By Mandy Willy
The Niger Delta Advocates for Good Governance (NDAGG) has accused Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the sole administrator of Rivers State, of what it described as “dangerous financial mismanagement and brazen looting” of local government funds.
The group through its spokesman, Chief Honest Nwenenda Woke, alleged that in July 2025, Admiral Ibas personally ordered the deduction of more than ₦200 million from each of the state’s 23 local government areas without transparency or accountability.
According to NDAGG, the issue resurfaced on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, during the monthly Joint Account Allocation Committee meeting at Government House. The group claimed that Ibas announced a fresh deduction of over ₦1 billion from each local government council, purportedly for pension payments.
The development, NDAGG said, prompted newly sworn-in council chairmen to reject the cheques presented to them.
The group questioned the administrator’s credibility, recalling his earlier claims of uncovering thousands of ghost workers that allegedly reduced the state’s wage bill.
“If that claim was genuine, why then is he attempting to strip the LGAs of a staggering ₦23 billion? Rivers people are not fools—someone is clearly being deceived here,” the statement read.
NDAGG further expressed concern over consistent salary delays under Ibas’s administration, warning that August salaries could suffer even longer delays due to what it termed reckless financial maneuvers.
“It is shameful that instead of consolidating the peace painstakingly restored to Rivers by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Admiral Ibas has chosen to exploit the situation, abusing Mr. President’s goodwill while dragging our state toward bankruptcy,” the group stated.
The Advocates called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and other relevant security and anti-graft agencies to immediately open a full-scale investigation. The group also disclosed plans to petition international partners and foreign governments for travel bans and restrictions against Admiral Ibas.
“The Niger Delta Advocates for Good Governance cannot and will not sit idly by while the future of Rivers people is mortgaged by one man’s greed. Rivers belongs to all of us, and we will resist this looting with every lawful means until accountability is restored,” Woke declared.
