House Committee Demands Clarification on Rivers’ N1.48tr Budget, Questions N30bn for Gunboats, N24bn for CCTV
The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee overseeing the emergency administration in Rivers State has raised serious concerns over some provisions in the state’s proposed N1.48 trillion 2025 budget, presented by Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
During a budget defence session in Abuja, the committee questioned several high-cost items in the budget, including N24 billion allocated for CCTV, N30 billion for gunboats, and N23 billion set aside for contingency reserves. Lawmakers demanded a detailed breakdown of these allocations and other major components of the budget.
Committee Chairman Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo) said several red flags had been identified during the committee’s review of the budget. He also queried the inclusion of federal projects in the state budget, noting that there was no repayment arrangement in place with the Federal Government.
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The committee requested that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) — a legal document that should precede any budget — be submitted within 48 hours. They also asked for details of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) over the past three months and an account of how local government funds were being managed.
“We want more transparency,” Ihonvbere said. “This budget must reflect accountability and the true interest of Rivers people, especially those far removed from the capital.”
Responding to the lawmakers, Ibas, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Strategy and Policy, Andrew Nweke, said most of the controversial budget items were inherited from the suspended administration. Nweke defended the allocations, saying they were based on a needs assessment carried out by implementation agencies.
He explained that the N30 billion for gunboats was necessary to assist security forces combating crime on the state’s waterways. On the N23 billion contingency reserve, he cited recurring floods, insecurity, and other emergencies as justification.
Nweke also defended the N24 billion for CCTV installation at the Government House in Port Harcourt, saying the governor’s office must be equipped with modern security technology, as it is “an office of honour.”
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