- President Bola Tinubu transmitted a N1.481 trillion Rivers State 2025 budget proposal to the National Assembly
- The 2025 budget proposal prioritised infrastructure, health, education, and agriculture
- The budget proposal followed the nullification of Rivers State’s 2025 budget by the Supreme Court and the emergency rule currently in place in the state
President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a budget proposal of N1.48 trillion for the Rivers State Government to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
The budget proposal was presented on Thursday, May 22, and read uring plenary by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on the floors of the green and red chambers, respectively.
President Tinubu said the budget proposal became necessary following the nullification of Rivers State’s 2025 budget by the Supreme Court and the emergency rule currently in place in the state.
Rivers’ budget proposal prioritised infrastructure, health, education, agriculture
According to the president’s breakdown of the 2025 budget proposal, priority was given to infrastructure, health, education, and agriculture.
The proposal showed that N324 billion of the N1.481 trillion budget proposal will be spent on infrastructure, N166 billion will go to health, N75.6 billion will be expended on education, and N31.4 billion on agriculture.
He noted that agriculture is expected to generate about 6,000 jobs according to the budget provisions.
The president further appealed to the parliament to urgently pass the budget for the benefit of the state and its people.
It would be recalled that on April 3, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, said the state will soon have a new 2025 budget following the nullification of the one prepared by the axed governor, Siminalayi Fubara, by the Supreme Court.
Ibas said the budget would prioritise education, healthcare, social services, and infrastructural development.
Tinubu had declared emergency rule in Rivers, fired Governor Fubara
President Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State over a protracted political crisis, particularly between the executive and legislative arms of government and “torching of oil installations.”
He also suspended Fubara as Rivers State governor; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all members of the Rivers assembly “for an initial period of six months.”
Following the emergency rule declaration, Ibas, an ex-naval chief, was subsequently named as sole administrator for Rivers.
President Tinubu signs N54.99 trillion 2025 budget into law
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu signed the N54.99 trillion 2025 national Appropriation Bill into law.
President Tinubu signed the budget in the presence of principal officers of the National Assembly and other top government officials in a small ceremony in his office at the State House, Abuja, on Friday, February 28.
