Mounting Calls For Ibas To Account For His Stewardship During Rivers’ Emergency Rule Resonate -By Isaac Asabor

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State earlier this year, many Nigerians, though skeptical, accepted it as a temporary sacrifice for the restoration of peace. Six months later, the emergency rule has been lifted, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other suspended officials have returned to office, and political calm appears to be returning to Port Harcourt and its environs.

But while the storm seems to be subsiding, a new set of questions has begun to surface; questions that demand answers not only from President Tinubu, who oversaw the process, but especially from Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), the sole administrator who governed Rivers during the emergency period. For half a year, the state’s treasury, allocations, and decision-making machinery were placed entirely in the hands of one man. That in itself is unprecedented in modern Nigerian politics, and it is only natural that Rivers people, and indeed all Nigerians, now demand a clear account of what transpired.

Rivers is not an ordinary state. It sits at the heart of Nigeria’s oil economy and contributes massively to the federation account. It is a state where every naira, every project, and every decision has a ripple effect not only on its citizens but also on the national economy. To place such a strategic state under one-man control, even for a short period, is to take a gamble with national resources.

That gamble, some argue, may already be backfiring unless accountability is prioritized. Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has been emphatic on this point. Appearing on Channels Television, on Thursday, he reminded the nation that Section 305 of the Constitution may empower the President to declare a state of emergency, but it also places a duty on those exercising such powers to give account. According to him, Rivers people are not beggars; they are stakeholders, and they deserve to know how their wealth was handled.

“How much did Rivers receive during the six months? How was it used? What projects were started, completed, or abandoned? What was the financial state of the handover when Governor Fubara resumed office?” These are questions Adegboruwa insists cannot be swept under the carpet.

Civil society has not been silent either. Jake Epelle, Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, has echoed the same concerns. For him, the emergency period was marked by uncertainty and suspicion. Given the political tensions that led to the suspension of the governor and other elected officials, Epelle fears that those who benefited from the crisis may not have been transparent in their management of state resources.

Rivers people, he argues, bore the brunt of the crisis, enduring suspended democratic rights, stalled projects, and biting economic hardship. For them to move forward, there must be closure, and that closure can only come through accountability.

Yet, despite these calls, Admiral Ibas has maintained a studied silence. Since handing over, he has not issued any formal report or offered any explanation on how he managed one of the wealthiest state economies in Nigeria. The Federal Government has also been quiet, treating the end of the emergency as though it were the end of the story.

But silence, in this case, is far from golden. It fuels suspicion and creates a narrative of opacity. Nigerians are left wondering whether Rivers’ resources were prudently managed or recklessly expended. Were salaries and pensions paid without interruption? Were capital projects initiated, or was governance reduced to routine disbursements? Were federal allocations and internally generated revenues accounted for, or were they treated as a war chest for political maneuvering? Without a public audit, no one can say for sure.

More troubling is the precedent this silence sets. If Rivers’ six-month emergency rule is left unaccounted for, it opens the door for future administrations to deploy the same constitutional provision not as a tool for restoring order but as a weapon for resource capture. Imagine a scenario where emergency rule is declared in other resource-rich states without any obligation for transparency. It would institutionalize unaccountability and weaken Nigeria’s already fragile democracy.

This is why accountability in this case is non-negotiable. Nigerians must insist that Admiral Ibas renders an account, not merely as a matter of curiosity but as a safeguard against future abuse.

President Tinubu, who swore in Ibas and exercised direct oversight, cannot dodge responsibility. It was under his watch that Rivers’ elected government was suspended. It was under his watch that one man governed in their place. And it is under his watch now that Rivers people are demanding answers.

If Tinubu truly sees himself as a democrat, as many of his past struggles for democracy suggest, then he must ensure that accountability is not sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Transparency is the foundation of democracy, and without it, Rivers’ six-month ordeal will be remembered not as a rescue mission but as a power grab.

The National Assembly, too, cannot remain aloof. It was constitutionally empowered to supervise the state of emergency, yet it has been silent on what transpired. Lawmakers must now rise to the occasion by demanding a detailed report, complete with figures, projects, and policy decisions taken during the period. Anything less would amount to complicity.

Ultimately, the people of Rivers State, ordinary citizens who suffered through the crisis, deserve the truth. They deserve to know if their taxes, federal allocations, and oil revenues were put to good use or squandered. They deserve to see a handover note that clearly outlines what Ibas did and what he left behind. They deserve an assurance that their state was not reduced to a cash cow for political elites.

Without such accountability, Rivers people will remain haunted by doubts, and those doubts will continue to erode trust in both state and federal institutions.

The lifting of the emergency rule should not be mistaken for closure. In fact, it should be the beginning of a larger conversation about accountability in times of crisis. If Admiral Ibas truly served with integrity, then he should have no fear of presenting his report to the people. If the President and National Assembly exercised proper oversight, then they should readily provide Nigerians with the figures.

But if everyone remains silent, then the worst fears of Rivers people, that the emergency was more about control than peace, will be confirmed. And history will not forgive that silence.

For now, the calls are mounting, and they will only grow louder. Admiral Ibas cannot hide from accountability forever. Neither can President Tinubu. Rivers people deserve answers, and they must get them.