In a significant move to ensure accountability and good governance, the Nigerian Senate announced yesterday that the 2025 budget for Rivers State will undergo rigorous scrutiny by a joint National Assembly Ad-hoc Committee. This comes after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state on March 18th, leading to the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd) as the Sole Administrator.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee to Oversee Emergency Rule in Rivers State, confirmed at the committee’s inaugural meeting that the Sole Administrator and other key Rivers State functionaries, including the Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, will be required to defend the budget before a joint session of both the Senate and House of Representatives ad-hoc committees.
“It is our understanding with our colleagues in the House of Representatives that the sole administrator and other relevant functionaries of the state will all appear before the joint ad-hoc committee of both chambers of the National Assembly when it is time for them to defend the 2025 budget,” Senator Bamidele stated, emphasizing the National Assembly’s commitment to financial propriety and good governance.
The Senate assured Nigerians that despite the emergency rule, the people of Rivers State will not be “shortchanged.” This commitment to oversight aims to ensure that democratic principles continue to function and that governance in the state remains effective.
The 2025 budget, which was laid before the parliament last week by the Sole Administrator through President Tinubu, has now been formally referred to the joint ad-hoc committee. Senator Bamidele noted that the committee has already finalized its work plan and timetable for the budget defense process.
This move underscores the National Assembly’s dedication to its oversight functions, guaranteeing that public funds in Rivers State are utilized transparently and for the benefit of its citizens during this period of emergency rule. The committee is poised to ensure that “governance does not suffer in Rivers State.”
