The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retired), alongside other senior officials, is expected to appear before the Joint National Assembly Ad Hoc Committee overseeing the state of emergency in Rivers State to defend the ₦1.48 trillion 2025 budget.
This was disclosed by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency Rule in Rivers State, during the committee’s inaugural meeting held at the New Senate Wing of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The Senate, in a statement issued on Tuesday, reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the people of Rivers State do not suffer any disadvantage as a result of the emergency rule declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 18, 2025.
Last week, President Tinubu submitted a request to both chambers of the National Assembly seeking approval for the ₦1.48 trillion Appropriation Bill for Rivers State, in view of the emergency governance situation in the oil-rich region.
In the letter, which was read during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President stated that the funds would be allocated towards key areas such as education, agriculture, and the provision of free medical drugs, among others.
President Tinubu explained that the request was in line with constitutional provisions, which require the National Assembly to assume legislative functions for any state under emergency rule where the state assembly is suspended or non-functional.
Following the emergency declaration in March, Senate President Akpabio set up an 18-member Ad Hoc Committee to oversee emergency governance in the state, appointing Senator Bamidele as its chair.
The inaugural session was attended by several high-ranking senators, including the Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Munguno; Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Peter Nwebonyi; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Adamu Aliero; Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Sani Musa; Chairman of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru; and Chairperson of the Committee on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Senator Oluranti Adebule.