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Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), has said proposed N1.48tn 2025 budget anticipates the return of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other officeholders.
Ibas said this on Wednesday during budget defence session with the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Rivers emergency rule. He noted that the draft fiscal plan was deliberately structured to accommodate officials who may resume duties after the current state of emergency ends.
“In anticipation of the eventual return to constitutional order, the draft budget prudently retains provisions for the offices and functions of suspended political actors, some of whom have already drawn on allocated resources in the first quarter and are expected to resume their duties at the expiration of the emergency period” he said.
Ibas also disclosed that the 2025 budget was designed to regularise spending made before the declaration of the state of emergency by President Bola Tinubu in March. However, the process was hindered by gaps in information.
The Sole Administrator told Kawmakers that before the declaration of the emergency rule, some state officials withheld vital information during the preparation of the state’s 2025 budget estimates, which complicated efforts to accurately account for spending in the first quarter of the year.
“Before the state of emergency declaration by His Excellency President Bola Tinubu Regrettably, some state officials withheld critical information required to ensure a more complete capture of those expenditures at the time of submission of the budget estimates”, he said.
Ibas explained that the 2025 budget was developed in line with Section 11, Subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution, and subsequent transmission of the proposal to the National Assembly.
Read also:Senate passes Rivers N1.4tn budget for second reading
The proposed 2025 budget projects a total revenue of ₦1.4 trillion, with ₦597.14 billion already realised as of May – about 4% below projections. Planned expenditure for the year stands at ₦1.48 trillion, reflecting an ambitious push to stimulate inclusive growth and restore governance in the state.
A total of ₦324.5 billion is earmarked for critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and transport networks, with another ₦38.85 billion dedicated to shoreline protection and erosion control. Agriculture, healthcare, education, and youth development also received significant allocations, aimed at job creation, food security, and human capital development.
In agriculture, the administration plans to unlock about ₦45 billion through a ₦4.5 billion counterpart fund under the Rural Access and Agricultural Market Projects Programme, alongside ₦10 billion for food security initiatives and ₦3.5 billion for mechanisation.
Healthcare provisions include ₦55 billion for relocating and expanding the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, ₦50 billion for Zonal Hospital upgrades, and ₦5 billion for a Drug Revolving Fund. Education will receive ₦30 billion for zonal secondary schools and ₦5.75 billion for primary school rehabilitation.
The budget also allocates ₦25 billion for housing schemes and ₦117 billion for pensions and gratuities, with a ₦50 billion provision to begin addressing long-standing arrears.
According to Ibas, ₦20 billion will be injected into the recapitalisation of the Rivers State Microfinance Bank to empower MSMEs, in line with inclusive development goals,
Ibas reaffirmed that the budget reflects the directives of President Tinubu to sustain governance and improve livelihoods. “God willing, every River citizen with a great idea, carefully thought out, and well-planned will find the funding required to turn their dreams into successful ventures, irrespective of tribe, ethnic, or political divide,” he said.
