The Federal Government has confirmed that Rivers State’s allocation will be handed over to the newly appointed administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, disclosed this on Wednesday, March 19, while addressing State House correspondents in Abuja.
He defended the decision to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other elected officials, saying it was necessary to prevent a total breakdown of governance.
“We have about two years into the administration in the state. Now, when do you think he (President Tinubu) should have come in? Is it when everything has been destroyed? I don’t think so,” Fagbemi said.
He insisted that Tinubu acted at the right time after exhausting efforts to mediate the political conflict.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Names Ibas Rivers Administrator After Declaring State of Emergency
On concerns about financial allocations, he clarified that the administrator would have access to state funds.
“If the administrator requests for it, it will 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 stated.
Fagbemi also dismissed claims that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, played a role in the crisis that led to the emergency declaration.
Tinubu, in a national address on Tuesday, justified his decision by citing prolonged instability, constitutional breaches, and security concerns.
He announced, “By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.”
The president appointed Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, to oversee the state’s affairs, assuring that the judiciary would continue to function as usual.