President Bola Tinubu has submitted a N1.48 trillion budget proposal for Rivers State on behalf of the state’s Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, to the National Assembly.
The President stated that this step had become imperative following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the previous budget presented to an “illegitimate faction” of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Tinubu also cited the ongoing emergency rule in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as reasons for his intervention.
Giving the breakdown of the proposed budget, the president disclosed that N324 billion would be spent on infrastructure, N166 billion was allocated to the Health Sector while N75.6 billion was provided for Education Sector and N31.4 billion would be committed to Agriculture Sector.
While urging the National Assembly to pass the proposed budget, Tinubu said Agriculture alone was projected to create about 6,000 jobs during the fiscal year.
It would be recalled following his declaration of state of emergency on March 19, 2025 in Rivers State, the President appointed Ibas as Sole Administrator and swore him to overseeing the affairs of the state.
In the declaration, Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Prof. Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly were all suspended for six months due to a political stalemate as a result of the lingering political face-off between the governor and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, which polarized the state into two warring political groups.
