BREAKING: FG backs Rivers Administrator, Says State Allocation will be released

The Federal Government has confirmed that Rivers State’s allocation will be made available to the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), amid the ongoing state of emergency in the state.

Speaking at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare the emergency, stating that it was necessary to prevent the state from plunging into chaos. He also dismissed speculations that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, played a role in the political crisis that led to the president’s intervention.

When asked about the release of Rivers’ federal allocation under the new arrangement, Fagbemi said the funds would be disbursed upon request by the administrator.

“And to me, it will be in order for the release of that fund because the event of the extraordinary situation has brought them out of the normal situation of things,” he explained.

Defending Tinubu’s timing, Fagbemi argued that the president acted at the right moment.

“Now, when do you think he should have come in? Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so. I think the President has acted timeously.”

“He has given the opportunity to all the parties involved to make amends. Before then, he had to assemble them, he had tried to mediate,” he stated.

President Tinubu had, in a national broadcast on Tuesday, announced the state of emergency in Rivers, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

He cited prolonged political instability, constitutional violations, and security concerns as the reasons for his decision.

The crisis in Rivers State has been linked to a power struggle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. However, Tinubu stressed that his intervention was purely to restore order and not influenced by political interests.

As part of the emergency measures, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), a former Chief of Naval Staff, as the administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.

He clarified that the judicial arm of government in Rivers State would continue to function independently.