Senate reveals most of 2025 Rivers budget was drafted under suspended Governor Fubara
Only 15% of current budget was altered or added by Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibas
N50bn supplementary budget proposed to clear pension debts and stabilise governance
The Senate has revealed that suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, authored approximately 85 per cent of the state’s ₦1.48 trillion 2025 budget, before the declaration of emergency governance in the state.
Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Emergency Governance in Rivers, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, made this known on Thursday during a budget defence session with the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), and top state officials at the National Assembly.
Bamidele said the committee had extensively reviewed the budget over the last three weeks, and engaged with key officials including the Accountant General, Permanent Secretary of Finance, Budget Director, and Planning Director — all of whom remained in office after the emergency declaration.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
According to him, 85 per cent of the budget was developed under the Fubara administration, while only 15 per cent was added by the current sole administrator to accommodate new initiatives.
READ ALSO: Senate Grills NNPC Over ₦210 Trillion Financial Discrepancy
The committee further disclosed that the administrator has proposed a ₦50 billion supplementary budget to address backlogs in pensions and gratuities for retired civil servants in the state.
Bamidele described the move as a critical step in stabilising the state, stressing that governance goes beyond roads and infrastructure to include the welfare of citizens and retirees.
He stated that over 70 per cent of the ₦1.48 trillion budget is dedicated to capital projects, which the Senate praised as a model for other states to follow.
The Senate Ad-Hoc Committee also promised to intensify oversight of the 2025 budget implementation under the emergency rule in Rivers State.
