“Senate Passes N1.485tr Rivers Budget” — Demands Oversight On N50bn Gratuity Fund
The Senate on Wednesday approved the N1.485 trillion 2025 budget for Rivers State.
The development followed President Bola Tinubu’s submission of the appropriation bill to the National Assembly after the suspension of the state’s House of Assembly.
The Senate’s approval came after the third reading of the budget bill and consideration of the report by its Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State during the Committee of Supply session.
The budget now awaits assent and implementation, pending executive formalities.
President Tinubu had, in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, requested legislative consideration of the Rivers State 2025 Appropriation Bill.
The move followed the political crisis that led to the suspension of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the subsequent nullification of an earlier budget presented by the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as ruled by the Supreme Court.
The approved budget authorizes the issuance of N1,485,662,592,442 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.
It includes N120.8 billion for debt servicing, N287.38 billion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and a significant N1.077 trillion for capital projects, indicating a strong focus on infrastructure and development.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), while backing the budget’s passage, flagged concerns over the allocation of an additional N50 billion for outstanding pensions and gratuities.
The senator urged the Ad-Hoc Committee to enforce strict oversight to ensure that pensioners receive due payments without bureaucratic delay.
The Senate’s approval marks a critical step in stabilizing governance in Rivers State amid ongoing political tensions, with the federal government asserting a more direct role in state affairs through legislative instruments.
