The 2025 budget for Rivers State has risen to ₦1.846 trillion, following the inclusion of first-quarter expenditures carried out prior to the declaration of a state of emergency.
The updated budget was defended before the Senate ad-hoc committee on Emergency rule, led by Opeyemi Bamide, the Senate leader, on Thursday by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the sole administrator overseeing the state under emergency rule.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier, on May 22, transmitted the proposed ₦1.49 trillion budget to the National Assembly for approval.
However, in his presentation to the Senate ad-hoc committee on Rivers State, Ibas explained that additional financial data, including spending undertaken before the emergency declaration, necessitated the revision of the total projected expenditure to ₦1.846 trillion.
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He stated that the budget was crafted to align with the strategic objectives of the Rural Estate Development Plan 2017–2027, aiming to strengthen revenue mobilization, improve infrastructure, enhance human capital, and promote inclusive economic growth.
Ibas said, “The proposed 2025 budget may not be a perfect document, given the time and circumstances under which it was prepared.
“However, it presents an integrated framework to regularize first-quarter expenditures and ensure fiscal transparency, while responding to the urgent needs of Rivers State under the current emergency.”
Ibas disclosed that the state recorded revenue inflows of ₦415 billion as of May 31, 2025, which is about 8% above the initially projected ₦383 billion.
The revenue performance for 2024 had already surpassed expectations, with ₦1.043 trillion generated against a target of ₦800.39 billion.
Addressing key areas of the 2025 budget, he noted that ₦324.51 billion has been earmarked for infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and shoreline protection.
He explained, “An additional ₦38.85 billion is allocated for land reclamation and erosion control to bolster environmental resilience.
Health and education sectors also received significant allocations: ₦55 billion for the relocation and expansion of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital; ₦50 billion for zonal hospital upgrades; ₦75.6 billion for education, including ₦30 billion for zonal secondary schools and ₦5.75 billion for primary school rehabilitation and ₦5 billion for free drug distribution across the state.
In agriculture, the budget allocates ₦31.4 billion for various initiatives, including counterpart funding for the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Program, and investments aimed at boosting the local production of rice, cassava, and oil palm. These interventions are projected to unlock over ₦45 billion in development financing and generate more than 16,000 jobs over two years.
A ₦3 billion allocation is set aside to establish a youth resource center focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, alongside ₦2.5 billion for women’s economic empowerment. The administrator emphasized that the budget prioritizes inclusiveness and sustainable development across sectors.
“Significant resources have also been dedicated to security, intelligence gathering, and public safety in view of ongoing militancy, communal conflict, and kidnapping threats in the state.,” Ibas added.
The aim, Ibas said, is to establish a unified and responsive security architecture that can quickly deploy resources, engage stakeholders, and restore order.
To address urban housing needs, the government has earmarked ₦25 billion for housing schemes and estate rehabilitation, while ₦117 billion is budgeted for pensions, gratuities, and employee benefits, including the implementation of the Employee Compensation Act and a group insurance scheme for workers.
The Rivers State Microfinance Bank will receive ₦20 billion in recapitalization funds to improve access to credit for small and medium-scale enterprises, with a focus on empowering youth and women.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while reading President Tinubu’s letter to the Senate, confirmed that the proposed budget seeks to create 6,000 jobs, with priority placed on infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, and security.
The Senate subsequently referred the proposal to its ad-hoc committee on Rivers State under emergency rule for further review and directed the committee to report back as soon as possible.
