How Suspended Officials Tried to Sabotage Rivers State’s ₦1.48 Trillion Budget – Ibok Ete Reveals | READ DETAILS

Why did Rivers State’s ₦1.48 trillion 2025 budget spark controversy in the House of Reps? Who is sabotaging the process? Full details inside — read the full story now.

 

ABUJA, NIGERIA – June 11, 2025 | In what is fast becoming one of Nigeria’s most contentious state budget presentations, Mr. Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, on Tuesday laid before the House of Representatives a staggering ₦1.48 trillion 2025 budget, framed as a bold rescue and recovery roadmap under the current emergency governance structure.

 

The budget—which awaits National Assembly scrutiny following Presidential approval and a Supreme Court ruling—marks a historic fiscal move amid Rivers State’s political uncertainty. Mr. Ibas disclosed that while the budget aims to drive infrastructure renewal, education, healthcare access, and social services, sabotage from suspended state officials nearly derailed the entire planning process.

 

“Regrettably, some state officials withheld critical information required to ensure a more complete capture of expenditures already undertaken during the first quarter of the fiscal year by the suspended administration,” Ibas revealed during his presentation before the House Committee on Rivers State Oversight, chaired by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere.

 

The administrator lamented what he called deliberate acts of non-cooperation, which obstructed efforts to account for previous spending and align the current budget with existing liabilities.

 

“This sabotage made a difficult job even harder. But with determination and transparency, we’ve restructured the framework to ratify those expenditures lawfully, without hiding anything from the people,” he said.

 

 WHAT’S IN THE BUDGET?

 

Ibas broke down the key highlights of the proposed budget:

 

₦324.5 billion – Infrastructure and transportation overhaul

 

₦55 billion – Relocation and expansion of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital

 

₦50 billion – Upgrade of zonal hospitals

 

₦38.85 billion – Shoreline protection and erosion control

 

₦30 billion – Reconstruction of zonal secondary schools

 

₦5.75 billion – Primary school rehabilitation

 

₦3 billion – Youth resource centres across zones

 

₦2.5 billion – Economic empowerment for women

 

₦20 billion – Recapitalisation of the Rivers State Microfinance Bank

 

₦117 billion – Pensions, gratuities, and employee benefits

 

“Every Rivers citizen with a good idea—irrespective of tribe or politics—must have access to funding to build a future. That is our promise,” Ibas said, hinting at an inclusive approach rarely seen in the region’s fiscal history.

 

POLITICAL UNDERCURRENTS AND LEGISLATIVE WARNING

 

Chairman Ihonvbere did not shy away from addressing the elephant in the room: the emergency governance structure in Rivers State, born out of an intense power struggle and legal quagmire.

 

“This committee is committed to working with you to restore peace and development. But we will not cut corners,” Ihonvbere warned. “Every kobo must be defended.”

 

He also lauded the inclusion of people-focused programmes, particularly provisions for retirees, women, and youth, while noting that fiscal discipline and accountability must be enforced at every stage.

 

SUSPICIONS RISE AS BUDGET DEFENCE BEGINS

 

Political watchers have raised concerns about the real motive behind such an ambitious budget in a turbulent political climate. Some analysts question the capacity of the Sole Administrator system to implement such a large financial framework without opposition party inputs or legislative checks at the state level.

 

Critics within the Rivers political circle have accused the presidency of “weaponizing budget control” in the state, describing the ₦1.48 trillion proposal as a federal takeover masked as recovery.

 

However, supporters argue that the boldness of the budget is exactly what Rivers needs to recover from years of corruption, abandonment, and elite conflict.

 

WHAT NEXT?

 

The House of Representatives will begin defence sessions in the coming weeks, where key officials will be summoned to justify the proposed expenditures line-by-line.

 

Observers are watching closely to see whether the budget sails through, gets slashed, or triggers further political unrest in a state already brimming with tension.