By Our Reporter
Following the protracted political crisis in Rivers State, on Tuesday March 18, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in the state and appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd), as the Sole Administrator. The declaration marks the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, cabinet members and the members of the state House of Assembly legislature for an initial period of six months
President Tinubu’s decision came through a nationwide broadcast, where he stated that the unprecedented intervention was “in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.”
The President remarked that the state’s judiciary would continue to discharge its constitutional duties of dispensing justice.
Profile of New Administrator
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR psc+ GSS AM ndc MSc (born 27 September 1960) is a retired Nigerian Navy vice admiral, who was the 22nd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Nigerian Navy from 2015 to 2021.
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR psc+ GSS AM ndc MSc Military Administrator Rivers State Incumbe
The 64- year old sole administrator was born on 27 September 1960 (age 64)
Nko, in Cross River State, Eastern Region, British Nigeria (now in Cross River State, Nigeria)
Ibas’s educational foundation started at Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar, before he proceeded to School of Basic Studies, Ogoja. In 1979, he joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as part of the 26th Regular Course, where he was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1983. Over the years, he was exposed to world-class military training both within Nigeria and internationally, earning multiple elite military certifications.
He is a recipient of National Honour- the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), conferred on him by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022.
He is expected to bring sanity and stability to the state within the stipulated six months of emergency rule declared by President Tinubu.
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