Rivers Budget: ‘It Is A Pity That Someone Not Elected Is Going To Spend Taxpayers’ Money’ – Epelle Knocks Tinubu

The Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, has faulted President Bola Tinubu for presenting the 2025 budget of Rivers State to the National Assembly.

Naijaonpoint reports that Tinubu had on Thursday submitted the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to the National Assembly for consideration, following the suspension of the state’s House of Assembly.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, the ₦1.481 trillion proposed budget has major allocations aimed at revitalising key sectors.

However, in an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast show, The Morning Brief, on Friday, Epelle said Tinubu’s action marked the first time in Nigeria’s democratic history that a sitting President presented a state budget.

Epelle said it is worrisome that Tinubu has etched himself on the wrong side of history.

According to him, such action was ‘executive overreach,’ without legal or democratic justification for it.

Epelle revealed that there was initially an attempt to get the sole administrator to present the budget, but public scrutiny over its legality forced a change of strategy.

He further questioned the integrity of the process, adding it is a pity that someone not democratically elected by the people of the state will spend taxpayers’ money.

He said, “The President has made history, but this time on the wrong side of history.

“This unprecedented move is very worrisome because this is the first time a sitting President is presenting the budget of a state because of the void in the democratic structure of that state created by this emergency rule.

“Initially, they were going to push the so-called sole administrator to do this, and I think they realised when we called on them to examine the legality of a non-elected individual overseeing an elected office which is the institution of the state.

“Anybody who wants to believe that it’s justified has a lot to tell us about the principles of democracy and making sure an elected individual would administer a state that elected him.

“Like I said, the President has made history, but I think he is on the wrong side of history by presenting this budget.

“Who is going to administer this? An individual not elected by the people is going to spend the people’s taxpayers’ money. This is where we are, and it’s a pity the good people of Rivers State are bearing it.”