The Senate has approved, on its second reading, a bill that seeks to authorize the issuance of ₦1.48 trillion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year.
The bill, titled “Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State,” was read on the Senate floor by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during plenary.
The proposed spending plan is broken down as follows:
- ₦120.8 billion is earmarked for debt servicing.
- ₦287.3 billion is allocated for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure.
- ₦1.07 trillion is designated for capital expenditure.
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Bamidele stated that this budget is designed to ensure smooth government operations under an emergency governance structure in Rivers State.
He further emphasized that the proposal aims to promote inclusive growth and development, with a focus on improving the standard of living for residents.
The bill has now been transferred to the ad hoc committee on Rivers emergency rule, which is tasked with reviewing the proposal and reporting back to the Senate within two weeks.
President Bola Tinubu had previously written to both the Senate and the House of Representatives last week, seeking approval for this ₦1.48 trillion Appropriation bill for Rivers State.
He cited the ongoing state of emergency imposed in the oil-rich state since March 2025. In his letter, read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu explained that
if approved, the funds would be used by the Emergency Rule Government of Rivers State for sectors such as education, agriculture, and the provision of free drugs, among others.
Tinubu’s request is in line with the constitutional requirement for the National Assembly to assume legislative duties for any state under emergency rule where the state house of assembly is suspended or non-functional.
President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers State in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
This declaration suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly members for an initial six months.
Tinubu based his decision on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, stating he could not continue to observe the escalating political situation in Rivers without intervention.
Immediately following the declaration, the president appointed and swore in Ibas as the sole administrator for the Niger Delta state.
Subsequently, Akpabio constituted an 18-member committee, chaired by Bamidele, to provide oversight for the state.
The last time a Nigerian president declared an emergency rule was on May 14, 2013, when Goodluck Jonathan imposed it on the entire insurgent-ridden northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.
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