The House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the oversight of Rivers State, on Monday, queried the Sole Administrator, Vice Adm Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) over some expenditure in the N1.48tn 2025 budget.
This followed the appearance of the state delegation before the committee at a budget defence session held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Committee and House Majority Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, noted that having reviewed the budget, there were areas of concern that needed some clarity.
A statement issued by the House spokesman, Akin Rotimi on Monday night revealed that the Committee identified Grey areas including “N24bn allocated for the installation of CCTV systems at the Rivers State Government House, N30bn earmarked for the procurement of gunboats and N23bn listed under a contingency provision without detailed justification.”
The committee also faulted the decision of the Rivers State Government to fund projects constitutionally under the purview of the Federal Government, allegedly “Without prior agreement or expectation of reimbursement.”
The House Leader argued that such expenditures required proper justification and legal backing to ensure fiscal prudence.
The committee thereafter issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Rivers State Government to submit “A detailed breakdown and justification for the highlighted expenditure items; a copy of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework as a statutory document that should precede any budget presentation.”
Others include “Detailed records of monthly federal allocations and Internally Generated Revenue from January to June 2025, with specific attention to IGR over the past three months to assess fiscal flows and financing capacity.
“Full disclosure on the management of local government funds, including the legal and administrative frameworks currently in place.
“Documentary evidence of financial transfers made to each of the 23 Local Government Areas and all records related to the Airforce Base Agreement referenced during the budget presentation.”
Ihonvbere restated the duty of the committee in safeguarding the interest of the people and the constitutional mandate of the National Assembly in matters of financial oversight.
“We want to ensure that we promote accountability and that the interests of the people, no matter how remote they are from the state capital, are protected. Be rest assured that we are all on the same side in terms of getting Rivers working again,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the Sole Administrator, the Special Adviser on Strategy and Policy, Andrew Nweke, said many of the items in the 2025 budget were inherited and were based on needs assessments conducted by relevant implementation agencies.
He said, “The N30bn allocated for gunboats was intended to support security agencies combating insecurity in the state’s waterways.
“The N23bn contingency fund was meant to address emergency challenges, including recurrent flooding and other unforeseen developments.
“The N24bn CCTV installation was considered necessary to modernise surveillance infrastructure and provide robust security for the office of the governor.
He further assured the committee that all documents requested would be made available promptly to facilitate the legislative process.
