Record Shows Rivers State Ex-Administrator Ibas Received N401.9billion Allocation In Six Months

A SaharaReporters’ review of data published by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown that Rivers State, under the leadership of former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd), received N401.9 billion during his time in charge.

The payments were made to the state by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

When Ibas assumed office, the Nigerian government also released N36.6 billion in local government allocations for two months to him.

The funds represented allocations for January and February 2025 for 23 local governments, which had earlier been withheld and not released to the now reinstated Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

According to the breakdown based on official figures published on the websites of the Accountant General of the Federation and the National Bureau of Statistics, in August, Local Government Areas in the state received N19.2 billion, while the state received N41.6 billion.

The amount received in July stood at N18.8 billion for LGAs, while the state received N39 billion.

In June 2025, the state received N42.3 billion, while local governments got N18.8 billion.

In May, the state received N42.7 billion, while local governments got N16 billion. The April disbursement stood at N44.4 billion for the state and N19.4 billion for local governments.

Statistics also showed that in March, the state government received N44.6 billion, while local governments got N18.5 billion.

Earlier, a review of FAAC data revealed that N36.6 billion was disbursed as local government allocations to Rivers State for January and February 2025. According to the data, N16.7 billion was allocated in January, while N19.9 billion was released in February.

Ibas had kicked against a probe of his administration’s expenditure.

He was reported to have made the statements while reacting to the House of Assembly’s move to probe expenditure under his tenure, Ibas was quoted as saying that lawmakers lacked the power to investigate him, pointing out that they did not appoint him as Administrator of the State.

He made the comments through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubu.

“When you say they were going to probe the tenure of the administrator, was it the Assembly that appointed the administrator?

“You see, the point to note is that commentary is free. You can’t stop people from running commentary. The House of Assembly has been on break for a very long time, and you will appreciate that they have not been able to discharge their functions for such a long time,” Igbikiowubu stated.

“Now that they have resumed, they have to make an effort to carry out their functions. So, it will seem their right to probe what has gone wrong in the state. Nobody can stop the lawmakers from carrying out a probe of what they perceive to be their functions within the state.

“But like I asked earlier, were they the ones that appointed the administrator? So, if you didn’t appoint the administrator, it goes to reason that you have certain limitations. When you also realise that the administrator was appointed by the President, it goes without reason that the administrator acted for and on behalf of the President.”

He added, “When you also reason that the administrator was supervised by the National Assembly, it goes without reason that when you decide to probe the administrator, you’re invariably saying that you will be probing the administrator and the National Assembly.

“So, I wish them good luck with their plan and their probe. But you and I know that such an enterprise amounts to a fool’s errand,” he was quoted as saying.

There has been a financial accountability blackout in Rivers State, following the refusal of the then Sole Administrator, Ibas, to publish the quarterly budget performance document throughout his tenure.

The then suspended governor, Fubara was reinstated on September 18, ending the Sole Administration of Ibas.  (SaharaReporters)