Why I Appointed LG Administrators — Rivers Sole Administrator, Ibas

Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), has explained the rationale behind his recent decision to appoint administrators for the 23 local government areas in the state, saying it was driven by the urgent need to strengthen grassroots governance following his personal assessment visits.

Speaking during a meeting with the newly appointed administrators at the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday, Ibas said the decision stemmed from what he observed during visits to some council areas.

Ibas said, “Since resuming this assignment, I have taken time to visit a few local government areas,Those visits have afforded me the opportunity to interact with local government civil servants and it was clear that I needed help with administering the entire state after the emergency proclamation areas, which I am responsible for following from Mr President’s proclamation.”

The retired naval chief said that after those visits, he realised he could not implement the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu alone, particularly at the grassroots level.

“So, I went about trying to identify a few individuals, from which, on the 7th of April 2025, I selected those seated here today as administrators of the 23 Local Government Areas,” he said.

Ibas charged the administrators to uphold principles of accountability, transparency, and dedicated service, warning that his administration would not tolerate any form of recklessness or misuse of public trust.

“Let me state it unequivocally clear here: this administration will not tolerate any form of recklessness, abuse of office or misuse of public funds or trust,” he said. “The resources allocated to our local government must be used strictly for the purposes intended. There must be accountability and value for money for every project executed, every policy implemented, and every kobo spent.”

He urged the new officials to focus on key local issues such as sanitation, environmental management, primary healthcare, civil service welfare and discipline, education, and youth engagement.

“These areas will form the basis of assessing your performance in the coming weeks,” he noted.

Ibas further reminded the administrators of the historic nature of their roles: “I expect you all to recognize this moment in history and rise to the occasion, as impartial leaders that will help me deliver on the mandate given to me by Mr President—to restore peace and stability and work towards returning all democratic institutions in the State.”

He described their appointments as a recognition of their leadership capacity and commitment to public service, adding, “You bear the sacred responsibility to ensure that the affairs of your respective councils are managed with the utmost care, respect, and unwavering dedication to the welfare of our people.”

He said mechanisms would be put in place to monitor compliance with financial and administrative standards: “To this end, we will work out the necessary modalities to monitor and ensure good compliance with the principles of due process, transparency, and zero tolerance for financial recklessness across all local government areas.”