2025: Niger Assembly Passes ₦151.7 Billion Budget For LGs

The Niger State House of Assembly has approved the 2025 budget for the 25 local government councils in Niger State, totaling ₦151,721,702,602.11.

The budget allocation consists of ₦96,286,909,470.58 designated for recurrent expenditures and ₦55,434,793,131.53 for capital expenditures.

The House Standing Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, led by Alhaji Bello Bako, indicated that the committee consulted with representatives from the Ministry for Local Government and the Planning Commission to ensure compliance with financial regulations.

Bako also remarked that insecurity in certain regions has adversely affected revenue collection, resulting in unrealistic financial projections.

According to him, “To address this, we recommended that local governments establish sound revenue mechanisms, block leakages, and improve capital allocations to impact the lives of citizens.”

The Speaker, Abdulmalik Mohammed Sarkin-Daji, praised the Committee for their hard work and promised to enhance oversight to guarantee the effective execution of the budget.

Following thorough deliberation, the House unanimously approved the budget bill. Subsequently, Speaker Sarkin-Daji instructed the clerk of the House to send a finalised copy to the Executive for approval.

Meanwhile, the suspended Commissioner for Youth Development in Rivers State, Chisom Gbali, has addressed the ongoing political challenges surrounding Rivers State’s governance, particularly the controversial role of the sole administrator, Ibokette Ibas, over the plan to present and implement the state’s budget.

Gbali criticised the appointment of a sole administrator to handle the budget and other key functions of the state, arguing that it is unconstitutional for a single individual to assume such responsibilities and cancel projects that were already awarded by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

In a sharp criticism, Gbali, in an interview on Arise News, also described the attempts to extend the tenure of the sole administrator as part of a calculated effort to disrupt the state’s administration, further deepening the political crisis in the region.

Gbali’s remarks come in the wake of an announcement by Ibas, who disclosed that his administration is in the process of preparing a new state budget.

This follows the recent Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the state’s 2025 budget.

Ibas made the revelation during a meeting with a delegation from the Rivers Caucus of the National Assembly at the Government House in Port Harcourt last Thursday.

The new budget, according to Ibas, will focus on critical sectors such as education, healthcare, social services, and infrastructural development, similar to the priorities outlined in the previously nullified 2025 budget.

Speaking about the new budget’s objectives, Ibas emphasised his administration’s commitment to improving the lives of Rivers State residents through strategic investments aimed at these key sectors.