TINUBU SENDS RIVERS’ N1.48 TRN BUDGET TO SENATE, SEEKS URGENT APPROVAL AMID EMERGENCY RULE 22-05-25
By Sadiq Aminu President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the 2025 Appropriation Bill of Rivers State to the Senate for urgent consideration and approval, citing the ongoing emergency rule in the state and the absence of a functional legislature.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letter during Wednesday’s plenary,
In the letter, President Tinubu reminded the Senate that Rivers State has been under emergency rule since March 2025, a measure that was officially proclaimed and gazetted due to escalating political instability.
“Regulation 4, subsection 2(f) of the Emergency Rule 2025 mandates that expenditure from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State must be authorized by the National Assembly in the absence of the State Assembly,” the President stated.
The proposed 2025 budget for Rivers State stands at ₦1.481 trillion, and is structured to prioritize infrastructure, healthcare, education, and agriculture. The spending breakdown includes: ₦324 billion for infrastructure (ongoing and new projects), ₦166 billion for healthcare, including ₦5 billion for free malaria and common ailment treatments, ₦75.6 billion for education and ₦31.4 billion for agriculture.
The budget is also projected to create about 6,000 jobs, particularly in the agriculture sector.
“This appropriation is critical to sustaining governance and essential services in the state under the current circumstances. I urge the Senate to give it expedited and favourable consideration,” Tinubu’s letter concluded.
Senator Akpabio subsequently referred the bill to the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Emergency Rule in Rivers State, with a directive to review and report back promptly.