The Rivers State House of Assembly has announced plans to scrutinise the finances of the oil-rich state during the six-month emergency rule overseen by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), who served as sole administrator.
The legislature, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resumed sitting after six months of suspension, declaring its intention to examine all transactions carried out between March and September 2025.
According to a resolution passed during plenary, the lawmakers resolved “to explore the process of knowing what transpired during the emergency rule with regard to spending from the consolidated revenue fund for the award of contracts and other expenditure.”
Huge Federal Inflows Under Ibas
Findings show that Rivers State received a total of N254.37 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between March and August 2025. This sum was derived largely from oil revenue through the 13 per cent derivation, which accounted for N133.24 billion, more than half of the total allocation.
Monthly breakdowns reveal N44.66 billion in March, N44.42 billion in April, N42.80 billion in May, N42.30 billion in June, N38.42 billion in July, and N41.76 billion in August. Data was obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and official FAAC documents.
The state also earned N107.78 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT) during the period, helping cushion debt servicing deductions amounting to N26.31 billion.
Despite the inflows, Rivers has not published its 2025 Budget Implementation Report, leaving citizens uncertain about how the money was spent. Civil society groups have raised concerns over the absence of transparency.
okay.ng reports that political instability in Rivers prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in March, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the House of Assembly. Ibas was appointed sole administrator during the crisis, a move that opposition leaders and civil society activists labelled unconstitutional.
Civil Society Mounts Pressure
Enefaa Georgewill, Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Rivers, expressed doubts over Ibas’ management of state resources.
“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,” Georgewill stated.
Similarly, Emma Obe, spokesperson for the Civil Liberties Organisation, criticised the emergency government: “It has always been our position that the government in Rivers State under this emergency rule has been operating illegally because it didn’t follow what the Constitution prescribes. And so whatever they have been doing is founded on this basis, and we have always asked for accountability.”
Ibas Pushes Back
Reacting through his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubu, Ibas rejected the Assembly’s probe, describing it as “a fool’s errand.”
“When you say they were going to probe the tenure of the administrator, was it the Assembly that appointed the administrator?” Igbikiowubu asked. He argued that Ibas acted on behalf of President Tinubu and under the supervision of the National Assembly.
Fubara Returns with Calls for Unity
Meanwhile, Governor Fubara, who resumed office after the end of the emergency rule, urged citizens to continue praying for peace. Speaking during a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Opobo Town, he said, “We cannot thank God enough as a family. Our being here is private; we came simply to worship in our home church.”
He stressed that prayers remain the foundation of his strength as he restarts governance, pledging to dedicate himself to peace and development.
