On Monday December 30th, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, presented a N1.18 trillion budget proposal for 2025 to a factional House of Assembly, consisting of just three lawmakers. This move mirrored his approach from the previous year, when he bypassed the 27-member faction loyal to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, amid a growing political divide. The Rivers State House of Assembly has been embroiled in a division since October 2023, following a fallout between Fubara and Wike.
In his budget address, Fubara described the proposal as the “Budget of Inclusive Growth and Development,” aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth, accelerating development, and improving the living standards of the state’s residents.
The budget is broken down as follows:
- Recurrent Expenditure: N462.25 billion
- Capital Expenditure: N678.09 billion
- Planning Reserve: N35.69 billion
- Closing Balance: N12.93 billion
This allocation gives a recurrent/capital expenditure ratio of 44:56, underscoring the administration’s commitment to both infrastructural development and human capital investment.
Fubara highlighted several key areas of focus in his budget proposal:
- Agricultural Development and Youth Support: Nearly N31 billion is allocated to tackle unemployment through agricultural programs and youth empowerment.
- Education: Over N63 billion, or 9.3% of the total budget, has been earmarked for education. The funds will be used to access outstanding grants from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for the rehabilitation, equipment, and furnishing of dilapidated primary and junior secondary schools, as well as to provide free basic education. Additionally, senior secondary schools will undergo rehabilitation, with new classrooms, perimeter fencing, and improved infrastructure.
- Health: Fubara has proposed N97.75 billion (14.4% of the budget) for the health sector. This will be used to complete zonal hospitals, upgrade a neuropsychiatric hospital, and establish a new general hospital in Rumuigbo.
- Infrastructure: More than N195 billion is allocated for ongoing and new road projects across the state.
- Social Development: N15.4 billion has been proposed for youth and gender empowerment, job creation, sports development, and social inclusion programs.
Speaker of the three-member Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo, commended Fubara for increasing the state’s internally generated revenue by over N100 billion and assured the governor of full legislative support for his developmental initiatives.
However, the presentation has drawn criticism from the opposition Rivers State APC. The party condemned Fubara’s decision to address the three-member faction of the Assembly while ignoring the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers. Rivers APC Publicity Secretary, Chibuike Ikenga, accused the governor of disregarding court orders and judicial processes.
In an interview, Ikenga stated:
“I think the trajectory is a continuum where a case is sub judice and the government of Rivers State is continuing to act in disobedience to court processes and procedures. It is expected that, having disobeyed the decision of the high court and the appellate court, we await the final decision from the Supreme Court on who is the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
Ikenga added, “Our party, the APC, expects the state government to obey the judicial pronouncement and positions and await the determination of these issues before the final court so that we can have a reprieve and begin to develop our state. That the government is disobeying those positions is unfortunate and does not encourage peacebuilding and development.”
The total projected revenue for Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year is N1.19 trillion, marking a significant financial proposal as the state navigates its ongoing political and legal challenges.
