The bill authorises the issuance of a total sum of ₦1,485,662,592,442 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year, ending 31 December 2025.
The senate has approved the sum of ₦1.485 trillion as the 2025 budget for Rivers state, marking a major milestone in the federal government’s ongoing emergency administration of the oil-rich south-south state.
The passage followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the senate ad-hoc committee on Rivers state shortly after it was deliberated in the committee of supply during Wednesday’s plenary.
The bill authorises the issuance of a total sum of ₦1,485,662,592,442 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year, ending 31 December 2025.
Budget breakdown
According to the breakdown provided in the report laid by the ad-hoc committee, the approved budget comprises:
- ₦120.8 billion for debt servicing
- ₦287.38 billion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure
- ₦1.077 trillion for capital expenditure
The capital expenditure component accounts for over 72 per cent of the total budget, a sharp increase from the state’s previously proposed figures and a reflection of the federal government’s emphasis on infrastructure recovery, post-crisis development, and institutional rebuilding in the state.
Additionally, the budget includes a ₦50 billion provision for the payment of outstanding pensions and gratuities, which triggered debate on the senate floor.
READ ALSO: Senate backs nearly 50% increase in Rivers’ budget
Debate
While supporting the passage of the appropriation bill, Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi central) raised concerns over the disbursement of the pension and gratuity fund. He urged the senate to mandate its ad-hoc committee on Rivers state to carry out rigorous oversight to ensure that the ₦50 billion allocation reaches retired civil servants and other pensioners without diversion or delay.
“It is not enough to vote such a huge amount. We must also ensure that it is used to alleviate the suffering of our senior citizens who have been waiting for years,” Ningi said.
Executive submission, legal context
The passage of the budget by the senate comes one month after President Bola Tinubu transmitted the Rivers State 2025 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, following a legal and political deadlock in the state.
In his letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu sought urgent legislative intervention to approve the state’s budget, citing constitutional disruption.
The original 2025 Rivers budget, earlier presented by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, was nullified by the supreme court, which ruled that the state house of assembly was not properly constituted at the time it passed the appropriation law.
Following this ruling and amid an intense political crisis involving Governor Fubara and lawmakers loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, President Tinubu invoked his powers under section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on 18 March 2025.
The president subsequently appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), former Chief of Naval Staff, as the Administrator of Rivers State, with a six-month interim mandate to stabilise governance, restore law and order, and oversee budget implementation.
