The Nigerian Senate has vowed to closely monitor the disbursement and implementation of the N1.48 trillion budget submitted by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), as part of its oversight responsibility under the current emergency rule in the state.
Speaking during a budget defence session at the National Assembly on Thursday, the Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the Oversight of Emergency Governance in Rivers, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, assured Nigerians that the legislature will ensure that every naira allocated in the 2025 Appropriation Bill delivers tangible results.
“This is not just about reviewing figures on paper,” Bamidele said. “We are mandated by the Nigerian people to ensure that allocated funds are used effectively—project by project, sector by sector—so that the people of Rivers State feel the real impact of governance, especially under these exceptional circumstances.”
Bamidele stressed that the committee’s responsibility extends far beyond Thursday’s defence session, revealing that follow-up reviews will track budget performance over the coming months to ensure transparency, timely implementation, and value for money.
“We’ll be assessing not just the disbursements but also timelines, delivery benchmarks, and outcomes. The goal is simple: ensure that the 2025 budget translates into better roads, improved healthcare, quality education, security, and livelihoods for the people of Rivers State,” he said.
The Senate Leader also used the session to clarify misconceptions surrounding the federal government’s emergency rule in Rivers State.
He stated that the temporary measure, declared by President Bola Tinubu, is not a substitute for democratic governance but a constitutional intervention aimed at restoring stability.
“For the record, emergency rule is not a replacement for democracy,” Bamidele said. “It is a lawful and constitutionally backed response to restore peace and order when governance is under threat, as stipulated in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.”
During the session, Vice Admiral Ibas raised alarms over the lack of transparency and missing records from the 2024 budget cycle. According to him, the current state of documentation in Rivers is so inadequate that it threatens the credibility of the 2025 fiscal plan.
“The limited availability of budgetary records and performance data from 2024 has made it difficult to build a comprehensive and accountable framework for 2025,” Ibas told lawmakers. “We are operating under severe constraints due to the opacity of the previous administration.”
He also accused unnamed officials of withholding critical information necessary for the state’s budget planning and implementation, further complicating efforts to restore governance through the emergency rule.
The Rivers State 2025 Appropriation Bill had earlier scaled second reading in the Senate on Wednesday, May 28, and was immediately referred to the ad-hoc committee for scrutiny. The panel is expected to submit its recommendations within a week.
Ibas had appeared before a corresponding special committee of the House of Representatives last week, where he similarly defended the proposed budget and lamented the administrative vacuum left by the suspended government.
As scrutiny intensifies, all eyes remain on the National Assembly to ensure that the emergency spending delivers not just stability but also real dividends of governance to the people of Rivers State.
