The Governor assured that he would immediately direct all ministries, departments, and agencies to commence full implementation of the budget in line with its objectives.
The 2026 budget is tagged “Development We Can See”.
Earlier, the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Rt Hon John Bonzena, recalled that the House had earlier assured the Governor of a speedy passage of the budget, a promise he said had been fulfilled.
He explained that during legislative consideration, the House made key adjustments to the budget, including an increase in allocations for the procurement of textbooks for teachers and students.
The lawmakers also provided funding for the take-off of some ministries and the construction of the Taraba State Bio-Entrepreneurship Innovation and Solutions Agency, which initially had no provision in the budget.
It could be recalled that the Taraba State House of Assembly passed the 2026 Appropriation Bill on the 15th of December 2025, following the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation
The passage of the budget followed a one-week defence of the estimates by Ministries, Departments and Agencies before various sub-committees of the House.
Echo Express recalls that the House increase the 2026 budget size from Six Hundred and Fifty Billion, Six Hundred and Thirty-One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira to Six Hundred and Fifty-Three Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty-One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira.
The state’s revenue target was also increased from four to nine percent, amounting to about ₦58.6 billion by the House, noting that the earlier projection was below acceptable standards.
The increase in the budget size was driven by priority interventions in education and innovation, including procurement of textbooks for schools, take-off funding for the Taraba State University of Tropical Agriculture, Technology and Science and Climate Action Gembu and the construction of a bio-entrepreneurship laboratory complex in Wukari among others.
