A storm is brewing in Rivers State as discontent and agitation rise over the perceived refusal of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the former Sole Administrator appointed during the period of emergency rule, to render account of his six months stewardship to the people.
This is coming on the heels of stories and facts of humongous amount of money running into several billions of Naira that he inherited and the ones that accrued to the state during the period of emergency rule.
A day into their resumption, after six months of emergency rule, the Rivers State House of Assembly presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, during its first plenary, indicated that it would investigate how monies were expended during the period of emergency rule.
According to the resolutions of the House, the move was, “to explore the process of knowing what transpired during the emergency rule with regards to spending from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the award of contracts and other expenditure.”
While this resolution ordinarily should excite any public officer, being an opportunity to clear doubts and restore public confidence in governance, the reaction of the former Sole Administrator was rather inflammatory and unconscionable.
Ibas, speaking through his media aide, described the lawmakers as lacking the power to investigate him, pointing out that they did not appoint him as the sole administrator of the state.
He went further to describe the lawmakers’ resolve as “commentary,” adding that the attempt to probe the former Administrator was tantamount to probing the president, who appointed him, as well as the National Assembly which supervised the activities of Ibas.
As if not done with these insensibilties, Ibas said that continuing on the part of the resolution to probe his administration would amount to “a fools errand.”
The reaction by Ibas, the former Sole Administrator to the resolution has fueled calls by civil society groups, opposition political parties for Ibas who under the emergency rule wielded unchecked authority, controlled state finances, and made far-reaching decisions that affected millions of citizens, to without further delay render his account of stewardship.
The people of Rivers State have endured a tense chapter in their history, especially these last six months, and they deserve to know how over N254.37 billion of their commonwealth was spent. With allegations making the rounds that spurious contracts, including a 1.6 kilometer road awarded for N5.7 billion, another 5 kilometer road awarded for N10 billion and a whooping N130 billion awarded for the renovation of the state secretariat complex, without due regard to laid down financial regulations, there is the urgent need for the former Sole Administrator to clarify these issues.
Rivers State is not a personal estate to be run without transparency. Public resources belong to the people, and they have an inalienable right to know how those resources were spent.
The former Sole Administrator must know that accountability is not optional. Rather, it is a duty. He must present a clear, verifiable record of his tenure. Anything short of that will continue to fuel suspicion of mismanagement and corruption and that the emergency rule was exploited for personal gain. We hope he does not want to live with such smear at this stage of his life.
The Atlantic Bell believes that it is in the interest of the former Administrator to publicly account for his stewardship and redeem his image, having promised to run an administration based on transparency and accountability on his assumption of office on the 18th of March 2025.
“My administration will not tolerate any form of recklessness, abuse of office, or misuse of public funds. Henceforth, there must be accountability and value for money.
“I have just six months, but we must ensure that the people of Rivers State deserve to see how their money is used, and it is our duty to ensure that every kobo is accounted for.
“We will ensure that every decision we make, every policy we implement, and every action we take is guided by the principles of transparency, accountability, and service to the people.” These were your words, and the people of Rivers State are wondering why you can not keep to your promises.
It is indeed disingenuous to hide behind Mr. President to deprive Rivers people their right to know how their money was spent. There is no government without accountability. Calling for a probe is not a passage of guilt. But we must remind the former Sole Administrator that refusing to heed the call for accountability is nothing short of arrogance and contempt for the people. After all, he disclosed to the people of the state how much was saved from his inconclusive verification exercise, without prompting from the president. He should likewise do the same with the account of stewardship.
We wish to reiterate that the call for transparency and accountability in this regard is not an act of witch-hunt but a necessary pillar of democracy and good governance. At a time when transparency and accountability are the minimum expectations from those entrusted with power, silence from the administrator has only deepened suspicion. The refusal to account is not just a matter of governance; it strikes at the very heart of democracy and public trust.
The Atlantic Bell calls on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the people of Rivers State and indeed Nigerians are reassured that his administration is one anchored on transparency and accountability by opening the books for all to see what transpired in the state during the six months period.
Now that normalcy has returned, it is important that the people are reassured that the emergency powers granted the sole administrator was not meant to undermine the state of its resources. If such is left unchecked, it will set a dangerous precedence of impunity and abuse of office.
