Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), the immediate past Rivers State Administrator, and the Rivers State House of Assembly may be preparing for a confrontation after the latter decided to look into the state’s spending during the previous few months under the former.
On September 17, after the six-month emergency rule ended, Ibas resigned as the administrator of the oil-rich state. President Bola Tinubu had ordered Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended state governor, his deputy, and the members of the state House of Assembly to return to their positions from the previous Thursday.
In its first plenary following the end of emergency rule, the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, said that it will look into state spending during the six-month period.
According to the resolutions of the House, “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.”
The Federation Account Allocation Committee gave Rivers State at least N254.37 billion between March and August 2025 while the sole administrator was in office, according to the findings.
FAAC data from the National Bureau of Statistics and other sources were analysed to arrive at this number.
Although the NBS had published official breakdowns through June, The PUNCH received and examined documents presented at FAAC meetings to compile the numbers for July and August.
According to NBS, Rivers earned N44.66 billion in March, N44.42 billion in April, N42.80 billion in May, and N42.30 billion in June. Documents examined also revealed that the state received around N38.42 billion in July and N41.76 billion in August.
As a result, net allocations for the six months was N254.37 billion, or N42.40 billion per month on average.
Rivers’ inflows could approach N297 billion in seven months if September continues on the same trajectory.
One of the biggest strains on the state’s budget has been debt payments. Rivers lost N26.31 billion as a result of foreign loan deductions and external debt between March and August.
This includes a consistent monthly payment of N4.56 billion from March to July, followed by a decrease to N3.54 billion in August.
Just last week Monday, it was reported that as Rivers State prepares for the return of Fubara on September 18 following the six-month emergency rule in the state, the sole administrator defended his tenure, stating that he fulfilled President Bola Tinubu’s mandate and stabilised the state.
Opposition parties and civil society organisations, however, demanded that Iba’s term be looked into, specifically how he handled public resources during his six-month time at Brick House.
Enefaa Georgewill, the chairman of Rivers State’s Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, called the procedure that installed the single administrator unlawful and maintained that his use of public funds since March was dubious.
According to Georgewill, the state’s overall receipt merely strengthened suspicions of poor administration.
He clarified that despite the significant influxes, the majority of the state’s large projects, such as the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex, were still on hold.
Therefore, Georgewill urged Governor Fubara to form an inquiry panel to determine both federal and domestically generated revenue and to look into the spending of the funds.
He added that financial regulatory agencies must also play their part in interrogating the finances of the state under Ibas, stressing that civil society suspects corruption and will not relent in pressing for scrutiny.
Ibas in reaction said that the House of Assembly did not have the authority to look into him because they did not name him Administrator of the State. The members were looking into expenditures that had place during his term.
Ibas further called the law makers’ decision “commentary,” adding that the attempt to question the former administrator amounted to questioning both the National Assembly, which oversaw Ibas’s actions as the state administrator at the time, and the President, who selected him.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
