The Senate has completed the second reading of a bill seeking to authorize the disbursement of ₦1.48 trillion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year.
The legislation, titled ‘Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State’ l, was presented on the Senate floor by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during Tuesday’s plenary.
A breakdown of the proposed budget indicates:
- ₦120.8 billion for debt servicing,
- ₦287.3 billion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and
- ₦1.07 trillion for capital projects.
Bamidele explained that the budget was crafted to facilitate seamless governance under the emergency administration currently in place in Rivers State.
He added that the appropriation is intended to support inclusive development and enhance the quality of life for the state’s residents.
The bill has been forwarded to the ad hoc committee on Rivers emergency rule, which is expected to review it and report back within two weeks.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier submitted the ₦1.48 trillion appropriation proposal to both chambers of the National Assembly, requesting its passage due to the ongoing state of emergency declared in Rivers State in March 2025.
In a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu stated that the funds would be used by the Emergency Rule Government in Rivers to support sectors such as education, agriculture, and free healthcare services.
He emphasized that the request aligns with constitutional provisions, which mandate the National Assembly to assume legislative responsibilities for any state placed under emergency rule when its House of Assembly is suspended or inactive.
Tinubu, in a national address on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for an initial six-month period.
Citing Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, Tinubu said his decision was driven by the need to prevent further political instability in the state.
He subsequently appointed Ibas as the sole administrator of Rivers State, while Senate President Akpabio formed an 18-member committee, chaired by Bamidele, to provide oversight of the emergency government.
The last presidential declaration of emergency rule in Nigeria occurred on May 14, 2013, when former President Goodluck Jonathan imposed it on the insurgency-affected northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.