Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, June 11, while defending the budget before the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State Oversight, Ibas explained that the plan aligns with the state’s 10-year development blueprint and was built to stimulate inclusive growth, improve human capital, and accelerate infrastructure upgrades.
“In anticipation of the eventual return to constitutional order, the draft budget prudently retains provisions for the offices and functions of suspended political actors, some of whom have already drawn on allocated resources in the first quarter and are expected to resume their duties at the expiration of the emergency period,” he said.
However, Ibas expressed frustration that some unnamed state officials allegedly refused to provide critical data needed for a complete fiscal picture.
“Regrettably, some state officials withheld critical information required to ensure a more complete capture of those expenditures at the time of submission of the budget estimates,” he said.
