Tinubu Submits N1.48 Trillion Rivers Budget to National Assembly

President Bola Tinubu has officially transmitted a proposed budget of ₦1.48 trillion for the Rivers State Government to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

The move comes after the Supreme Court nullified the state’s 2025 budget, and the state was placed under emergency rule. This prompted the President to take the unusual step of forwarding the state’s financial plan to the federal legislature.

According to Tinubu, ₦324 billion from the budget will be directed toward infrastructure, ₦166 billion toward health, ₦75.6 billion toward education, and ₦31.4 billion for agriculture. The administration projects that agriculture spending alone will generate about 6,000 jobs.

“Please find forwarded herewith the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State for the consideration of the Senate,” the President’s letter stated.

President Tinubu reminded lawmakers that Rivers State has been under emergency rule since March 2025, which effectively suspended the operations of the state’s House of Assembly. Under Regulation 4, subsection 2(f) of the Emergency Rule 2025 provisions, any budget-related decision must now be approved by the federal legislature.

“The National Assembly is expected to perform the role of the state legislature under the emergency rule framework,” Tinubu wrote, justifying the request for the Senate to approve the proposed spending plan.

The President further stressed the importance of the proposed budget’s focus:

“This spending plan prioritises investment in critical sectors such as infrastructure, health, education, and agriculture, which is projected to generate approximately 6,000 jobs,” the letter added.

Concluding the letter, Tinubu expressed confidence in the Senate’s swift action:

“Accordingly, I hereby forward the Rivers State Government 2025 Appropriation Bill and trust that it will receive the expeditious and favourable consideration of the Senate.”

Following the reading of the President’s letter, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the proposal to the Senate ad-hoc committee on Rivers State, urging them to review the bill promptly.

The National Assembly had previously approved the emergency rule in Rivers State on March 20, 2025. As part of the oversight process, an ad-hoc committee was established on May 6 to monitor governance and security conditions in the state.