President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the Rivers State 2025 Appropriation bill to senate, seeking approval for a total expenditure of N1.48 trillion for the State for the 2025 fiscal year.
The President’s request was contained in an official communication read on the floor by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
According to Tinubu, the move follows the verdict of the Supreme Court that nullified the 2025 budget previously passed by the administration of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Rivers is currently under a Sole Administrator emergency rule following a Presidential proclamation in March that was duly approved by the National Assembly and gazetted.
The proclamation removed Governor Fubara, his deputy and the entire members of the State House of Assembly from office to avert what the government calls “a near breakdown of government” in the state.
In the absence of a State Assembly , President Tinubu on Thursday and in line with provisions of the constitution, forwarded a reworked 2025 Rivers State Appropriation bill to the Senate for approval.
A breakdown of the proposed budget size of N1.48 trillion shows that a lion share of N324 billion is allocated to cater for both ongoing and new infrastructure projects.
The health sector will receive N166 billion out of which N5 billion is to provide for free drugs for malaria treatments.
Education is another area of critical concern to the planners of the Rivers State budget. A total of N75.6 billion is allocated for the sector, while a total of N31.4 billion will be spent on Agriculture where the government hopes to generate some 6,000 jobs.
The senate promptly referred the proposed 2025 Rivers State Budget of N1.48 trillion to its Adhoc Committee on Emergency rule in Rivers State for further legislative action.
Godfrey Eshiemoghie
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