Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has revoked the N134 billion contract for the renovation and furnishing of the State Secretariat, which was awarded under the emergency rule by then-Sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas.
Mr Fubara also directed the contracting firm, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, to refund the N20 billion it had received as mobilisation.
The governor’s spokesperson, Nelson Chukwudi, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the decision was reached at the State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Mr Chukwudi said the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Austin Ezekiel-Hart, told reporters after the meeting that the contracts were awarded “in a hasty manner without following due process.”
He added that the state government had approved the revalidation of the bidding process for all four contracts earlier advertised in national dailies on 19 February 2025.
The state government, Mr Chukwudi said, approved the revalidation of contracts, including “the construction of 4.8km reinforced concrete shoreline protection and reclamation of Queenstown, Epellema, Oloma, and Minima communities in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area; the construction of 2.5km shoreline protection and reclamation in Ndoni-Onukwu, Isikwu, and Aziazagi communities in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area; and the construction of 2.5km shoreline protection and reclamation in Utuechi, Obiofu, Isala, Ani-Eze, and Odugri communities in the same local government area, as well as the renovation, retrofitting, and furnishing of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex.”
Rivers emergency rule
President Bola Tinubu had appointed Mr Ibas as sole administrator for Rivers after declaring a state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspending Governor Fubara and the state lawmakers.
The president had cited the prolonged political feud between Mr Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, as well as the bombing of oil pipelines, as reasons for his action.
Mr Ibas, a retired chief of naval staff, governed the state for six months—from March to September—but his tenure was marred by criticism, particularly over the dissolution of boards and commissions constituted by Mr Fubara.
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In the final days of his administration, Mr Ibas awarded several contracts and made controversial appointments, including naming a new head of civil service barely an hour before his tenure expired.
According to Mr Chukwudi, the revoked secretariat contract was one of those awarded in a “hasty manner without following due process.”
