Rivers Emergency Rule: Ibas Seeks More Time to Brief Reps Committee

• Rivers Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ete Ibas, requests more time to brief Reps committee.

• Ibas cites weighty demands of stabilizing governance in Rivers as reason for absence.

The Sole Administrator of Rivers, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has requested more time from the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Rivers to properly brief the committee on the developments in the state.

Ibas expressed regret for his inability to attend earlier engagements, explaining that the absence was not out of disregard, but rather due to the weighty and urgent demands of stabilizing governance in Rivers. “I have always held the National Assembly in the highest regard. I recognise the importance of your oversight responsibilities and your interest in the progress being made in Rivers, which is presently relatively calm, but still fragile,” Ibas said.

The committee chair, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere, underscored the constitutional role of the National Assembly in legitimising and overseeing the state of emergency declared in Rivers.

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“The federal legislature remains central to the state’s transitional process,” Ihonvbere said, adding that the committee had been carefully selected to ensure broad representation across geopolitical zones and legislative experience.

Ihonvbere assured Ibas that the committee was committed to doing its job efficiently and effectively.

“I want you to feel relaxed because the members you see here were carefully selected based on zonal representation and membership of the House to advance the progress that Rivers needs to make to be part and parcel of the holistic structure of democracy that Nigeria represents today,” he said.

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Ibas committed to cooperating with the committee and providing a comprehensive briefing.

“I remain fully committed to cooperating with the committee and to ensuring that all relevant information is made available in due course to support your important work,” he said.

The committee agreed to give Ibas a new date to appear.