President Bola Tinubu has transmitted the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to the Senate, seeking approval for a proposed expenditure of N1.48 trillion for the fiscal year.
The President’s request is contained in an official communication read on the Senate floor during plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
According to President Tinubu, the submission follows the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State in March 2025, which was subsequently ratified by the National Assembly and gazetted.
With the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the entire State House of Assembly, the state is currently being administered by a Sole Administrator under emergency rule.
In the absence of a functioning State Assembly, the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to assume legislative responsibilities on behalf of the state.
This move also follows a Supreme Court verdict which nullified the earlier 2025 budget passed by the Fubara administration, prompting the need for a reworked proposal.
A breakdown of the proposed N1.48 trillion budget reveals that N324 billion has been earmarked for both ongoing and new infrastructure projects.
The health sector is allocated N166 billion, with N5 billion specifically set aside for the provision of free drugs for malaria and other ailments.
Education will gulp allocation of N75.6 billion, while N31.4 billion is designated for the agriculture sector, which is projected to generate approximately 6,000 jobs.
The Senate has referred the proposal to its Ad-hoc Committee on the Emergency Rule in Rivers State for further legislative scrutiny and has directed the committee to report back as soon as possible.
Editor : Ena Agbanoma
