The Nigerian Senate has advanced Rivers State’s N1.4 trillion 2025 budget to its second reading stage, marking a significant step in the legislative process.
This development follows President Bola Tinubu’s formal request to the Senate seven days earlier, seeking approval for the state’s financial plan.
In his correspondence to the upper legislative chamber, Tinubu outlined the constitutional necessity for federal intervention following the Supreme Court’s invalidation of Rivers State’s previous budget.
The President emphasized that, with Rivers State currently under emergency rule—declared in March of this year—the National Assembly must assume budgetary responsibilities typically handled by the state legislature.
The proposed budget framework aims to create 6,000 employment opportunities while allocating resources to essential public services. Key sectors prioritized for funding include healthcare, education, and agricultural development.
A breakdown of the financial allocations reveals substantial investments across multiple sectors: infrastructure receives N324 billion, healthcare secures N166 billion, education is allocated N75.6 billion, and agriculture receives N31.4 billion.
An analysis of the budget structure reveals that N287.3 billion is designated for recurrent (operational) expenses, N1.072 trillion is earmarked for capital projects, and N120.8 billion is reserved for debt servicing.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, subsequently referred the budget to the specialized ad hoc committee overseeing Rivers State’s emergency administration, providing a two-week timeframe for comprehensive review.
The committee commenced its work on Tuesday, announcing that Sole Administrator Ibas Ikok-Ete will present the budget defense before the combined National Assembly committee.
