Tinubu Submits ₦1.481tn Rivers Budget to National Assembly Amidst State of Emergency
Abuja – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday officially submitted the proposed 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State, valued at a significant ₦1.481 trillion, to the National Assembly for consideration. This move follows the declaration of a state of emergency in the state and the subsequent suspension of its executive and legislative arms.
In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, President Tinubu outlined the key features of the substantial budget proposal. According to the submission, the budget prioritizes strategic investment in critical sectors including infrastructure, healthcare, education, and agriculture, with an ambitious aim to generate approximately 6,000 new jobs within the state.
The submission of the state budget to the federal legislature is a direct consequence of the prevailing political crisis in Rivers State. President Tinubu formally declared a state of emergency in the state on March 18, 2025, citing months of escalating conflict between the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly reportedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Invoking powers under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the President stated that he could not allow the political situation to worsen without intervention. Under this declaration, Governor Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all state legislators were suspended for a period of six months. President Tinubu subsequently nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) to serve as the administrator tasked with overseeing the affairs of the state during the initial six-month emergency period.
In a separate communication to the House of Representatives, President Tinubu also sought approval for the Rivers State budget, explicitly reminding the House that the Supreme Court had previously nullified the 2025 budget presented by the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Upon receiving the bill, the Senate referred the proposal to its newly constituted Ad-hoc Committee on Emergency Rule. The committee has been instructed to review the Rivers State 2025 Appropriation Bill expeditiously and report its findings back to the Senate chamber as soon as possible for further legislative action.
