On September 17, 2025, President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, ending the rule of Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator.
Around the same time, senior lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa raised a blistering question: “What happened to Rivers resources during these six months?”
It isn’t enough to simply restore democracy and return political actors to their offices. When government takes over, even temporarily, citizens must see every line in the ledger — every contract, every Naira, every decision.
Adegboruwa’s demand is more than rhetoric: it is a test of whether governance under emergency is an exception, or whether it becomes a slippery slope to unaccountable power.
The Journey So Far
On March 18, 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing a breakdown in governance and failure of the elected government (governor, deputy, and legislative assembly) to maintain stability. Ibas, a retired Vice Admiral, was appointed Sole Administrator for six months.
During this period, the federal government released withheld allocations to Rivers State and its 23 LGAs — reportedly ₦246.7 billion between March and June alone.
However, civil society groups, opposition parties (such as Labour Party), and legal experts have raised concerns about how those funds were used, whether local government structures were respected, and whether proper oversight was in place.
Adegboruwa’s Demand — What Must Be Probed
Adegboruwa’s call (echoed by others) urges the National Assembly and President Tinubu to examine:
1. All Revenues Received vs. Expenditures Made
* The full list of allocations and internally generated revenues Rivers State and its LGs received during the emergency period.
* Detailed report of how those monies were spent: salaries, projects, emergency expenses, overheads.
2. Contracts Awarded or Ongoing Projects
* Which contracts were awarded under Ibas’ administration, their costs, contractors involved, and status.
* Whether any procurement rules were bypassed or whether emergency circumstances justified exceptions.
3. Local Government Governance
* The validity of replacing elected LG chairmen (if this occurred), how that was done, and how local councils were funded.
* Whether people at the grassroots saw disruption in services (e.g. health, sanitation, local roads) during the emergency.
4. Asset & Natural Resource Management
* Rivers is oil-rich. What happened with oil revenues, resource royalties, federal allocations for oil producing states?
* Did any state assets change hands, get leased, sold, or re-appropriated?
5. Transparency and Accountability Mechanisms
* Are audit reports, financial statements, or oversight committee reports available for public scrutiny?
* Did legislative bodies (once reinstated) or judicial bodies gain full access to records?
Democracy Isn’t Suspended With Emergencies
The Rivers emergency has ended. But ending emergency rule doesn’t end questions. Adegboruwa’s inquiry is a necessary moment: for Rivers, for Nigeria, for any democracy that claims to be legitimate.
Did You Miss? Rivers: How Ibas Left Govt House After Handing Over To Fubara
Because democracy with no oversight is power unchecked. Citizens deserve to know not only who had power, but what that power did.
If the probe yields nothing but vague answers, we’ll know: the lesson of this emergency wasn’t about restoring order. It was about suspending accountability.
