Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, has asked the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Rivers for additional time to thoroughly brief them on the current situation in the state.
He made this request during a meeting with the committee in Abuja on Friday, after failing to attend scheduled meetings on Thursday, April 17 and 24.
Ibas apologized for his previous absences, explaining that they were not due to disrespect, but rather because of the pressing and urgent demands of stabilizing governance in Rivers State.
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“I have always held the National Assembly in the highest regard. I recognise the importance of your oversight responsibilities and your interest in the progress being made in River, which is presently relatively calm, but still fragile.
“It is important that any engagement with this committee is done with the depth, accuracy, and clarity it rightfully deserves.
“I remain fully committed to cooperating with the committee and to ensuring that all relevant information is made available in due course to support your important work,” he said.
“I only request the understanding and the indulgence of this committee to grant me additional time to adequately prepare and present a comprehensive and constructive briefing, given the complexities and sensitivities surrounding the current transitional period in Rivers.
“It is important that any engagement with this committee is done with the depth, accuracy, and clarity it rightfully deserves.
“I remain fully committed to cooperating with the committee and to ensuring that all relevant information is made available in due course to support your important work,” he said.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo), the Chairman of the Committee, announced that they had agreed to reschedule the meeting for the Sole Administrator.
Ihonvbere emphasized the National Assembly’s constitutional role in legitimizing and supervising the state of emergency declared in Rivers State. He asserted that the federal legislature is crucial to the state’s transition process.
Ihonvbere reiterated the committee’s constitutional mandate and expressed satisfaction that the administrator had finally attended the meeting after previous delays.
He stressed that the committee’s mandate is based on constitutional authority and that some of its terms had already been communicated to the administrator in a previous letter.
The chairman reassured the administrator, stating that the committee members had been carefully chosen to ensure representation from various geopolitical zones and to bring diverse legislative experience to the table.
“I want you to feel relaxed because the members you see here were carefully selected based on zonal representation and membership of the House to advance the progress that Rivers needs to make to be part and parcel of the holistic structure of democracy that Nigeria represents today.
“We have demonstrated again and again our preparedness to do this job efficiently and effectively,” he assured.
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