Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger has signed the N1,073 trillion budget for the 2026 fiscal year into law.

Mr Bago signed the budget at the Government House on Tuesday in Minna.

The governor had presented an appropriation bill of N1,031 trillion to the State Assembly for consideration and passage, which the House reviewed upward to N1,073 trillion and passed.

The 2026 budget comprised N783 billion for capital expenditure, with more than N290 billion earmarked for recurrent expenditure.

Mr Bago applauded the State Assembly for working round the clock to ensure timely passage of the 2026 budget estimate.

He described the expeditious passage of the budget by the Assembly as unprecedented and a demonstration of the beauty of democracy.

The governor appreciated Aishat Usman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, and her team for their unwavering efforts in planning the budget.

He assured that the budget would be implemented accordingly to achieve the desired objectives.

Earlier, the Speaker of the Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, commended the governor and his team for coming up with a budget estimate which he described as the best.

He said that the budget was easy for them to scrutinise, saying that the ministries, departments and agencies gave the assembly maximum cooperation during the screening process.

Mr Sarkindaji also applauded the governor for his sagacity, hard work, and perseverance in providing good governance to the people of the state.

He assured the assembly’s continued collaboration with the executive in order to make the state better.

(NAN)