- Rivers Spent ₦302bn Under Sole Administrator
- Court hears details of allocations and major expenditures
- SERAP reviews documents as case continues in court
The Rivers State Government has said more than ₦302 billion was spent during the period Ibok-Ete Ibas served as sole administrator of the state.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the disclosure was made before the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt by the state’s Accountant General and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in response to a Freedom of Information suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
The case, marked PHC/4153/CS/2025, is before Justice S.H. Aprioku.
According to a counter affidavit dated March 10, 2026, the state received over ₦253.48 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee between March and August 2025, while total inflows within the period stood at about ₦298.35 billion.
Documents submitted in court, including bank statements and capital expenditure records, showed detailed spending across key sectors. The government stated that ₦112.41 billion was spent on salaries, pensions and overhead costs, while ₦163.44 billion was allocated to ministries, departments and agencies, with over ₦106 billion disbursed in August 2025 alone.
The records also indicated that ₦26.01 billion was used to service loans, while ₦491.59 million went to bank charges. In addition, more than ₦2.5 billion was released for Government House quarters, with about ₦1.1 billion recorded as actual expenditure.
The affidavit noted that although ₦28 billion was approved for the installation of CCTV cameras at the Government House, no funds were eventually spent on the project
SERAP said it is reviewing the documents to determine compliance with its request, while the court adjourned the case to May 19, 2026, for further hearing.
The spending occurred during the emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu, which saw the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other elected officials.
