By Daniel Abia
With just four days left to the much anticipated September 18 deadline for the lifting of the emergency rule in Rivers State, the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok –Ette Ekwe Ibas, rtd, has concluded plans to hold a thanksgiving service.
Invited for the thanksgiving service are the permanent secretaries, local government chairmen, heads of state security and para-military agencies, traditional rulers, chairmen and members of boards and governing councils, and captains of industries among others.
The event, which is scheduled to take place at the Ecumenical Centre, Abonnima Warf Road, Port Harcourt at 10am, has Ibas as a special guest of honor, according to a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Lucky Worika,
Despite the fact that Ibas has just a few days left to vacate the Government House, he took a decisive move to tackle longstanding issues in the state’s pension system by inaugurating the newly constituted Rivers State Pensions Board with a mandate to restore accountability, transparency, and efficiency.
During the inauguration ceremony on Friday at the Executive Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt, the Administrator declared his administration’s unwavering determination to end the prolonged suffering of retirees, many of whom have faced years of delayed payments.
“Today’s event is not just ceremonial, it is a reaffirmation of our government’s commitment to ensuring that those who have labored faithfully in the service of our dear state are treated with the dignity, respect, and care they truly deserve,” Ibas stated.
He lamented the neglect faced by pensioners, whom he described as dedicated men and women who “gave their best years to building Rivers State.”
Ibas made it clear that the inauguration of the board must serve as a definitive turning point, marking an end to the era of hardship for retirees. In a firm charge to the new board members, the Administrator said:”The board must be a model of good governance. Excuses will not be entertained. Our pensioners have waited long enough, expectations are high, and the time to deliver is now.”
He revealed that the ongoing state-wide re-verification exercise has already exposed significant lapses in the previous system. The new board, he explained, was carefully selected to restore confidence, ensure the prompt processing and payment of entitlements, and fundamentally safeguard the welfare of all retirees.
Last week, Ibas said the mandate handed to him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was “sufficiently achieved,” following the successful restoration of democratic governance at the grassroots level.
The declaration was made at Government House, Port Harcourt, during a ceremony where the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) presented the comprehensive report of the recently concluded local government elections to the state government.
“Mr. President’s mandate to me was clear: to stabilize the state, create an enabling environment for the re-establishment of its institutions, and return Rivers State back to full democratic governance,” the Administrator said. “With the successful conduct and swearing-in of local government chairmen and their councils, I believe we have decisively achieved the mandate that we were given.”
Expectations are high with Rivers people waiting patiently from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the clock winds down six months since the declaration of emergency rule in the state.
In March 2025, following a protracted political crisis in Rivers State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a six month state of emergency in the state. The move included suspending the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara; the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu; and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. In their place, a retired Vice Admiral, Ibok Étè Ibas, was appointed as sole administrator to run the affairs of the state, while the judiciary was left intact.
The root of the crisis involved a power struggle within the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), especially between Governor Fubara and former governor Nyesom Wike, who is now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. A key trigger was the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex in December 2023 by Governor Fubara, which had not been rebuilt more than a year later. The Supreme Court on 28 February 2025 ruled that 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC were to be recognised as legitimate members of the Assembly, effectively restoring the legislature; however, tension continued, and compliance was delayed.
Tinubu justified the emergency declaration on several grounds: the persistent breakdown of constitutional order in Rivers State, failure of the Governor and state legislature to restore governance in accordance with Supreme Court rulings, and recent security threats including pipeline vandalism, notably incidents affecting the Trans-Niger pipeline. He invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to declare a state of emergency under certain conditions. The declaration was subject to review by the National Assembly, which is required under the Constitution for such proclamations.
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