Allocations such as N24bn for CCTV, N30bn for gunboats, N23bn contingency fund has been queried in 2025 Rivers budget
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Rivers State has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the Sole Administrator of the state, to provide detailed breakdowns of major expenditure items in the proposed ₦1.48 trillion 2025 appropriation bill.
Chairman of the Committee and House Majority Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo), handed down the directive during a budget defence session held on Monday in Abuja.
Ihonvbere noted that several grey areas in the budget required urgent clarification, including the absence of a Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which, according to him, is a legal prerequisite for any budget presentation.
“The committee has reviewed the budget and identified a number of critical issues that need to be addressed. The MTEF, which should guide budget planning and implementation, was not submitted. This must be rectified,” he said.
Ihonvbere who is the Majority Leader of the house, queried the allocation of N24 billion for CCTV cameras to be installed in the state government house, demanding for the breakdown.
He also queried the allocation of N30 billion for the purchase of gun boats and N23 billion earmarked for contingency reserves, requesting for justification of the sum.
The chairman said that the committee also observed and questioned the allocation of state funds to existing federal project without agreement with the Federal Government refunds among others.
“We need additional details for those allocations, we request details of state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the last three months to enable us know your financial flows so that we can weigh it against the deficit in the budget in terms of financing it and carrying out some of the projects.
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“We also need details of transfers to local governments, essentially how local government funds that come into the state are being managed at the moment.
“Those documents we have requested for must reach us within 48 hours; be rest assured that we are all on the same side in terms of getting Rivers working again.
“We want to ensure that we will promote a lot of accountability and ensure that the interest of the people themselves, no matter how remote they are from the state capital, are protected,” he said.
Ihonvbere also acknowledged President Bola Tinubu for his intervention in resolving the prolonged political conflict between the state’s executive and legislative arms.
Responding on behalf of the sole administrator, Mr. Andrew Nweke, Senior Special Assistant on Strategy and Policy, said many items in the budget were inherited from previous administrations.
He explained that the N30 billion allocated for gunboats was to bolster security operations in the state’s volatile waterways, while the N23 billion contingency fund was to cushion the impact of natural disasters such as floods and other emergencies.
On the controversial N24 billion CCTV project, Nweke stated that “the office of the Governor is one of honour and responsibility; hence, there’s a need for modern surveillance and advanced security systems.”
He assured the committee that all requested documents would be made available promptly to support the legislative process.
