By Tonia Okereke
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday transmitted a budget proposal of N1.48 trillion for the Rivers State Government to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
The President told the lawmakers that the budget was necessitated by the nullification of the 2025 budget of the state by the Supreme Court. Tinubu also reiterated the state is currently under emergency rule.
According to the President ₦324bn is allocated to infrastructure, ₦166bn on health, ₦75.6bn on education and ₦31.4bn on agriculture.
He added that by the provisions of the budget; agriculture is expected to generate about 6,000 jobs and appealed to the parliament to urgently pass the budget for the good of the state and its people.
Tinubu reminded lawmakers that Rivers State has been under emergency rule since March 2025—a situation which suspends the functions of the state assembly. In line with Regulation 4, subsection 2(f) of the Emergency Rule 2025 provisions, any financial appropriation from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund must receive federal legislative authorisation.
“The National Assembly is expected to perform the role of the state legislature under the emergency rule framework,” Tinubu wrote, justifying the request for the Senate to approve the proposed spending plan.
“This spending plan prioritises investment in critical sectors such as infrastructure, health, education, and agriculture, which is projected to generate approximately 6,000 jobs,” the letter added.
Concluding the letter, Tinubu expressed hope for a swift and positive action by the Senate, stating, “Accordingly, I hereby forward the Rivers State Government 2025 Appropriation Bill and trust that it will receive the expeditious and favourable consideration of the Senate.”
Following the reading, Akpabio referred the budget proposal to the Senate ad-hoc committee on Rivers State and urged the panel to review and report back promptly.
The Senate had earlier approved the imposition of emergency rule on Rivers State on March 20.
In furtherance to the approval of the Senate, an ad-hoc oversight committee was inaugurated on May 6 to monitor the state.
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