Despite Tinubu's intervention, Fubara yet to re-present 2024 budget to Rivers Assembly

Recall the President, in a bid to resolve the conflict between Fubara and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, conveyed a Rivers political stakeholders meeting in Abuja on December 18, 2023.

Rising from the meeting, all the warring parties, including 27 state lawmakers loyal to the former Governor, agreed to sheathe their swords and signed a document containing an eight-point resolution.

Among other things, the resolutions required the Governor to re-present the state's 2024 budget to a “properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.”

Even though Fubara had vowed during his Christmas Day broadcast to implement the peace agreement, the state Assembly said nothing has been done in that regard.

Speaking during the first plenary of the Assembly on Tuesday, January 9, 2023, The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, said the house was yet to receive the 2024 Appropriation Bill.

“The 2024 Appropriation Bill is yet to get to this August assembly. As it stands today, we have not received the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, we have not received the appropriation bill for 2024.

“It means the state at the moment is operating without a budget approved by this August assembly in line with the 1999 Constitution as altered,” Amaewhule noted.

Recall the Governor had initially presented a budget of ₦800 billion for 2024 to a four-man House of Assembly for approval on December 13, 2023, and swiftly signed it into law the following day.