The Nigerian Senate has passed the Rivers State 2025 budget for second reading.
NATIONAL POST reports that the budget was earlier sent to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu in view of the state of emergency imposed on the oil rich state.
The budget which stood at N1,480,662592,442 trillion was passed for second reading after it was read by the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Bamidele Opeyemi.
Opeyemi said the Senate has since assumed the powers of legislating for Rivers State having been under the State of Emergency.
In his contribution, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan said, there was a need for the budget to be legislated immediately so that the people of Rivers could feel the presence of government.
He said: "Mr President, I don't know under what topic this document is christened, but I could see it is about a budget of the State of emergency.
“I hereby support that the budget be passed for second reading so that the people of Rivers could feel the presence of the government.”
There was no opposition to the bill.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio then passed the budget through voice vote and referred it to the Ad-hoc Committee overseeing Rivers State of Emergency.