The Senate has passed the 2025 budget of Rivers State, approving ₦1.485 trillion total expenditure.
The budget’s passage came after the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State during the Committee of Supply session.
According to the bill, the sum of ₦1,485,662,592,442 is to be appropriated from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State for the year ending December 31, 2025.
A breakdown of the approved figures shows ₦120.8 billion allocated for debt servicing, a substantial ₦1.077 trillion earmarked for capital projects across the state and ₦287.38 billion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure.
Concerns were raised by Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central)and others during the bill's discussion, they expressed reservations over the additional ₦50 billion allocated for the payment of outstanding pensions and gratuities.
“I urge the committee to intensify its oversight function to ensure that these funds are disbursed promptly to the genuine pensioners,” Senator Ningi said during deliberations.
The 2025 Rivers State budget was forwarded to the National Assembly in May by President Bola Tinubu for legislative consideration. This unusual step followed the prolonged political crisis in Rivers State, which caused the suspension of the state’s House of Assembly and the executive under Governor Siminalayi Fubara.