Taraba Assembly Receives ₦148.26bn Supplementary Budget Proposal

The Taraba State House of Assembly has received a supplementary budget proposal of ₦148.262 billion for consideration and approval, following an executive communication from Governor Agbu Kefas. The communication, read by Speaker John Kizito Bonzena, puts the proposed figure at ₦148 billion, ₦262 million, ₦489 thousand and ₦531. It says the 2026 Supplementary Budget and Revision is intended to address strategic needs not included in the state’s 2026 Appropriation Law.

The proposal also cites the need to strengthen security, protect lives and property, and improve the general well-being of Taraba residents. The deputy majority leader told lawmakers that changes in government policies and emerging priorities had created the need for the additional spending plan. The bill received its first reading after it was presented by Clerk Salmuna Amos Sani.

Following a motion by the deputy majority leader, the House proceeded to the second reading on the same legislative day. Sani later read the bill’s long title for the second time. Speaker Bonzena referred the proposal to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for further consideration.

The committee was directed to conduct a public hearing and report its findings to the House within one week. The source material does not specify the sectors or individual projects to which the proposed allocation would be assigned. In a separate development, lawmakers adopted the report of the Committee on Education on the Taraba State University, Jalingo Re-enactment Bill, 2025.

The committee recommended a single, non-renewable five-year tenure for the university’s vice-chancellor and proposed replacing “Investigation Committee” with “Disciplinary Committee” in one provision. The bill was referred for scheduling of its third reading.