UPDATED: Senate passes Rivers emergency rule N1.48trn budget

The Senate on Wednesday passed the 2025 Rivers State budget, authorising the spending of N1.48 trillion under the emergency administration in the state.

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The budget was passed during plenary after lawmakers debated its general principles at the Committee of Supply.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage after most senators supported it through voice votes.

The senators supported the passage of the budget after they reviewed a report presented by Opeyemi Bamidele, chairman of the Senate ad hoc committee overseeing the emergency rule in Rivers State.

While presenting the report, Mr Bamidele, the senate leader, recommended the allocation of N120 billion for debt servicing, N287 billion for recurrent non-debt expenditure, and N1 trillion for capital projects.

He noted that the emergency rule is a constitutional measure to restore peace in the state, not a substitute for democratic governance and that the budget is in the interest of national stability.

The senate leader, therefore, urged his colleagues to support the passage of the budget.

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Contributing to the discussion, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, commended the ad hoc committee for thoroughly reviewing the budget proposal.

Mr Jibrin expressed optimism that the budget would restore public confidence and drive the development of key sectors in the state.

Olamilekan Adeola, chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, also commended the committee’s work.

Mr Adeola who represents Ogun West Senatorial District, stated that the budget was well-structured and reflected the administrator’s genuine commitment to the state’s progress.

Adetokunbo Abiru, Lagos Central Senator, also endorsed the budget’s passage.

After the deliberations, the senate president put the passage to vote, and the majority of senators voted in favour of the budget through voice votes.

The budget

The 2025 budget, proposed by President Bola Tinubu, seeks to address development challenges in Rivers State, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, and security.

President Tinubu had initially forwarded the N1.48 trillion Rivers State Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly for consideration in May for urgent intervention to restore governance and accelerate development in Rivers State.

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The Senate gave the proposal a swift passage through the second reading a week after it was presented, and it was subsequently referred to the ad hoc committee for detailed scrutiny and budget defence.

During the defence session, the state administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, disclosed that the budget estimate had been raised to N1.846 trillion, an increase of about N365 billion.

Mr Ibas, a retired chief of naval staff, attributed the increase to unplanned but essential expenditures incurred in the first quarter of 2025, before the declaration of emergency rule.

He told lawmakers tthat he funds were used to stabilise critical sectors, maintain public services, and initiate emergency infrastructure repairs.

However, none of the lawmakers objected to the new figure during the budget defence session.