The House of Representatives passed the N1.48 trillion appropriation bill for Rivers State for the 2025 fiscal year on Tuesday.

The lawmakers, however, slashed N35 billion from the allocation earmarked for CCTV installations, gunboat purchase and surveillance contracts.

At a plenary presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, the House considered and adopted the report of its Ad-hoc Committee on Rivers State, chaired by Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo), before reading the bill for the third time and passing it.

Speaking during the consideration of the committee’s report, Ihonvbere said the panel also redirected over N30 billion from the controversial security-related votes to other priority projects, insisting that the adjustments were necessary to ensure the prudent use of state resources.

He stated that the budget allocates N256.42 billion for personnel, N162.58 billion for overhead, and N1.06 trillion for capital expenditure for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.

The decision followed earlier concerns by the ad-hoc committee over several allocations, including N24 billion for CCTV at the Government House and N30 billion for gunboats, which the panel queried during budget defence.

President Bola Tinubu had initially forwarded the N1.48 trillion Rivers State Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly for consideration in May for urgent intervention to restore governance and accelerate development in Rivers State.

The President stated that the budget aims to address development challenges in Rivers State, specifically in the areas of infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, and security.