The immediate past Rivers State sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok‑Ete Ibas (retd.), has pushed back against the State House of Assembly’s plan to probe expenditures under his leadership during the six‑month emergency rule.
The Assembly adopted the resolution in its first plenary session following the end of the emergency regime.
Under the emergency rule, declared by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the elected Assembly were suspended.
Ibas administered the state from March through mid‑September. He handed back power on 17 September.
During that time, Rivers State received approximately ₦254.37 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Breakdown shows allocations of ₦44.66bn in March; ₦44.42bn in April; ₦42.80bn in May; ₦42.30bn in June; ₦38.42bn in July; and ₦41.76bn in August.
The largest share of the allocations, over 50%, came via oil derivation, underscoring the state’s dependence on oil‑linked revenues.
Civil society organisations have expressed concern over the sizeable inflows, pointing out that several key capital projects remain stalled, including the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex.
The Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Rivers, Enefaa Georgewill, has described the financial processes as opaque and has called for the establishment of a panel of inquiry to track both federal allocations and internally generated revenues under Ibas.
Responding through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu, Ibas argued that the Assembly lacks the authority to probe him as administrator because he was appointed by the President, not the Assembly.
He also suggested that probing his tenure would amount to probing the President and National Assembly themselves.
He called the House’s probe resolution “commentary” and said any serious attempt to investigate his administration’s spending would be a “fool’s errand.”
Meanwhile, Governor Fubara, now reinstated following the end of the emergency rule, has appealed for continued unity and expressed gratitude to citizens for their prayers.
In his first public appearance since resuming official duties, he emphasized that peace and development require collective support and urged Rivers people to remain hopeful.
