Abuja, Nigeria – The House of Representatives has approved a ₦1.485 trillion budget for Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year, following intense scrutiny and adjustments to the initial ₦1.48 trillion appropriation bill presented by Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd). The approval came on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, after the adoption of the report by the House Ad-hoc Committee on Rivers State, chaired by House Majority Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo).
The budget allocates ₦256.42 billion for personnel costs, ₦162.58 billion for overhead costs, and ₦1.066 trillion for capital expenditure. However, the House slashed ₦35 billion from controversial allocations, including ₦24 billion earmarked for CCTV installations at the Rivers State Government House, ₦30 billion for gunboat purchases, and ₦23 billion for contingency reserves. An additional ₦30 billion from security-related votes was redirected to priority projects to ensure prudent resource use.
During a budget defence session on June 30, 2025, Ihonvbere raised concerns about the lack of a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), a legal requirement, and questioned the justification for the CCTV, gunboat, and contingency allocations. The committee issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Ibas to provide detailed breakdowns, emphasizing accountability and transparency. Andrew Nweke, Senior Special Assistant on Strategy and Policy, defended the allocations, stating they were based on needs assessments, with CCTV funds for modernizing Government House security, gunboats for combating waterway insecurity, and contingency funds for emergencies like flooding.
The budget, initially presented on June 11, 2025, was revised upward to ₦1.846 trillion to account for first-quarter spending, but the final approved figure was harmonized at ₦1.485 trillion. The approval follows the Senate’s passage of the same budget on June 25, 2025, amid Rivers State’s ongoing emergency rule, declared by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025, to address a political crisis.
Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) objected, arguing the budget’s full-year scope could complicate governance if a substantive governor is reinstated before 2025 ends. Despite this, the bill passed its third reading, marking a key step in federal oversight of Rivers State.
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