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Friday, March 21, 2025
Rivers State Sole Administrator Ibot-Ete Ibas meets with traditional rulers and sets the tone (intentions) for his administration
I will not condone excuses for any disorder in any community, Ibot-Ete warns traditional rulers!
ICMS, Inc. Reports
by Tom Okure, Ph.D
Meeting Excerpts
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The newly appointed Rivers State Sole Administrator, retired Nigerian Navy Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas CFR, has arrived in Rivers State to resume his duties following Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's suspension of the elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara after declaring a state of emergency on March 18, 2025.
Ibok-Ete Ibas CFR after confirmation and swearing in by President Bola Tinubu
In his official broadcast to the nation on 18 March 2025, President Bola Tinubu, declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspended the incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and also all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. During his speech President Tinubu indicated:
“𝐁𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐌𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢 𝐅𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲, 𝐌𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐠𝐨𝐳𝐢 𝐎𝐝𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬."
The President in the same speech nominated the retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the Interim Administrator of the state's affairs noting specifically that Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas would not "𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐛, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞."
In his first official meeting with some traditional rulers in Rivers State, the new sole administrator made several important remarks during his interaction with the traditional rulers.
Administrator Ibok-Ete Iba's first meeting with Rivers State traditional rulers
He noted that he recognized that the task ahead of maintaining order cannot be achieved in isolation, because traditional institutions are a vital partner in his mission and traditional institutions are the bridge between government and the people and "the custodians of our values and the mediators in times of conflict." He further noted that the wisdom, influence, and leadership of traditional rulers are indispensable in the collective efforts that will be required to de-escalate tensions, foster unity, and rebuild trust amongst the rivers state people.
He warned traditional rulers to shun all acts of partisanship in their speeches or body language and insisted they have to remain a neutral and impartial abita respected by all for their fairness and integrity. Ibok-Ete stated that traditional rulers must not condone any acts of vandalism or any form of illegality, and he indicated that traditional rulers must promote the common good of the river's people and should report all forms of
illegality or abuse to the relevant authorities. He urged traditional rulers to set up local and traditional institutions that promote peace and unity in their respective domains to open up communication lines with their communities to gather information. He urged them to protect the sources of their intelligence in their role in community policing. The new administrator noted that he expects the input of traditional rulers to the state through their councils or other channels he plans to establish. Community policy is one of the key strategies Ibok-Ete stated that he plans to use to restore peace and security in the state.
A traditional ruler welcomes Ibok-Ete as the new administrator of the state
He also emphasized that his administration "would not condone excuses for any disorder in any community." He expects traditional rulers to control their domains to ensure peace and stability prevail. This is because traditional rulers are the first line of defense against lawlessness and their leadership is crucial in maintaining order. Administrator Ibot-Ete further noted that his administration will be open to any useful
suggestions and security intelligence from traditional rulers aimed at improving the way things are done, as traditional rulers' inputs will be invaluable in shaping the administration policies and strategies
He closed his meeting remarks to the traditional rulers by references his statewide broadcast speech the previous day to the state where he noted that "the journey ahead may be challenging but together we can rebuild trust, restore stability and protect the
future of our state" This Ibok-Ete indicated can only be accomplished by putting aside our differences and working as one family united by our love
for River State and our shared desire for progress. Watch the video that follows for a comprehensive view of the new administrator's meeting with Rivers State's traditional rulers.
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Background of Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas
Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, MSc is a retired Nigerian Navy Vice Admiral. Records indicate that he was born on September 27, 1960, in Nko Cross River State, formerly the South Eastern State of Nigeria. In 1966, he started his primary school education at Nko Primary School and completed it at Big Qua Primary School in 1971 in Calabar. He attended the prestigious Hope Waddell Training Institute Calabar from 1972 to 1976 for his secondary education. Between 1977 and 1979, he attended the School of Basic Studies Ogoja before proceeding to further his education in 1979 at the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Rivers State Sole Administrator Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR
His military career began when he enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of 26 Regular Course on June 20, 1979. He was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant on January 1, 1983. He was the 22nd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Nigerian Navy from 2015 to 2021 and has been serving as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State since 18 March 2025, after Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended by President Bola Tinubu after declaring a state of emergency in the state.
All rights reserved by Tom Okure, Ph.D. CEO of Inter-Continental Mgt. Systems, Inc. (or ICMS Inc.). ICMS, Inc., is a multifaceted business and management consulting firm with its head office in Albany, New York
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