No going back on N800b 2024 budget too late to re-present – Rivers Government

…As public input begins for 2025 budget

The Rivers State government says it is too late to re-present the N800bn 2024 budget before any authority, saying the budget is in its final quarter. Government officials said those saying so must be daydreaming.

The government spoke through the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, the professor, Peter Mede, when he addressed people of the state at a pre-budget 2025 budget session to account for the 2024 budget and get inputs into the 2025 version.

Mede said the 2024 budget was part of a medium-term framework (MTF) which had been approved by the state executive council and the House of Assembly (RSHA) with implementation in the 4th quarter.

He said: “This is the state Action on Business Enabling reforms. A World Bank and Nigeria’s Governors Forum initiative to incentivize the states and the subnational entities on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB).”

He said such processes from local to national and global levels have already been observed, saying: “It is regrettable that the 2024 Rivers State appropriation which has performed to the end of 3rd quarter will still be expected to be targeted at by some unpatriotic, overzealous, gullible, and ambitious antagonists of our state. These are people who still think that a budget that has passed through these stages with exceptionally higher performance can be reversed under any circumstance”.

He gave the background of the budget, saying it is higher than the N744.7Bn for 2023. He said N283,23Bn was expected from federal allocation, N231Bn expected from independent revenue (internally generated revenue IGR). He gave account, saying by end of June 2024, the state grossed N209Bn from FAAC and N164.6Bn from IGR.

He noted that the budget had over 50% capital provision and gave key projects already executed as Andoni section of the Unity Road, Egbema internal Roads, Aleto to Bori internal Roads, Omoku Dualised Road, Emohua Kalabari Road, remodeling of schools, etc.

He said the administration would rather continue to vigorously pursue the dividends of democracy in social protection programmes, provision of agric inputs to fight food scarcity, and support to nano and SMEs.

Declaring open the public hearing which he termed the first in many years, Fubara commended the Commissioner of Budget for pulling off such big public participation event into the shaping of the economic and financial future of the state.

He said: “Our mantra is Rivers First, and we are clear on it. Thus, every naira spent must directly touch the lives of our people and those who live in Rivers State.

“We prudently managed the N800Bn 2024 budget so far with the target of meeting the aspirations of the people. Bringing people together on budget is a major development for which I commend the Commissioner. That’s is what governance is all about. It is about meeting critical principles, visionary leadership, local justice, infrastructure, and environment stewardship. The bottom line is sustainable development.”

The governor who was represented by the deputy, a professor, Ngozi Ordu, said the state has been positioned as a model for accountability and as a stepping stone for prosperity.

He said the duty of government is not just managing the budget but transforming Rivers State, saying that was the actual mandate given to him.

A court had ruled that the 2024 budget ne represented to one of the factions in the endless Rivers political crisis but the state government had argued that the members of that faction had sworn to an affidavit affirming that they had defected to another party and that a court had ruled that the fellows had lost their seats. That position is now subject to litigations.