Senate passes Rivers state emergency rule N1.48trillion budget
The Senate on Wednesday after lawmakers debated its general principles at the Committee of Supply passed the 2025 Rivers State budget, which now authorised the spending of N1.48 trillion under the emergency administration in the state.
Penpushing reports that the senators supported passage of the budget after they reviewed a report presented by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, chairman of the Senate Committee Ad hoc Committee overseeing the emergency rule in Rivers State.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage after most senators supported it through voice votes, while presenting the report, 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.
Penpushing further reports that 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.
The President it is recalled had initially forwarded the N1.48 trillion Rivers State Appropriation Bill t to the National Assembly for consideration in May for urgent intervention to restore governance and accelerate development in Rivers State.
Penpushing also reports that the federal lawmakers 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.
The Rivers state administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired chief of naval staff during the defence session disclosed that the budget estimate had been raised to N1.846 trillion, an increase of about N365 billion.
Penpushing reports that he attributed the increase to unplanned but essential expenditures incurred in the first quarter of 2025, before the declaration of emergency rule, and told the lawmakers that the 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.
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