Rivers administrator may receive withheld allocation – FG

The Federal Government announced on Wednesday that the allocation for Rivers State will be released to the newly appointed Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (retd), once he officially assumes office.  

This decision follows the ongoing political crisis in the state, which led the Supreme Court to withhold the state’s allocation until the Rivers State House of Assembly properly appropriates the funds for use.

In a significant move on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, leading to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the State House of Assembly.

The emergency declaration effectively placed the state’s administration under federal control, with Vice Admiral Ibas set to take charge of governance.

The situation in Rivers State has been tense in recent months, with political instability affecting governance and financial management.

The federal government’s decision to withhold and now release the funds under new leadership signals an attempt to stabilize the state and ensure proper utilization of its resources.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, while briefing State House correspondents at the presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday, said the funds could be released if the administrator requests it.

Answering questions on whether the Federal Government would release the allocation from the federation account to the state, the minister said “If the administrator requests it, I will say it should be released to him.

“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 also criticized those that said the President should have intervened in other forms instead of emergency, saying “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. “