Rivers Under State Of Emergency: What We Know So Far

On the evening of Tuesday, March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State during a nationwide broadcast, citing an ongoing political crisis, violations of the constitution, and escalating insecurity.

In his announcement, Tinubu ordered the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

To oversee the administration of the state, the President appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator, effective immediately. Tinubu emphasized that the move was crucial to restoring peace, order, and governance in Rivers, which had been grappling with political instability for several months.

Ijaw’s Push For Self Determination

The President’s announcement has now ignited the Ijaw ethnic group’s call for self-determination in the Niger Delta.

Prof Benjamin Okaba, the president of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the foremost socio-cultural organization for the Ijaw people, expressed his thoughts in a statement on Tuesday, 18th of March, 2024.

According to hm “For Ijaw people, we are not too happy because we see this as another slap on us. But again, our position will be deliberated upon in a wider stakeholders’ meeting that will be convened later.

“In that meeting, I am sure the Ijaw people will look at how we have fared in this Nigerian project and what options are left to drive home our quest for self-determination.

“We say it is hasty because the President has so much opportunity to leverage on the calls made by Nigerians from all quarters to call his minister, Nyesom Wike, to order.

“Secondly, while Wike himself has been the antagonist, he had boldly stated that he would make governance impossible for the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in as much as he does not dance to his tune.

“In a recent statement credited to him, he (Wike) said the two conditions he must meet are: ‘Allow him to control all the LGAs in Rivers State, and that he (Fubara) should sign an agreement that he would not contest in 2027.’

“So, the man, Wike, is desperate to capture state power and resources, as we had said earlier, and persistently. He wants to turn Rivers State into his property, and the people of Rivers State are the ones to suffer.

“The governor, who entered into a covenant with the people of Rivers to deliver on sustainable development, cannot mortgage that mandate because he wants to satisfy somebody.

“These are obvious facts flying all over the place, and I thought the President should have looked at all of these. I said it is lopsided—why will you leave Wike and sack Sim? The best thing is to remove everybody who played a role in this.

“Wike has to be sacked, and all the federal appointees from the state also have to be sacked because if you do not sack them, they will use their positions to perpetrate more crises and create more advantageous roles for themselves.”

The Place Of The Lawmakers

On Thursday, the National Assembly endorsed the state of emergency imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday. The resolution was passed during separate plenary sessions in the two chambers, where they deliberated on the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and the state Assembly members. The parliament supported Tinubu’s proclamation, despite calls from opposition leaders to reject it.

Fubara Broke His Silence

However, on Thursday, 20th March 2025, Fubara spoke out and denied allegations from the Federal Government, claiming that he had teleguided attacks on oil installations by suspected militant groups in the state. Additionally, the governor stated that claims he had done nothing to rebuild the bombed state House of Assembly, after ordering its demolition, were untrue.

Fubara explained that he had acted on expert advice before demolishing the Assembly complex, which was reported to have integrity issues. In a statement issued in Port Harcourt by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, the suspended governor emphasized the importance of setting the record straight.

Recall that in his speech declaring a state of emergency in Rivers, President Bola Tinubu criticized Fubara for failing to prevent attacks on oil pipelines. Tinubu also referred to Fubara as a despot, echoing the Supreme Court’s stance, and pointed to the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex, effectively denying lawmakers a place to hold plenary.

However, the suspended governor insisted the allegations were false, asserting that the attacks were sparked by comments from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who allegedly disparaged the Ijaw nation during a media chat. Fubara stated that Wike remained defiant even when Ijaw leaders and groups demanded an apology.

Fubara’s statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a number of allegations claiming that Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, did nothing to dissuade criminal groups and militants from making good their threats to attack oil installations in the state.

“There was also another claim that after demolishing the hallowed chamber of the state House of Assembly on Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, the governor did nothing to rebuild the facility. Ordinarily, we would have ignored the statements as mere results of lack of adequate information to the Presidency by those tasked with the responsibility of providing same to guide decision-making, but it has become imperative to set the records straight and correct the erroneous impression such narratives are creating in the minds of the Nigerian people.

“First, it is important to clarify that Governor Fubara has nothing to do with the threats by militants and also did not, in any way ‘telegraph’ the reported attacks on any oil facility in the state.

It is on record that the reaction of stakeholders in the Niger Delta, especially elders, chiefs, women, Ijaw National Congress, its youth wing, IYC, as well as militants, among others, was triggered by remarks by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, in a live media chat, during which he dismissed Ijaws as a minority of the minorities and powerless in the Nigerian polity, saying that Ijaws are not the only ones that are militants and can blow up pipelines; that Ogonis, Ikwerres, and others are also militants and can as well blow up pipelines. Most of the Ijaw groups and leaders even demanded an apology from the FCT Minister, which he rebuffed.”

The governor continued, “Available public records show that Governor Fubara, on several occasions and at every forum, including all the project commissioning events as well as the handover of the AW139 Helicopter to the Nigerian Air Force, between March 3 and 13, 2025, made it clear that his administration was committed to the peace, security, and safety of oil facilities in the state.

He often recalled his pivotal role as a member of the Presidential Committee on the Protection of Oil Installations in the region, and repeatedly emphasised the need to protect oil pipelines and other facilities in the state, urging his supporters and the people of the state to avoid acts capable of destabilising the state or sabotaging the nation’s economy.

“Since inception as the Chief Executive of Rivers State, Governor Fubara has prioritised investment in upscaling the welfare and operational equipment of all personnel and arms of the Armed Forces and security agencies in the state by building livable office and residential accommodation for officers and men and donating vehicles, gunboats, helicopters, and other critical needs of the formations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the performance of their duties. His commitment to total peace and good governance in the state has contributed significantly to increased oil production and revenues for the country since May 29, 2023, as the continuous rise in the accruable revenue from the State into the Federation Account has shown over the months.”

On the claim that Fubara acted with impunity to demolish the state House of Assembly complex and did nothing to rebuild it 14 months after, the statement said, “It is on record that Governor Fubara acted based on professional advice and guidance.”

He added, “Let it be clarified that the former governor and now FCT Minister repeatedly criticised the dilapidated and leaking Assembly Complex, and during the commissioning of the Assembly Quarters in August 2022, challenged the lawmakers to take responsibility for the poor state of the edifice, rejecting requests to rebuild it to ensure a conducive legislative environment for the lawmakers.

“It must be noted that immediately after the incident of October 29, 2023, and experts’ reports, the government decided to heed the age-old demands of the lawmakers to rebuild the facility and promptly demolished the dilapidated structure to give way for a state-of-the-art Assembly complex, which is now nearly 80 per cent completed.

“It would be recalled that in the wake of the most peaceful and violence-free local government election in the state on the 5th of October, 2024, the supporters of the FCT Minister violently attacked and razed facilities in some local government council secretariats without any reprisals from Governor Fubara’s supporters. It is also pertinent to draw the attention of security agencies to the fact that LGAs, where those attacks were unleashed, are the same places that have repeatedly witnessed violence perpetrated by detractors of the Governor Fubara-led administration.

“This is why it is important for security agencies to focus on the real purveyors of violence, critically evaluate these incidents, and diligently undertake investigations to unravel the elements behind the crimes and bring them to justice without let or hindrance.

“It is clearly untrue that somebody who has all the while preached peace and non-violence, even in the face of extreme provocations, would be ‘telegraphing attacks on oil pipelines’ and breaching the peace he has worked so hard to promote and sustain for the good of the people of the state.”

Ibok-Ete Ibas As Administrator

Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral and former chief of naval staff, has taken over as sole administrator of Rivers State.
Mr Ibas arrived at Port Harcourt, the state capital, at about 11:25 a.m. on Thursday. He was received by high-ranking naval personnel amidst strict media protocol, he finally addressed journalists shortly after his arrival at the government house.

His arrival occurred almost the same time Nigeria’s House of Representatives approved
the declaration of a state of emergency in the south-southern state.

Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas described the atmosphere in the state as calm and pledged to restore normalcy in the state.

He said he will be receiving briefings from the head of service, permanent secretaries, and service chiefs on the state of affairs and promised to have a proper parley with journalists thereafter

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