By Deborah Nnamdi
The Nigerian Senate, on Wednesday, passed the 2025 budget for Rivers State for a second reading. The budget, totaling ₦1.48 trillion, was presented by Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, and subsequently approved.
Senator Bamidele noted that the Senate has assumed legislative authority over Rivers State, following the declaration of a state of emergency in the region.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola emphasized the urgency of enacting the budget, stating it was essential for the people of Rivers State to begin experiencing the impact of governance.
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 a second reading so that the people of Rivers can feel the presence of the government.
In the absence of opposition to the bill, Senate President Godswill Akpabio passed the budget through a voice vote and referred it to the Ad-hoc Committee on overseeing the Rivers State of Emergency.
