By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Nigerian Senate has vowed to keep tabs on the disbursement and implementation of the N1.48 trillion budget submitted by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
The Red Chamber maintained that ensuring that every naira allocated in the 2025 Appropriation Bill delivers tangible results is part of its oversight responsibility under the current emergency rule in the state.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the Oversight of Emergency Governance in Rivers stated this while speaking during a budget defence session at the National Assembly on Thursday.
Bamidele said, “This is not just about reviewing figures on paper. We are mandated by the Nigerian people to ensure that allocated funds are used effectively—project by project, sector by sector—so that the people of Rivers State feel the real impact of governance, especially under these exceptional circumstances.”
He continued, “We’ll be assessing not just the disbursements but also timelines, delivery benchmarks, and outcomes. The goal is simple: ensure that the 2025 budget translates into better roads, improved healthcare, quality education, security, and livelihoods for the people of Rivers State,”
The Senate Leader also seized the opportunity offered by the session to clarify misconceptions surrounding the federal government’s emergency rule in Rivers State.
He stated that the temporary measure, declared by President Bola Tinubu, is not a substitute for democratic governance but a constitutional intervention aimed at restoring stability.
“For the record, emergency rule is not a replacement for democracy,
“It is a lawful and constitutionally backed response to restore peace and order when governance is under threat, as stipulated in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.”
