Tuesday July 01, 2025
The Rivers State House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee has given Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the sole administrator of the state following the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers, a 48-hour ultimatum to provide a detailed breakdown of the proposed 2025 budget, including the contentious N24 billion allocated for CCTV installation at the Government House.
Rep. Julius Ihonvbere, the committee chairman and House majority leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo, issued the directive during a budget defence session in Abuja, following concerns raised by Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere over several allocations.
He expressed concern over several line items in the N1.48 trillion Appropriation Bill.
He also noted that the committee had gone through the budget as presented by the sole administrator and had raised several issues.
Ihonvbere questioned the allocation of N24 billion for CCTV installation at the Government House.
He also queried the N30 billion for gunboats and N23 billion set aside as contingency reserves, demanding justification for the sum.
He also criticised the absence of the legally required Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and queried the use of state funds for federal projects without a refund agreement. “We need additional details for those allocations,” he said.
