By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — The Senate has approved the 2025 Rivers State Appropriation Bill totaling ₦1.485 trillion, following a request submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The budget was passed after the third reading of the bill (SB.843) during plenary on Wednesday. The passage followed the presentation and consideration of the report by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Oversight of Emergency Rule in Rivers State, led by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central).
According to the approved fiscal plan, ₦1.485 trillion will be drawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State for the year ending December 31, 2025. The breakdown includes ₦120.8 billion for debt servicing, ₦287.38 billion for recurrent expenditure, and ₦1.077 trillion allocated to capital projects.
Senator Bamidele, while presenting the report, noted that the appropriation was aligned with the objectives of the emergency rule and intended to stabilize governance and maintain essential services in Rivers State. He emphasized that the budget was in line with the Rivers State Development Plan (2017–2027), with 85% of the provisions reflecting continuity from the previous fiscal year to ensure the completion of ongoing projects.
“Seventy-two percent of the proposed budget is allocated to capital projects,” he noted. “This is aimed at driving economic recovery, rehabilitating critical infrastructure, and enhancing public sector efficiency.”
He added that the modest 28% allocation to recurrent expenditure reflected prudent fiscal planning under the current emergency administration framework.
The committee observed a provision of ₦50 billion to address a backlog of pensions and gratuities, part of a larger ₦147 billion liability. An additional ₦5 billion was also added to the proposed budget to meet critical needs in the judiciary that were initially omitted.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), while supporting the bill, raised concerns about the pension funds and called for strict oversight by the Ad-hoc Committee to ensure the funds are disbursed promptly and reach the intended beneficiaries.
With Senate approval secured, the budget will now proceed for assent and implementation.
President Tinubu had submitted the Rivers State budget to the National Assembly in May 2025, following the suspension of the state’s House of Assembly and the nullification of an earlier budget presented by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, as ruled by the Supreme Court.
The submission and passage of the budget come in the context of a prolonged political crisis between Governor Fubara and members of the state House of Assembly aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In response to the crisis, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, and appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) as administrator to oversee the state’s affairs for an initial six-month period.
The Senate emphasized that the emergency intervention was within constitutional bounds, citing Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which allows the National Assembly to legislate for states where the House of Assembly cannot perform its duties due to prevailing circumstances.
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