Expose: Fubara Behind Bulk Of N1.48 Trillion Budget Approved Without Assembly

The Nigerian Senate has disclosed that approximately 85 percent of the N1.48 trillion 2025 budget for Rivers State, which was submitted by the sole administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, was originally prepared by the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

This was revealed by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Emergency Governance in Rivers State, during a budget defence session on Thursday at the National Assembly, where Ibas and top state officials were present.

Bamidele stated that the Senate had conducted a comprehensive review of the budget over the past three weeks.

“Our investigations confirm that about 85 percent of the budget proposals were developed during Fubara’s tenure,” Bamidele said, noting that only 15 percent was added by Ibas to include new projects.

He also mentioned that Ibas had submitted a request for a N50 billion supplementary budget to settle outstanding pension and gratuity payments.

Earlier in June, Ibas had indicated that the 2025 budget was designed with Fubara’s potential return in mind.

This revelation comes amid the backdrop of a state of emergency declared by the president in Rivers State months ago.