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Tag: Rivers State

  • Rivers cancels N134bn Secretariat contract awarded CCECC by Ibas

    Rivers cancels N134bn Secretariat contract awarded CCECC by Ibas

    The Rivers State Executive Council has revoked the ₦134bn contract awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the renovation, retrofitting, and furnishing of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex.

    The project was awarded by the former Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas during the emergency administration. 

    The council directed the contractor to immediately refund the ₦20bn mobilisation fee already paid for the contract.

    The council also approved the revalidation of the bidding processes for four contracts, consisting of the renovation of the State Secretariat Complex, construction of reinforced concrete shoreline protection and reclamation works in several riverine communities of Opobo/Nkoro, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas. 

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, said the projects were  earlier advertised for but the  bid documents were cancelled by the Emergency Administration and fees returned to the companies that had earlier purchased them.

    The decisions were reached during the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday at the Government House, Port Harcourt, and presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

    Speaking after the meeting, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart explained that the contracts were awarded in a hasty manner without following due process.

     He said the council approved the revalidation of the bidding process for all four contracts that were earlier advertised in national dailies on February 19, 2025. 

    With the revalidation process now on, Dr. Ezekiel-Hart said that a fresh bidding would be advertised in newspapers for competent and experienced contractors to prequalify and submit both technical and commercial bids.

    He listed the projects as “the construction of 4.8km reinforced concrete shoreline protection and reclamation of Queenstown, Epellema, Oloma, and Minima communities in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area in Rivers State and the construction of 2.5km shoreline protection and reclamation in Ndoni-Onukwu, Isikwu, and Aziazagi communities in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area. 

    Others are the construction of 2.5km shoreline protection and reclamation in Utuechi, Obiofu, Isala, Ani-Eze, and Odugri communities in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area and the renovation, retrofitting and furnishing of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex,” he added.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. Azibaolanari Uzoma-Nwogu, announced that the council approved the constitution of a committee to develop a proposal for the creation of Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres and ICT Laboratories across the three senatorial districts of the state. 

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    She explained that the initiative was in line with the Federal Government’s directive that beginning in 2026, all examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) would be computer-based. 

    The committee, chaired by the Deputy Governor, has the Secretary to the State Government, Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of Education, Works, Information and Communications and Commisaioner for Energy as members. 

    Dr. Uzoma-Nwogu said the move would  prepare Rivers youths for a digital future and improve the quality of education across the state.

    On issues of employment, the Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr. Chisom Gbali, said the council reviewed ongoing efforts to create jobs for Rivers youths.

     He disclosed that his ministry was directed to develop a framework for job creation and economic empowerment, noting that the government was  determined to open up more opportunities for the young population. 

    “We want to assure Rivers youths that there will be a rising tide of employment and steady waves of economic empowerment. We know our Governor, when he makes a promise, he ensures it is fulfilled”, he said.

    On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr. Honour Sirawoo, said council also deliberated extensively on the recent flash floods experienced in some parts of the state. 

    He said the council directed immediate remedial intervention to address the situation, and cautioned residents against the indiscriminate disposal of waste into drainage channels and building on waterways, which worsens flooding.

  • First Lady empowers 800 farmers in Rivers State

    First Lady empowers 800 farmers in Rivers State

    The First Lady and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has distributed agricultural support materials to 800 farmers in Rivers State.

    Senator Tinubu urged the beneficiaries to take full advantage of the agricultural empowerment to grow their seedlings, nurture livestock and produce high yields to help build a food-secure country.

    Mrs. Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Rivers State governor, Lady Valerie Fubara, distributed the materials at a brief ceremony at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

    The event was organised by the First Lady’s pet project, Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Rivers State Government, and the Young Farmers’ Club of Nigeria.

    Delivering the First Lady’s message, Lady Fubara urged beneficiaries to take responsibility for their farms and contribute to national food production.

    “Grow these seedlings, nurture these livestock, and turn them into good yields. As you do that, you will also reawaken the entrepreneurial spirit that we are known for,” she said.

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    The governor’s wife described the initiative as a practical effort to revive Nigeria’s agricultural potential, drawing lessons from past government programmes such as “Operation Feed the Nation” and the “Green Revolution”.

    She noted that with the commitment to empowering Nigerians, the initiative reflected genuine love and dedication to the nation’s progress.

    “This support programme is not just assistance, it is an investment that will lead to food surplus and help combat scarcity,” Lady Fubara said.

    The governor’s wife also emphasised that the Rivers State government, under Governor Siminalayi Fubara, was complementing the initiative with additional support for 400 farmers, including 100 young and 300 older farmers, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 800.

    She said: “The First Lady of Nigeria is trusting you to make the best use of this opportunity. The Rivers State government believes in your ability; do not let us down.”

    Rivers State deputy governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, described the programme as a platform for promoting inclusivity and bridge socioeconomic gaps.

    “This initiative embodies the Federal Government’s commitment to improving lives through sustainable and inclusive development,” she said.

    The deputy governor also hailed Lady Fubara for her leadership and passion in localising the RHI programmes in the state.

    “Beyond the immediate benefits. This programme lays the foundation for a more prosperous and self-reliant Rivers State”, she said.

    The Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, described the programme as timely and impactful.

    She urged the beneficiaries to become catalysts for sustaining the initiative, and appealed for future inclusion of civil servants.

  • Emergency rule in Rivers State: A post-mortem

    Emergency rule in Rivers State: A post-mortem

    • By Toba Alabi

    On March 18, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, suspending the governor, deputy governor, and the state legislature, and appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.) as sole administrator to take charge of state affairs. The proclamation and the swearing-in of the sole administrator were performed by the federal government as part of the constitutional procedure invoked to restore order in the face of both political paralysis and security threats.

    The emergency was formally lifted by President Tinubu on September 17, with democratic governance scheduled to resume the following day. The revocation marked the end of the six-month federal intervention and the reinstatement of the suspended governor and other elected officials.

    Triggers of the emergency

    Political and institutional breakdown in Rivers State predated the emergency and centred on an intensely personal and intra-party rivalry. The conflict pitted the state’s incumbent governor, Siminalayi Fubara, against powerful political actors aligned with his predecessor and senior party figure, Nyesom Wike. The dispute encompassed control over appointments, the composition of the state House of Assembly, the presentation and approval of budget documents, and the general direction of state patronage. Escalatory moves – including impeachment efforts by lawmakers aligned with Wike and reciprocal measures by supporters of Fubara – produced legislative paralysis and administrative stoppages.

    Concurrently, Rivers State experienced an upswing in security incidents afflicting oil infrastructure: pipeline vandalism, illegal refining and bunkering, and at least one serious fire on the Trans-Niger pipeline. Given the state’s outsized contribution to national oil revenues, the federal government framed these developments not merely as local law-and-order problems but as threats to national fiscal stability and public order. The federal narrative coupled the security incidents with the political impasse to justify invoking Section 305.

    Constitutional basis and legal considerations

    Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution vests the president with the power to declare a state of emergency where he is satisfied that security, public safety or public order is threatened in any part of Nigeria. The Rivers declaration followed the formal sequence: proclamation by the president, the nomination and swearing-in of a sole administrator, and subsequent legislative ratification at the national level.

    Critics – including legal scholars, bar bodies and civil society actors – questioned whether the situation in Rivers met the constitutional standard for suspending democratically elected institutions. They argued that the constitution’s emergency provisions were designed for extreme circumstances (e.g., insurrection, invasion, wide-scale civil disorder) and should not be used primarily to resolve political disputes or intra-party power struggles. These objections highlighted the tension between constitutional text, executive discretion, and democratic safeguards.

    Appointment and role of the sole administrator

    Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.) – a former Chief of the Naval Staff – was sworn in as sole administrator in mid-March to exercise executive authority in Rivers State for the duration of the emergency. The administrator’s immediate tasks were to restore governance functions, secure critical infrastructure, approve and implement a releasable state budget, and coordinate security responses with federal agencies. As a retired senior naval officer with national security experience, Ibas’s selection underscored the security-first thrust of the intervention.

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    Short-term security indicators showed modest improvements in the immediate months following the deployment of federal security assets and the administrator’s coordination role. Large-scale acts of pipeline vandalism reportedly fell relative to the period immediately preceding the emergency and the federal presence allowed for rapid response to new incidents. The administrator also facilitated the passage of a delayed state budget, restored payment of certain civil service obligations, and reactivated stalled public projects.

    Limitations and persistence of structural drivers

    Despite these operational gains, the emergency did not resolve structural drivers of instability. Chronic economic marginalization, environmental degradation from oil operations, youth unemployment, and entrenched patronage politics remained largely unaddressed. The federal intervention, by design temporary and focused on restoring immediate order, lacked the fiscal and programmatic depth to implement long-term development or remediation schemes. Consequently, many of the underlying grievances that fuel pipeline vandalism and local militancy were left intact.

    Democratic costs and institutional integrity

    The suspension of the governor, deputy governor and the entire state House of Assembly for six months produced a significant democratic deficit. Citizens of Rivers were denied state-level electoral representation and the usual channels of accountability. Legislative oversight of the executive was absent, and political debate shifted from electoral competition and parliamentary contestation to federal administrative fiat. Even where courts and civil society continued to operate, their capacity to substitute for representative institutions was limited. The re-imposition of elected governance upon revocation therefore presented both the practical challenge of transition and the normative problem of repairing citizens’ trust in democratic institutions.

    The roles of Wike and Fubara

    Wike’s position in this drama was twofold: as a former governor of Rivers State, he retained a substantial political machine and as a senior national figure (serving at the time as a federal minister and party powerbroker), he was positioned to influence intra-state dynamics. Wike’s network of loyalists in the state assembly and local politics used legislative manoeuvres to challenge Governor Fubara’s authority. Observers interpreted some moves as an attempt to check or even remove Fubara from office.

    Fubara, who rose to power with the backing of the same political structure, sought to assert autonomy after taking office. His attempts to reorganize local political arrangements and resist certain assembly pressures triggered counter-moves from Wike’s camp. The mutual escalation – impeachment threats by lawmakers and executive countermeasures by the governor – produced a governance vacuum that both exacerbated security vulnerabilities and provided the federal government with a rationale for intervention.

    Political effects and public perception

    The federal intervention temporarily reasserted central authority in Rivers. For Abuja, the move projected capacity to manage threats in the Niger Delta and to keep oil flows stable – a national priority. For local actors, however, the intervention represented an external imposition that straddled the line between constitutional remedy and political arbitration. The lifting of the emergency on September 17 and the planned resumption of democratic governance on September 18 signalled closure of the immediate episode but left open whether the political reconciliation between Wike and Fubara would endure or merely be a surface calm atop unresolved rivalries.

    Proportionality and alternatives

    Assessing proportionality requires weighing alternatives that might have been less intrusive of democratic institutions. Possible options included intensive federal mediation between the rival camps, targeted security deployments strictly limited to protecting oil infrastructure, or judicial and constitutional remedies through the courts to settle disputes over assembly composition and impeachment procedures. The choice of a full emergency that suspended elected institutions implied a judgment that less coercive measures had failed or would fail to restore order in time to prevent wider harm – a judgment that remains contestable in legal and normative terms.

    Lessons and policy recommendations

    Clarify constitutional thresholds: The Rivers case exposes ambiguities in Section 305’s operationalization. Legislative or judicially endorsed guidelines could help define the scope and limits of emergency invocation to reduce risks of misuse.

    Institutionalize mediation mechanisms: Where intra-state political conflicts threaten governance, impartial mediation mechanisms should be mandatory precursors to resorting to emergency powers.

    Ensure periodic oversight: Any emergency should be subject to clearly defined periodic reviews by the legislature, with statutory time-limits, reporting requirements, and sunset clauses.

    Combine security measures with development commitments: Security operations must be paired with concrete, time-bound development and environmental remediation plans.

    Protect democratic continuity: Even under emergency administrations, mechanisms should preserve citizen representation and accountability.

    The Rivers State emergency of March-September demonstrates the difficult balance between preserving public order and safeguarding democratic governance. The federal intervention, administered by Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.), achieved immediate administrative and security stabilization while imposing heavy democratic costs. The public revocation of the emergency on September 17 allowed for the planned resumption of elected governance, but the deeper political contest between Wike and Fubara – and the structural drivers of insecurity in the Niger Delta – require sustained, non-coercive remedies. For Nigerian federalism to be resilient, emergency powers must remain tightly constrained, transparently used, and coupled with policies that address long-term governance, development, and environmental justice.

    Alabi is professor of Political Science, Defence and Security Studies.

  • Rivers State’s bloodied bowed and unbowed heads

    Rivers State’s bloodied bowed and unbowed heads

    As literature enriches life and life enriches literature, the feud between the suspended-and-now-reinstated Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, the House of Assembly, Fubara’s immediate predecessor Minister Nyesom Wike, who is now of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Rivers State’s elders, cannot but bring to mind the following 1875 poem, by William Ernest Henley, titled “Invictus”:

    Out of the night that covers me,

          Black as the pit from pole to pole,

    I thank whatever gods may be

          For my unconquerable soul.

    In the fell clutch of circumstance

          I have not winced nor cried aloud.

    Under the bludgeonings of chance

          My head is bloody, but unbowed.

    Beyond this place of wrath and tears

          Looms but the Horror of the shade,

    And yet the menace of the years

          Finds and shall find me unafraid.

    It matters not how strait the gate,

          How charged with punishments the scroll,

    I am the master of my fate,

          I am the captain of my soul.

    Fubara and Wike had been soul-mates of sort and, in fact, in street parlance, had been ‘five and six’ with respect to politics and governance. However, Satan found itself a comfortable seat between them, and in no time, again using street imagery, created enough gulf between the former buddies and a trailer passed through.

    One of the causes of the crisis was, allegedly, Fubara’s desire to take control of the House of Assembly by getting his trusted aide to take over the speakership of the House. This boomeranged and created a schism in the House which saw him have only four loyalists, and with twenty-seven or so others supporting Wike. This made the fear of Fubara’s impeachment real. To forestall that fate, it is alleged that Fubara caused the House of Assembly’s chamber to be set on fire.

    Rather ill-advisedly, he directed that the whole structure be pulled down on the ground that it had been compromised. Moreover, possibly to demotivate the majority in the House of Assembly from using the Sword of Damocles hanging over him, Fubara withheld salaries and allowances of the members. The non-Fubara loyalists of the House therefore seemed to have metaphorically suffered bloodied heads. But their bloodied heads were unbowed. They continued to challenge Fubara in spite of their pitiable fate.

    Even Wike, believed to be the patron of the majority legislators, suffered a bloodied head. Possibly due to the magnet of incumbency, some of Wike’s erstwhile backers (or flatterers) gravitated towards Governor Fubara and overlooked the former governor where he had hitherto been pumped up. Not known to hide his feelings, in one of such cases where he was not given accustomed recognition at a church programme, Wike lamented and lambasted the officiating clerics. Wike also became a punching bag of sorts for some media houses, media personalities and sundry political analysts.

    In a pitiable moment, Wike said: “The governor, unknown to me, gave himself to be the tool for those who couldn’t fight me to fight me. You see, … sometimes when I go back in my quiet moment, I play the video of speeches of the governor, what he said, what he did to me, I weep. … This is somebody who brought you, gave you food, gave you everything, did this for you, and then you became a tool for his enemies to fight him. … We are all human. …  How do you feel? You know what you passed through to send your son to school. You know what you passed through to make him be a human being. All of a sudden, in the night, your son came with people with gun to shoot you. … Your son is the one carrying the gun. He said your time is up.”

    The elders of Rivers State have also had their heads bloodied in all sorts of ways. On 7 May, 2024, Governor Fubara told a delegation of Bayelsa State elders who had come to him on a solidarity visit: “It’s unfortunate. Let me also say this, what brought us to this level, we don’t have elders in Rivers State. Let’s not pretend. What is happening in Rivers State even happened in Bayelsa State, but people could call and say, don’t do this, don’t do this, and they said let’s let it go. It was done here, but nobody listened, because the leaders have sold their conscience.”

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    Moreover, on former Governor of Rivers State and elder statesman, Sir Peter Odili, Wike was reported by The Nation to have said on 29 December, 2024: “You know, I didn’t want to say anything. But somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers what our former Governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili, said. What did he say? He said that the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate.”

    Wike was further reported to have said: “Between him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a Chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a commissioner, his other daughter is a judge and he is the general overseer. Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor. It was his nephew, his late senior brother’s son, that was recommended for commissioner. He took the slot and gave it to his own daughter. Someone who didn’t remember to stand for the son of his late elder brother, is that an elder statesman?”

    But the most bloodied head of all was Fubara’s. His administration was distracted, and some alleged that significant sums of money were frittered away on legal and other efforts to gain the upper hand in the Rivers State feud.  The most tenure-threatening bloodied head that he got was the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and his suspension from office as the governor for six months. And, he did not hide his discomfiture. In fact, on one occasion, he cautioned his supporters against using incendiary rhetoric, noting that the way some of them were antagonising his presumed ‘enemies’ was worsening his condition.

    It is hoped that Ijaw elders would cut Fubara some slack. They should stop taunting him over his conciliatory choices. Politically, he should be allowed to be the master of his fate and the the captain of his soul, adopting the words of William Ernest Henley. In this regard, considering the highly critical views of Ijaw elder, Ms Ann Kio-Briggs, in a 12 September, 2025 interview with Symfoni Television tellingly titled “’Fubara Is on His Own’ – Ann Kio-Briggs Says Wike & Tinubu Will Force Fubara to Work with His Rivals,” a special appeal needs to be made to her to be sofer with him. In any case, Fubara’s capacity to work seamlessly with his rivals, for example members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who were democratically elected in their own right, would be a measure of his political competence.

    It is a thing of joy that Rivers State is now attracting positive headlines again. Of particular note is the following from Channels Television on 22 September, 2025: “ECOWAS Parliament Opens 2025 2nd Extraordinary Session in Port Harcourt.” Another salutary headline, from The Port City News of 23 September, 2025, is “ECOWAS Parliament Meet in Port Harcourt, Call for Utilization of AI in Strengthening Accountability.”

    Both the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Professor Ngozi Odu, representing Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Martins Amaewhule, delivered endearing speeches at the ECOWAS event, regarding the theme which is “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Parliamentary Efficiency, Ethical Governance and Development in the ECOWAS Region.” Those are the kinds of endearing speeches that should be associated with principal actors in Rivers State politics.

    While the feud lasted, Wike had declared that he would ensure that Fubara did not get a second term in office as governor. That declaration was made in a fit of anger, of righteous indignation, but the declaration cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be called an empty threat. Notably, Fubara was and is Wike’s creation. And Fubara’s failure is as such Wike’s failure. For Wike to do anything inimical to Fubara would therefore be like using your hands to work and then using your legs to scatter and destroy the enviable product of that work.

    So, unless it becomes apparently or absolutely impolitic, Wike should watch the flower he planted bloom. In other words, unless anything happens, going forward, to show that the fear of mischief or treachery is real, Wike should not work against Fubara’s emergence as a candidate for second term. However, should it become impossible for a Fubara second term to be pulled off, Wike should work towards ensuring that Fubara’s political career does not end with the end of the ongoing first term.   

    In striving to ensure that Fubara stays afloat politically, Wike should discountenance those who would be crouching in wait to remind the FCT Minister of his earlier threat and dramatise his ‘inconsistency’. This column has always been of the opinion that every promise comes with an unstated proviso – “All things being equal.” Senator Biodun Olujimi of Ekiti State validated this thinking in a 31 July, 2025 interview on Channels Television.

    After defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Party (APC), Seun Okinbaloye, in the Channels Television interview, reminded her: “You said there was nothing good coming out of the APC, but now you’re joining APC. What happens to everything that you have said in the past?” Senator Olujimi responded: “The APC we talked about in the past, the government that was in power then, is not the current one in power. … There is a different APC now.”

    In the past two or so years, Rivers State politics has thrown up politicians with bloodied but unbowed heads, as well as those with bloodied and bowed ones. In the particular case of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, as a Yoruba proverb says, “Ikú tó lóun ó bé ni lórí, tó bá sín ni ní fìlà, ká maa dúpé ló tó” (‘If death set out to cut off your head but ended up merely removing your cap, the right thing is for you to be grateful.’) As another one says, “Ajá tó relé ekùn tó bò ká kii pé ó kú ewu” (‘When a dog enters a lion’s den and comes out alive, we need to congratulate it.’) So, hearty congratulations, SIM! Make the best use of this second chance.

  • Tonye Princewill appointed paramount ruler in Rivers

    Tonye Princewill appointed paramount ruler in Rivers

    Former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, has been appointed as the new Polo Dabo of the Da Ogo group of houses and its communities in the King Abbi Royal Family, Rivers State.

    Princewill, the first son of the late Amanyanabo of the Kalabari Kingdom, His Serene Majesty King Prof. Theophilus J.T. Princewill, JP, will now serve as the paramount ruler of the communities.

    The appointment was confirmed in a statement by the community’s spokesman, Daoigigo Ebenezer Pepple Amachree, who explained that the decision was announced by the Acting Head of the family, Chief Akodu Harrison Princewill.

    According to the statement, Princewill was nominated by an overwhelming majority of the chiefs and enjoys wide popularity among the people.

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    The statement further recalled that the selection of an Amanyanabo of the Kalabari Kingdom, since the reign of King Kariboye-Abbi Benebo Princewill Amachree IV, has traditionally been limited to the male biological descendants of his two wives, Queen Eleba Bene and Queen Burowita.

    “Da OGO Polo, headed by the chieftaincy of Da Ogo, carries the burden of leadership of the ELEBA BENE Group of houses, which, as a matter of fact, has produced (4) FOUR out of the SEVEN (7) kings after King Kariboye-Abbi Benebo Princewill Amachree IV.

    “By assuming the throne, the Prince becomes the 6th head of the Da Ogo Elebabene group of house, taking over the seat from his father, who was the 5th head before he went on to become King.

    “The relief and celebration were self-evident as those present celebrated way into the night.”

    The statement quoted Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, the Amanyanabo of the source and a prominent member of the Da Ogo family, as saying, “Finally, we have leadership the people of Da Ogo can rally around.”

    In his acceptance speech, Prince Tonye Prince will stress the importance of unity and culture in leaving behind a legacy.

    He promised to make a positive impact on the lives of the people and warned that nobody was bigger than the family, including himself. On the talk of what the future holds, he was quick to dismiss the question, stating that the task at hand was already daunting enough.

    “We have a Regent who is doing a great job, and I look forward to learning from him while supporting his administration in whatever way he deems fit. Stability is a key ingredient for development, and our people need development badly”.

  • It’s time to terminate emergency declaration

    It’s time to terminate emergency declaration

    • By Bola Ahmed Tinubu

    My Fellow countrymen and, in particular, the good people of Rivers State.

     I am happy to address you today on the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State. You will recall that on 18th March, 2025, I proclaimed a state of emergency in the state. In my proclamation address, I highlighted the reasons for the declaration. The summary of it for context is that there was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together. Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised. The State House of Assembly was crisis-ridden, such that members of the House were divided into two groups. Four members worked with the Governor, while 27 members opposed the Governor. The latter group supported the Speaker. As a result, the Governor could not present any Appropriation Bill to the House, to enable him to access funds to run Rivers State’s affairs. That serious constitutional impasse brought governance in the State to a standstill. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments in a series of cases filed by the Executive and the Legislative arms of Rivers State against each other, held that there was no government in Rivers State. My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians to resolve the conflict proved abortive as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions to the detriment of peace and development of the State.

     It therefore became painfully inevitable that to arrest the drift towards anarchy in Rivers State, I was obligated to invoke the powers conferred on me by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to proclaim the state of emergency. The Offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and elected members of the State House of Assembly were suspended for six months in the first instance. The six months expire today, September 17th, 2025.

    I thank the National Assembly, which, after critically evaluating the justification for the proclamation, took steps immediately, as required by the Constitution, to approve the declaration in the interest of peace and order in Rivers State. I  also thank our traditional rulers and the good people of Rivers State for their support from the date of the declaration of the state of emergency until now.

    I am not unaware that there were a few voices of dissent against the proclamation, which led to their instituting over 40 cases in the courts in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, to invalidate the declaration. That is the way it should be in a democratic setting. Some cases are still pending in the courts as of today. But what needs to be said is that the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the State to peace, order and security. Considered objectively, we had reached that situation of total breakdown of public order and public safety in Rivers State, as shown in the judgment of the Supreme Court on the disputes between the Executive and the Legislative arm of Rivers State. It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation.

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     As a stakeholder in democratic governance, I believe that the need for a harmonious existence and relationship between the executive and the legislature is key to a successful government, whether at the state or national level. The people who voted us into power expect to reap the fruits of democracy. However, that expectation will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity borne by misguided political activism and Machiavellian manipulations among the stakeholders.

     I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance. This is undoubtedly a welcome development for me and a remarkable achievement for us. I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it.

    It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today. The Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, the deputy governor, Her Excellency Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, will resume work in their offices from 18 September 2025.

    I take this opportunity to remind the Governors and the Houses of Assembly of all the States of our country to continue to appreciate that it is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. I implore all of you to let this realisation drive your actions at all times.

    I thank you all.

    Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Registration centres busy as Rivers LG poll begins

    Registration centres busy as Rivers LG poll begins

    Rivers Local Government elections started at various registration centres across the State.

    The centres as at 8am were busy distributing electoral materials to various wards.

    At a registration centre situated in Elekahia, officials of the Rivers State Independent Electoral  Commission (RSIEC) were seen collecting electoral materials.

    Some party agents were also on ground to ensure fair distribution of materials for the Port Harcourt Local Government Area.

    Vehicles were seen leaving the centre with materials and electoral officials 

  • Coalition lauds Sole Administrator for rescuing civil service in Rivers 

    Coalition lauds Sole Administrator for rescuing civil service in Rivers 

    Barely three days after the oversight visit of the ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives on Rivers State Administration, the Coalition for Civil Service Reforms (CCSR), has paid great tribute to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), acknowledging the reforms of the civil service and reviving ailing decayed infrastructures and failing systems in the state.

    In a statement signed by the national president, Comrade LarryKing Amos, and made available to newsmen on Sunday, the coalition said, aside the ongoing civil service reforms and the many interventions, the Sole Administrator has also been regular in payment of salaries, putting the welfare of workers forward in the state.

    The Coalition averred, “Such laudable interventions and welfare is responsible for the high spirits and great motivations of the civil servants, which is by extension, responsible for the peace, unity and harmonious relationship between the Labour Force and the state government, in the last few months”.

    While thanking the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee for acknowledging the many efforts of the Sole Administrator in the civil service sector, the Coalition also said the observation of the near collapse structures of the State Secretariat where the Civil Servants always scamper for safety due to death state, and the charge to quickly overhaul it, was an answer to a decade-long prayers of workers in the state.

    “As a group that has been clamouring for reforms in the civil service sector in Nigeria, we have written series of letters to the former Governor of Rivers, when our members from the state sent an SoS to us, alerting us about the , deplorable state of the House of Assembly Complex, the Civil Service Commission and the State Secretariat, especially the 6th and 7th floors, which is literally unfit for human occupation due to life-threatening conditions.

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    “But since the inception of this current administration, the feelers we have got from the State shows a man who is intentional about the safety and welfare of civil servants. We have taken cognisance of the many laudable interventions of the Sole Administrator, His Excellency, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas; and this gladdens our hearts. For the first time in a long while, we are having a government who has brought succour and restored hope to the civil servants in Rivers State.

    “We must, on a very serious note, appreciate the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, for approving the urgent renovation of the State Secretariat, the building that warehouses civil servants in the State. This intervention is not only timely, it is life saving and as such, calls for commendations”, the Coalition added.

    It would be recalled that, the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, on Wednesday, mandated an immediate overhaul of the crumbling Rivers State Secretariat complex and the urgent relocation of civil servants from unsafe work environments.

    The directive followed an emergency inspection led by the House Leader and Committee Chairman, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, who assessed the deplorable conditions of the State Secretariat and the stalled Rivers State House of Assembly project.

    Professor Ihonvbere described the secretariat as being in a state worse than facilities in war-torn Gaza, pointing to structural hazards, crumbling floor tiles, leaking roofs, exposed electrical wiring, and a complete absence of basic amenities, including functional toilets, drinking water, and proper furniture.

    The committee, therefore, ordered the immediate closure of hazardous floors and the relocation of staff to secure alternative office spaces.

  • Rivers to establish emergency management agency

    Rivers to establish emergency management agency

    The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) has promised to establish the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency with a mandate to take over the responsibilities of the Central Working Committee on Emergency Preparedness, Flood Management, and Control.

    Ibas explained that the government was engaging the Federal Government and international partners to mobilise resources for improved flood management systems, covering pre-flood measures, interventions during flooding, and post-flood recovery projects, as well as early warning infrastructure.

    Ibas spoke during a sensitisation campaign of the Central Working Committee on Flood Management and Control at the Dr. Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt.

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    He said the initiative formed part of the state’s proactive strategy to mitigate flooding through awareness, prevention, preparedness, and community participation.

    Ibas, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Lucky Worika, urged the committee to go beyond responding to disasters and instead anticipate vulnerable areas, reduce the impact of flooding, and equip residents with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves.

    He said the state was enforcing environmental laws to curb indiscriminate refuse disposal, illegal dumping, and construction on flood plains, which worsened flooding incidents.

    He insisted that effective flood management required collaboration between the public sector, local communities, civil society, and the private sector, as the government alone cannot tackle the challenge.

  • Reps committee chair: state secretariat worse than facilities in war-torn Gaza

    Reps committee chair: state secretariat worse than facilities in war-torn Gaza

    The Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers State Administration has said the state’s secretariat complex in Port Harcourt has become as dilapidated as facilities in the war-torn Gaza in Palestine.

    The committee called for an immediate renovation of the complex and relocation of civil servants from the terrible environment.

    The directive followed an emergency inspection tour, led by the Committee Chairman, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who assessed the secretariat and the stalled Rivers State House of Assembly project.

    Ihonvbere decried the building’s structural hazards, weak floor tiles, leaking roofs, and exposed electrical wiring.

    The chairman also decried the absence of basic amenities, non-functional toilets, poor drinking water, or furniture, and life-threatening environments, particularly on the sixth and seventh floors declared “unfit for human occupation”.

    He ordered immediate closure of bad floors, emergency relocation of the staff to alternative secured office spaces, a comprehensive renovation of the entire secretariat complex, and a contractor review meeting for the delayed Assembly complex project.

    Ihonvbere condemned the infrastructural failures and praised civil servants for maintaining operations under what he called “unconscionable conditions,” particularly those working on the dangerous upper floors.

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    A statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State Government, Hector Igbikiowubo, said the inspection revealed that the House of Assembly contractor would miss the September completion deadline.

    Ihonvbere announced an emergency meeting with contractors to strictly review project timelines and quality standards as well as possible sanctions for underperformance.

    He said: “The current state constitutes gross workplace endangerment…”

    “We demand immediate alternative accommodations for displaced workers; a transparent bidding process for renovation contracts; and weekly progress reports to our committee.”