Under Regulation 4, Substitution 2(f) of the Emergency Rule (Rivers State) Regulations 2025, any expenditure from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund must be approved by the national assembly in the absence of a functioning state assembly.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted the 2025 Appropriation Bill of Rivers State to the senate for consideration and approval, citing the ongoing state of emergency imposed in the oil-rich state since March 2025.
The request, conveyed in a formal letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary, follows the constitutional requirement for the national assembly to assume legislative duties for any state under emergency rule where the state house of assembly is suspended or non-functional.
In the letter, President Tinubu reminded the senate that Rivers state has been under emergency rule since March 2025, following a prolonged political crisis that paralysed the state legislature and led to a breakdown in law and order.
The crisis stemmed from an intense power tussle between former Governor Nyesom Wike’s loyalists and allies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which escalated into confrontations, destruction of government properties, and the impeachment of the state assembly speaker.
The conflict culminated in the federal government invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), granting the president authority to declare a state of emergency where governance and security collapse.
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Under Regulation 4, Substitution 2(f) of the Emergency Rule (Rivers State) Regulations 2025, any expenditure from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund must be approved by the national assembly in the absence of a functioning state assembly.
Budget breakdown and priorities
President Tinubu’s letter outlined a proposed budget of ₦1.481 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year. The budget, according to him, prioritises critical sectors to stabilise the state and deliver essential services during the emergency period.
Key highlights of the proposed spending plan include:
•Infrastructure: ₦324 billion earmarked for ongoing and new projects.
•Health: ₦166 billion allocated to the health sector, including ₦5 billion dedicated to free drugs for the treatment of malaria and other common ailments.
•Education: ₦75.6 billion proposed to improve access to quality education and learning infrastructure.
•Agriculture: ₦31.4 billion budgeted for agricultural development, aimed at boosting food production and creating approximately 6,000 jobs across the state.
President Tinubu explained that the budget was designed to “prioritise investment in critical sectors such as infrastructure, health, education, and agriculture,” and help restore stability and service delivery in the state.
Senate refers budget to emergency rule committee
Following the president’s request, the senate referred the Rivers State Appropriation Bill to an ad-hoc committee on emergency rule, which is expected to scrutinise the proposal and report back “as soon as practicable.”
The senate is expected to expedite its deliberation in line with the urgency of governance restoration and service delivery in Rivers State.
