Ibas Rejects Assembly’s Move to Probe Six-Month Spending

The immediate past Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), and the Rivers State House of Assembly appear set for a confrontation following the lawmakers’ decision to investigate the state’s finances during his tenure.

Ibas, who governed Rivers under emergency rule for six months, handed over on September 17 after President Bola Tinubu ordered the return of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the House of Assembly to office.

At its first sitting after the emergency period, the House, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resolved to probe how state funds were spent. Lawmakers specifically moved to examine transactions from the consolidated revenue fund, including contract awards and other expenditures.

Findings by The PUNCH revealed that Rivers received at least N254.37bn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between March and August 2025, during Ibas’ administration.

According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data and FAAC records, the monthly breakdown showed:

March: N44.66bn

April: N44.42bn

May: N42.80bn

June: N42.30bn

July: N38.42bn

August: N41.76bn

This brought the six-month total to N254.37bn, averaging N42.40bn monthly.