Daily Lens Report
The Rivers State Executive Council has cancelled a ₦134 billion contract awarded by the former sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ikot Ete Ibas (retd), to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the reconstruction of the State Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt.
The decision was reached during the Council’s meeting on Thursday. Following the cancellation, the Council directed CCECC to refund the ₦20 billion mobilisation fee earlier paid for the project.
In addition, the Council approved the establishment of a six-member committee chaired by Deputy Governor Prof. Ngozi Odu to identify and recommend suitable sites for the construction of Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the state. The initiative aims to enhance the conduct of external examinations for students.
The Deputy Governor was also tasked to lead the state’s flood control committee to implement urgent measures to mitigate flooding in affected areas. Residents were cautioned against indiscriminate disposal of waste and blocking of drainage channels.
According to a review by SaharaReporters based on official data from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Rivers State under the administration of Ibas received a total of ₦401.9 billion in allocations from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Additionally, the federal government released ₦36.6 billion in local government allocations for January and February 2025 to Ibas during his tenure as sole administrator — funds that had earlier been withheld from the now reinstated Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
A further breakdown of the FAAC data shows that between March and August 2025, the state and its 23 local government areas collectively received hundreds of billions of naira in allocations. For instance, in August, the state received ₦41.6 billion while the LGAs got ₦19.2 billion; in July, ₦39 billion and ₦18.8 billion respectively; while June and May saw disbursements of ₦42.3 billion and ₦42.7 billion to the state, alongside ₦18.8 billion and ₦16 billion to local governments.
Vice Admiral Ibas has previously resisted attempts by the Rivers State House of Assembly to probe his administration’s financial dealings. Through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu, he argued that the lawmakers lacked the authority to investigate him since they did not appoint him as the state’s sole administrator.
