Rivers reveals how ex-sole administrator Ibas spent N302bn in six months

The Rivers State Government has disclosed before the State High Court in Port Harcourt how over ₦302 billion was spent during the six-month administration of former sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), between March and August 2025.

The revelations emerged in a counter-affidavit filed by the State Accountant-General and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in response to a Freedom of Information suit instituted by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

The suit, marked PHC/4153/CS/2025, is pending before Justice S.H. Aprioku of the Rivers State High Court.

According to the counter-affidavit dated March 10, 2026, the state received over ₦253.48 billion (₦253,480,052,907.33) from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) within the six-month period. Additional inflows of over ₦44.87 billion (₦44,868,976,368.32) brought the total receipts to approximately ₦298.35 billion.

However, the documents presented in court indicated that total expenditure within the same period rose to over ₦302.35 billion (₦302,352,458,523.07), covering FAAC allocations and other funds.

The government submitted 49-page supporting documents, including bank statements (Exhibit DTI) and capital expenditure records (Exhibit DT2), detailing the spending pattern.

The affidavit stated that ₦112.41 billion (₦112,408,021,641.07) was spent on salaries, pensions, and overheads, while ₦163.44 billion (₦163,441,654,922.70) was allocated to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

It further revealed that over ₦106 billion of the MDA allocation was disbursed in August alone, reflecting a heavy concentration of spending within a single month.

Loan servicing also accounted for a significant portion of expenditure, with ₦26.01 billion (₦26,011,189,540.73) spent on repayments and an additional ₦491.59 million (₦491,592,418.57) on bank charges, bringing the total to about ₦26.50 billion.

The exhibits also showed multiple transfers to Government House ranging from ₦1.8 million to ₦4.27 billion. These included repeated transactions of ₦61.9 million, ₦122 million, ₦170 million, ₦389 million, ₦750 million, ₦850 million, and ₦900 million, with a single transfer of ₦4.27 billion recorded in August.

On capital projects, the affidavit disclosed that ₦28 billion was approved for the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) at the State House, but no expenditure was incurred on the project.

It further showed that over ₦2.5 billion was earmarked for Government House quarters, with about ₦1.1 billion reflected as actual spending. A revised allocation of ₦2.67 billion was made for office building repairs, though only about ₦404 million was spent.

Additionally, ₦350 million was allocated for canteen and kitchen equipment, although the exact amount released remains unclear. Rehabilitation projects accounted for over ₦463 million, while a project initially budgeted at ₦800 million was later increased to ₦1.56 billion.

The documents indicated that the state’s closing balance as of August 2025 stood at ₦19.93 billion (₦19,929,707,462.66).

Responding to the disclosures, SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the organisation was reviewing the documents to determine compliance with its request.

He stated that the group’s preliminary assessment showed detailed records of transfers to government entities, payments to individuals, and repeated transactions involving Government House.

Oluwadare added that SERAP would decide whether to file additional requests or amend its legal processes after completing its analysis of the exhibits.

The defendants, in their affidavit, maintained that they had complied with the Freedom of Information Act by providing the requested documents and did not intend to withhold any information.

They also argued that while public interest in transparency was acknowledged, the delay in releasing the documents did not result in any specific or proven harm to SERAP.

The case has been adjourned to May 19, 2026, for further hearing.