Senate passes Rivers N1.48trn 2025 budget for second reading

In a significant legislative move, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed the 2025 budget of Rivers State for a second reading, pushing forward a ₦1.48 trillion spending plan for the crisis-hit state.

The budget was formally presented by Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who emphasized the Senate’s ongoing responsibility to legislate on behalf of Rivers State. This development follows the declaration of a State of Emergency in the region, which effectively placed the state’s legislative affairs under federal oversight.

Senator Opeyemi highlighted the urgency and importance of ensuring that governance and development in Rivers State are not stalled despite the political and security challenges facing the area. The ₦1.48 trillion budget is expected to cover key sectors including infrastructure, healthcare, education, and security.

Supporting the motion, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan emphasized the urgency of passing the budget, noting that timely legislation was critical to ensuring that the people of Rivers State feel the impact of government efforts.

He said, “Mr President, I don’t know under what topic this document is christened but I could see it is about a budget of the state of emergency.

I hereby support that the budget be passed for second reading so that the people of Rivers can feel the presence of government.

In absence of opposition to the bill, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio passed the budget through voice vote and referred it to the Ad-hoc Committee on overseeing Rivers State of Emergency.