PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — The Rivers State House of Assembly has resolved to investigate the state’s finances during the six-month emergency rule under retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the sole administrator appointed by President Bola Tinubu in March.
At its first sitting since the end of emergency rule last week, the assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, passed a resolution to examine how funds from the consolidated revenue account were spent under Ibas.
The lawmakers said the probe would cover contracts, recurrent expenditure, and other financial commitments.
Findings from federal data show that Rivers State received at least N254.37 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between March and August 2025.
More than half of that amount — N133.24 billion, or 52.4 percent — came from oil derivation revenues, highlighting the state’s dependence on volatile oil-linked income.
Despite the inflows, several major projects, including the stalled House of Assembly Complex, remain incomplete.
The state has also not published its 2025 Budget Implementation Report, leaving civil society groups to question how the funds were used.
Enefaa Georgewill, chair of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Rivers, said suspicions of mismanagement were growing.
“We will be calling on the Rivers State Governor to set up a panel of inquiry to ascertain how much he received both in terms of federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue and how he expended it. This is because we suspect corruption,” he said.
Emma Obe, spokesperson for the Civil Liberties Organisation in Rivers, added that the emergency administration was unconstitutional and failed to meet basic transparency standards.
“There is no government without accountability. The budget of the state, for instance, was passed by the National Assembly without them going through all the necessary processes, including public hearings,” he said.
Ibas has dismissed the assembly’s move, arguing that the legislators have no authority to investigate him.
Through his media adviser, Hector Igbikiowubu, the former administrator said the probe was effectively an attempt to scrutinise the president and the National Assembly, which had appointed and supervised him.
“If you didn’t appoint the administrator, it goes to reason that you have certain limitations… such an enterprise amounts to a fool’s errand,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who resumed office after the emergency ended, attended a thanksgiving service in his hometown of Opobo on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
Urging residents to remain steadfast in prayer, he credited faith and intercession for sustaining him during the political crisis.
“When my story ends, this church will lead me to my next journey,” Fubara said.
