Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been charged by Rivers State lawmakers for purposefully postponing the approval of the 2025 budget in order to put his own interests ahead of the government’s.
According to reports, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly are at odds over the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate MPs who support FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. This has led to intense discussions with Speaker Martins Amaewhule and 27 lawmakers.
Speaking on the subject, the governor’s assertion that he tried to present the budget but was refused access was contested by Hon. Enemi George, the Assembly’s spokesperson and chairman of the Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Information, who said the Assembly had not received any official letter.
Additionally, he said that Fubara’s lack of interaction with the legislature is having an impact on important financial distributions, such as pensions and salaries.
Recently, Governor Fubara accused the Assembly of impeding his attempts to re-present the 2025 budget in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision.
“We have been pleading with the governor to bring the budget, and if he hasn’t done that, it is his decision,” Hon. George said, rejecting this assertion. We barred the governor out when he tried to present the budget in the House of Assembly Quarters after he allegedly wrote to us. That is just incorrect. As he stated, the governor never wrote to the House of Assembly. He already addressed a letter to the Assembly, specifically asking us to screen his commissioners and presenting a supplemental budget.
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Nothing has changed; the procedure is still easy to understand. His assistant claimed that they used WhatsApp to send a letter the first time. Even at that point, there was no such thing, and it is not done that way. On social media, his letter announcing his plan to offer the 2025 budget has been making the rounds lately. However, there was no such communication with us. The public, not us, is obviously the letter’s intended recipient. He is playing with public opinion. He has already been challenged by me to show a copy of any correspondence he sent to the House of Assembly. Simply put, he is not being sincere. The governor is playing with the lives of Rivers State residents.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Hon. George also disclosed that the Assembly had formally invited the governor to propose the budget.
“We wrote to him as soon as the Supreme Court’s ruling was announced, requesting that he submit the budget within 48 hours. We estimate that the budget hearing would have taken place by this month’s 15th, allowing us to pass it by the 16th. We could then finish the required procedures with the federal government in two weeks, guaranteeing the delivery of cash and the distribution of allotments, such as salaries and pensions.
He underlined how urgent the situation was, saying that his own mother was among the numerous seniors who were still waiting for their money.
We also owe the governor, therefore passing the budget is in our best interests. His ego and self-interest, however, prevent him from taking action. His presentation to those three men was essentially a blank box if the budget was not yet complete. “Guys, please give me some time to work things out,” he should have written to us, and we would have been aware of how to handle the matter. The governor’s actions are not sincere. He never corresponded with us, and the House of Assembly has no correspondence from him. Social media is the only place we learn about them.
