The Rivers State 2025 budget has passed for a second reading in the Senate.
The Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, on Wednesday presented the budget, which totals ₦1,480,662,592,442 trillion.
Bamidele said the Red Chamber had assumed legislative powers over Rivers State, now under a State of Emergency in the state.
Supporting the motion, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan said there was a need to urgently pass the budget to ensure that the people of Rivers State feel the impact of governance.
He said, “Mr. President, I am not exactly sure under what title this document is categorised, but from what I can see, it pertains to a budget under the state of emergency. I hereby support its passage for second reading so that the people of Rivers can feel the presence of the government.”
Consequently, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, conducted a voice vote and referred the budget to the Ad-hoc Committee on Overseeing the Rivers State of Emergency for further legislative action.
The Senate on Tuesday said the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and other key state officials would appear before a Joint National Assembly Ad-hoc Committee to defend the state’s 2025 budget.
