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The House of Representatives has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Sole Administrator of Rivers, Ibok-Ete Ibas to submit the breakdown of major items in the state’s 2025 budget.
The Chairman Ad hoc Committee on Rivers, Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo), issued the ultimatum on Monday at the budget defence session in Abuja.
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He said that the committee had gone through the N1.48 trillion budget as presented by the sole administrator and had raised several issues.
He said that the administrator should submit the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), with a legal document that should precede budget presentation.
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Mr Ihonvbere, who is the majority leader of the House, queried the allocation of N24 billion for CCTV cameras to be installed in the state’s Government House, demanding the breakdown.
He also queried the allocation of N30 billion for the purchase of gun boats and N23 billion for contingency reserves, requesting justification of the allocation.
The chairman said that the committee also observed and questioned the allocation of state funds to existing federal project without agreement with the federal government for refunds among others.
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“We need additional details for those allocations, we request details of the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the last three months.That will enable us know your financial flows so that we can weigh it against the deficit in the budget in terms of financing it and carrying out some of the projects.
“We also need details of transfers to local governments, essentially how local government funds that came into the state are being managed at the moment.
“Those documents we have requested for must reach us within 48 hours. Be rest assured that we are all on the same side in terms of getting Rivers working again.
“We want to ensure that we will promote a lot of accountability and ensure that the interest of the people themselves, no matter how remote they are from the state capital, are protected,” he said.
Mr Ihonvbere commended President Bola Tinubu for his intervention that brought about peace between the suspended governor and legislature in the state.
Earlier, Mr Ibas who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Strategy and Policy, Andrew Nweke, explained that the administration inherited many of the items in the budget.
According him, the budget is a reflection of the interest of Rivers people as it was designed in line with the needs assessment carried out by implementation agencies.
READ ALSO: No sacrifice too great for Rivers—Fubara
Mr Nweke said that Rivers had a lot of peculiarities, saying that the N30 billion earmarked for gun boats was to support security agencies in their fight against insecurity on the waterways.
He also said that Rivers is often hit by floods, insecurity and other unforeseen natural circumstances, saying that the N23 billion contingency fund was to address such challenges.
“For the allocation of N24 billion for CCTV in the Government House, there is need to ensure modern technology security surveillance among others,” he said.
He said that the additional documents required by the committee will be made available to ease legislative process.
(NAN)
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