By editorial desk
The House of Representatives has given the Administrator of Rivers State ,Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas 48 hours within which to submit a detailed breakdown of key allocations in the 2025 budget.
The development followed a controversial N24billon allocation for CCTV installation in Government House
The Chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Rivers State, Julius Ihonvbere ( APC,) Edo gave the directive on Monday.
Rep Ihonvbere queried the allocation of N24 billion for the purchase of security cameras for Government House and also demanded explanation for the allocation of N30 billion for the purchase of gunboats and N23 Billion for contingency reserves
Others demanding justification include allocations to existing federal Government projects without agreement with Federal Government refunds
Ihonvbere , who is also the majority leader of the house said that the committee had gone through the N1.48 trillion budget and raised serious issues concerning it.
It therefore directed Ibas to present the budget capturing major allocations within 48 hours.
” We need additional details for those allocations,we request details of State Internally Generated Revenue ( IGR) in the last three months to enable us know your financial flows so that we can weigh it against the deficit in the budget in terms of financing it and carrying out some of the projects.
‘” We also need details of transfers to local governments , essentially how local government funds that come into the state are being managed at the moment.
Those documents we have requested must reach us within 48 hours , been rest assured that we are all on the same side in terms of Rivers working again,’
Representing the Sole administrator, Andrew Nweke said that the M24 billion CCTV allocation was to provide modern security gadgets to ensure the honour of government house.
On the N30billilon gunboats and N23 Billion contingency reserves,Nweke explained that they were for support for security agencies to check crime on waterways, and tackling floods respectively.
