The Nigerian Senate has approved the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State, authorizing a total expenditure of ₦1.485 trillion for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.
This decision followed the third reading of the bill on the Senate floor, after lawmakers reviewed the report submitted by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State during a Committee of Supply session.
The bill, as passed, permits the issuance of ₦1,485,662,592,442 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State.
According to the approved breakdown, the budget allocates:
₦120.8 billion for debt servicing,
₦287.38 billion for recurrent (non-debt) spending, and
₦1.077 trillion for capital projects.
During deliberations, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) backed the passage of the bill but raised a concern about the extra ₦50 billion earmarked for settling outstanding pensions and gratuities.
He emphasized the need for more intensive oversight by the committee to ensure the funds are disbursed appropriately, stating that “the funds reach the rightful pension beneficiaries without delay.”
The legislation now awaits assent before implementation can begin.
Earlier in May 2025, President Bola Tinubu transmitted the Rivers State 2025 budget to the National Assembly, citing the suspension of the state House of Assembly as the reason for federal legislative intervention.
In his letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu noted that the budget proposal amounted to ₦1.481 trillion, emphasizing that the funds were designed to “revitalize key sectors” of the state’s economy.
President Tinubu also sent the same proposal to the House of Representatives, pointing out that the Supreme Court had nullified an earlier 2025 budget presentation made by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Following months of a deepening political crisis between Governor Fubara and a faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, the President declared a state of emergency in the state on March 18, 2025.
To restore order and oversee governance, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator of the state.
Ibas was officially sworn in on March 19, 2025, and is expected to manage state affairs for an initial period of six months.
