*Says Miscreants Using SSG’s Office To Issue Misleading Information
The ‘Unconstitutional’ Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Étè Ibas (retd.), has explained his recent decision to appoint administrators for the state’s 23 local government areas, citing the urgent need to strengthen grassroots governance following his personal assessment visits.
Speaking on Friday during a meeting with the newly appointed administrators at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Ibas said his visits to several council areas revealed significant gaps that required immediate attention.
“Since resuming this assignment, I have taken time to visit a few local government areas. Those visits afforded me the opportunity to interact with local government civil servants, and it became clear that I needed assistance in administering the entire state, especially in the emergency proclamation areas, which I am responsible for following Mr. President’s directive,” he stated.
He explained that the scale of work needed to implement President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s grassroots mandate necessitated the appointments, which were made on April 7, 2025. Ibas charged the new administrators to uphold the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and service to the people, warning that any form of recklessness, abuse of office, or misuse of public funds would not be tolerated.
“Resources allocated to our local governments must be used strictly for their intended purposes. There must be accountability and value for money for every project executed, every policy implemented, and every kobo spent,” he emphasized.
The Sole Administrator further tasked the officials with prioritizing key local issues, including sanitation, environmental management, primary healthcare, civil service welfare and discipline, education, and youth engagement, which would form the basis for their performance evaluation. Plans, he said, are underway to establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure strict adherence to financial and administrative standards across the councils.
In a related development, the Rivers State Government has raised the alarm over the activities of miscreants allegedly using the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to circulate false information.
This follows the circulation of a fake announcement claiming that Ibas had approved the recruitment of 1,000 persons into the state civil service through a non-existent online portal. Another forged statement falsely alleged the appointment of former Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, as Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA).
Dismissing the reports, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the SSG, Dede Friday, clarified that no such approvals or appointments had been made and urged the public to disregard the misinformation.
“It has come to the notice of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government that some miscreants are going about misinforming the public with purported Special Government Announcements or Releases claimed to have been signed by the Secretary to the State Government,” the statement read. “All official communications from the Office of the SSG are issued through appropriate channels.”
The government warned that individuals spreading false information would be tracked and appropriately dealt with, urging citizens to always verify the authenticity of official communications before taking action.
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