The Nigerian Senate has said that the majority of the Rivers State 2025 budget was prepared under suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. According to them, about 85% of the N1.48 trillion budget was drafted before he was removed.

This was shared by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who leads the Senate’s special committee on Rivers State governance. He spoke during a budget defense meeting at the National Assembly, where the sole administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, and other state officials were present.

Bamidele explained that the Senate had carefully studied the budget for the past three weeks and confirmed that most of it came from the Fubara government.

He also said that only 15% of the budget was added by the current administrator to include some new projects.

According to the senator, the sole administrator has also asked for a supplementary budget of N50 billion. This extra money is needed to clear outstanding pensions and gratuities.

Earlier this month, Ibas had mentioned that the 2025 budget was created with the idea that Fubara would return to office.

This latest update follows the President’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State some months ago due to ongoing political issues.