The Nigerian Senate has approved the second reading of the 2025 budget for Rivers State, totaling ₦1.48 trillion.
The budget proposal was presented on Wednesday by Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who explained that the Senate assumed legislative authority over Rivers State following the declaration of a state of emergency in the region.
Supporting the motion, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan highlighted the importance of swift approval to ensure governance continuity and public service delivery.
“Mr. President, I may not be entirely sure under what category this document falls, but it clearly represents a budget under emergency circumstances. I support its passage for second reading so that the people of Rivers can feel the presence of government,” he said.
With no objections raised, Senate President Godswill Akpabio conducted a voice vote and referred the budget to the Ad-hoc Committee on Overseeing the Rivers State State of Emergency for further legislative review.
This move comes just a day after the Senate announced that the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), along with other top state officials, would appear before a Joint National Assembly Ad-hoc Committee to defend the 2025 budget.