By Atoyebi Nike
President Bola Tinubu has submitted a revised Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to the Senate, proposing an expenditure of ₦1.48 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year. The budget was transmitted through an official letter read during plenary on Thursday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The development comes in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that voided the earlier budget passed under the administration of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Following that verdict and the existing political situation in the state, President Tinubu invoked constitutional provisions to re-present the budget for Senate consideration.
Rivers State has been under emergency governance since March, after the National Assembly approved a presidential proclamation dissolving the state’s executive and legislative arms. This led to the installation of a Sole Administrator to manage state affairs in a bid to prevent what federal authorities described as “a near breakdown of governance.”
Under the revised proposal, infrastructure development remains a top priority, with ₦324 billion allocated to both ongoing and new projects. The health sector is slated to receive ₦166 billion, including ₦5 billion dedicated to the provision of free antimalarial drugs.
Education also features prominently, with ₦75.6 billion earmarked to enhance academic services across the state. Additionally, the government intends to invest ₦31.4 billion in agriculture, a sector expected to create an estimated 6,000 new jobs as part of broader efforts to boost rural development and food security.
The Senate has referred the proposed budget to its Ad-Hoc Committee on the Emergency Administration in Rivers State for further scrutiny and legislative processing.
With the state government currently under direct federal oversight, the passage of the revised budget is seen as essential to maintaining governance and service delivery in Rivers.
