Fresh details have emerged on the finances of Rivers State during the period of emergency rule, with the government confirming that over ₦302 billion was spent while Ibok-Ete Ibas served as sole administrator.
The figures were presented before the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt by the state accountant-general and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The disclosure followed a Freedom of Information suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, in a case marked PHC/4153/CS/2025 and presided over by Justice S.H. Aprioku.
According to a counter-affidavit dated March 10, 2026, the state received more than ₦253.48 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee between March and August 2025.
It further stated that total receipts within the period, including internally generated and other revenues, rose to about ₦298.35 billion.
The government backed its submission with extensive documentation, including bank statements and capital expenditure records running into 49 pages.
“Our records show that ₦28 billion was approved for the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) at the State House but no expenditure was incurred in respect of the project,” the affidavit reads.
“Therefore, no document evidencing such expenditure can be provided.”
The state also clarified that it had complied with SERAP’s request and did not oppose its right to access public records.
“The Defendants/Respondents do not contest SERAP’s right to access information under the Freedom of Information Act and has no intention whatsoever of withholding the requested documents,” it said.
“The Defendants/Respondents have now compiled and made available the requested information in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
“By furnishing the documents requested, the Defendants/Respondents have substantially complied with SERAP’s demand.”
Reacting to the development, SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the organisation is scrutinising the documents to assess the level of compliance.
READ ALSO: Fmr NBA President Cautions Rivers Assembly Against Probing Ibas
“We are studying the large documents on the spending of the over ₦302 billion of FAAC allocations and other funds by the Rivers State government between March and August 2025,” Oluwadare said.
“Our teams are analysing the spending project-by-project and we will decide whether our requests for information have been fully complied with or whether a fresh request for information or an amendment to our originating processes is necessary.”
He noted that the records showed multiple transfers to the Government House, ranging from ₦1.8 million to ₦4.27 billion, including a single transfer of ₦4.27 billion recorded in August 2025.
Other expenditures listed in the documents include payments of ₦61.9 million, ₦122 million, ₦170 million, ₦389 million, ₦750 million, ₦850 million and ₦900 million.
According to Oluwadare, ₦112.41 billion was spent on salaries, pensions and overheads, while ₦163.44 billion was channelled to ministries, departments and agencies, with over ₦106 billion of that sum released in August alone.
The records also indicate that ₦26.01 billion was used to service loans, while bank charges accounted for about ₦491.59 million.
More than ₦2.5 billion was allocated for the construction of Government House quarters, although only about ₦1.1 billion was reflected as actual spending.
Similarly, a revised allocation of ₦2.67 billion was made for office building repairs, with about ₦404 million spent.
The documents also show that ₦350 million was budgeted for canteen and kitchen equipment, while over ₦463 million went into rehabilitation works.
In one instance, a project initially valued at ₦800 million was later increased to ₦1.56 billion.
By the end of August 2025, the state’s closing balance stood at ₦19.93 billion, according to the records.
SERAP is asking the court to determine whether it is entitled to access the requested information under the constitution and the Freedom of Information Act.
The suit, filed on October 31, 2025, names the state accountant-general and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as defendants.
Justice Aprioku has adjourned the matter to May 19, 2026, for further hearing.
The financial disclosures relate to the period when emergency rule was imposed in Rivers State following a prolonged political crisis.
First Daily recalls, on March 18, 2025, President Bola Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months, appointing Ibok-Ete IbasIbok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, as sole administrator.
The emergency arrangement ended on September 17, 2025, with Fubara directed to resume office the following day.
Subsequently, the Rivers State House of Assembly moved to investigate how state funds were managed during the period, a move rejected by Ibas.