PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is seeking the Senate approval for the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State, two months after he suspended the state House of Assembly and the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.T
The president submitted the request to the Senate President Senator Goodwill Akpabio, requesting that the Senate expeditiously consider a budget proposal totalling N1.481 trillion, with significant allocations focused on revitalising key sectors.
Tinubu also addressed a letter to the House of Representatives seeking approval for the Rivers State budget.
He reminded them that the Supreme Court had nullified the 2025 budget presented by the suspended Fubara.
It is worthy to recall that the President Tinubu in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following the political turbulence in the state.
The president suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
The president also appointed retired Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as the sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.
The state’s budget currently before the National Assembly emphasises strategic investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, and agriculture, seeking to create around 6,000 new jobs
Infrastructure takes the a large chunk of the budget with a proposed allocation of N324 billion. The health sector follows with N106 billion, which includes N5 billion designated for free malaria medication.
The education sector will receive N75.6 billion, while N31.4 billion is earmarked for agricultural development.
The Senate has referred the bill to its Ad-hoc Committee on Emergency Rule and directed it to review the proposal and report back to the Chamber as soon as possible..
The ICIR reported that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, inaugurated an ad-hoc committee in April to take over legislative functions in the State.
To fill the legislative vacuum, the Speaker constituted the emergency 21-man panel with representatives drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
In his bid to return to office, Fubara reportedly met with President Bola Tinubu in London in April.
Two senior aides to the president reportedly confirmed that the two leaders met and discussed issues concerning the state’s politics.
Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, have been at loggerheads over who controls the PDP structure in the state since 2023, with President Tinubu’s efforts to resolve the stalemate yielding no result.
The impasse led to Fubara’s suspension by the president, following months of stalemate in efforts by stakeholders to resolve the conflict.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.