Representatives provide 48 hours of river administrator to send 2025 budget details

The House of Representatives on Monday gave the Rivers State Sol Administrator, Deputy Admiral Ibok-Ete IBA (RETD), an ultimatum 48 hours to submit the details of the main items in the 2025 state budget.

The Chairperson of the DPR Ad Hoc Committee in Rivers, Julius Ihonvbere, issued an ultimatum at the budget defense session in Abuja.

He said the committee had gone through the N1.48 trillion budget as presented by one -the administrator and raised several problems.

He asked the administrator to submit a medium -term expenditure framework (MTEF), with a legal document that must precede a budget presentation.

Ihonvbere, who is the majority leader of the Parliament, asked the N24 billion allocation for CCTV cameras to be installed in the state government building and demanded the disturbance.

He also asked the allocation of N30 billion for the purchase of warships and N23 billion for emergency reserves.

The chairman said the committee also observed and questioned the allocation of state funds for existing federal projects without approval with the federal government for refund, among others.

Ihonvbere said: “We need additional details for the allocation. We ask for details of the revenue (IGR) produced internally by the country in the last three months.

“That will allow us to find out your financial flow so that we can weigh it on the deficit in the budget in terms of financing and implementing several projects.

Also read: Senate Forms a Committee of 18 People to Monitor the River Administrator, Ibas

“We also need details of transfer to local governments, basically, how local government funds entering the state are managed at this time.

“The documents that we ask for must contact us within 48 hours; rest assured that we are all on the same side in terms of making the river work again.

“We want to ensure that we will promote a lot of accountability and ensure that the interests of the people themselves, no matter how far they are from the state capital, protected.”

MPs praised the Tinubu Bola President for his intervention which brought peace between suspended and legislative governors in the state.

Previously, Ibas, who was represented by a senior special assistant on strategies and policies in the state, Mr. Andrew Nweke, explained that administration inherited many items in the budget.

He said the budget was a reflection of the interests of the river people because it was designed in accordance with the assessment of the needs made by the implementation agent.