Ibas spent over ₦302 billion in six months – Rivers govt

By Lawrence Agbo

The Rivers State government has revealed that over ₦302 billion was spent during the six-month tenure of former sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), between March and August 2025.

The disclosure was made in court filings before the High Court of Rivers State in Port Harcourt.

The Accountant-General and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning provided detailed records in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit with suit number PHC/4153/CS/2025, filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), seeking transparency on government expenditures during the emergency administration.

According to a counter-affidavit filed on 10 March 2026, Rivers State received over ₦253 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and an additional ₦44.87 billion from other sources, bringing total receipts to approximately ₦298.35 billion.

Expenditure records, including bank statements and government estimates, show that more than ₦302.35 billion was spent within the period.

The counter-affidavit, read in part: “Our records show that ₦28 billion was approved for the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) at the State House but no expenditure was incurred in respect of the project. Therefore, no document evidencing such expenditure can be provided.”

“The Defendants/Respondents do not contest SERAP’s right to access information under the Freedom of Information Act and has no intention whatsoever of withholding the requested documents.”

“The Defendants/Respondents have now compiled and made available the requested information in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, and copies are herein attached as Exhibit DTI (bank statements) and Exhibit DT2 (capital pages of the Government House estimate).”

“By furnishing the documents requested, the Defendants/Respondents have substantially complied with SERAP’s demand.” “While the Defendants/Respondents recognize the public interest in transparency and accountability, the delay in providing the requested information did not occasion any specific or proven injury to SERAP.”

The filings highlight payments for salaries, pensions, overheads, loans, bank charges, and allocations to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), with over ₦106 billion disbursed in August alone.

Government House also received repeated transfers, including payments ranging from ₦1.8 million to ₦4.27 billion.

SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare said the organisation is studying the documents to determine if additional requests or amendments are needed.

“We are studying the large documents on the spending of the over ₦302 billion [₦302,352,458,523.07] of FAAC allocations and other funds by the Rivers State government between March and August 2025.”

“Our teams are analysing the spending project-by-project and we will decide whether our requests for information have been fully complied with or whether a fresh request for information or an amendment to our originating processes is necessary.”

“Our preliminary assessment of the two exhibits—Exhibit DTI (bank statements) and Exhibit DT2 (capital pages of the Government House estimate)—show, among other others, the following details:” “Rivers State received FAAC inflows of over ₦253.48 billion (₦253,480,052,907.33) and other receipts totalling over ₦44.87 billion (₦44,868,976,368.32) from March to August 2025, bringing the total funds received to approximately ₦298.35 billion (₦298,349,029,275.65).”

“The two exhibits also show transfers to government entities, payments to individuals (NIP transfers), and repeated transfers to Government House during the period from March to August 2025. In total, over ₦302.35 billion was shown to have been spent during this period.”

“The exhibits reveal multiple payments to Government House ranging from ₦1.8 million to ₦4.27 billion, including transactions of ₦61.9 million, ₦122 million, ₦170 million, ₦389 million, ₦750 million, ₦850 million, and ₦900 million—with the ₦900 million payments occurring repeatedly. Notably, a single transfer of ₦4.27 billion was recorded in August.”

“Over ₦112.41 billion (₦112,408,021,641.07) was reportedly spent on salaries, pensions, and overheads, while ₦163.44 billion (₦163,441,654,922.70) was allocated to ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).” “Over ₦106 billion of the ₦163.44 billion allocated to MDAs was disbursed in August alone, showing a significant concentration of spending within a single month.”

“Additionally, over ₦26.01 billion (₦26,011,189,540.73) was reportedly spent to service loans, while over ₦491.59 million (₦491,592,418.57) was spent on bank charges, bringing these to approximately ₦26.50 billion (₦26,502,781,959.30) during the same period.”

“Over ₦2.5 billion was released for the construction of Government House quarters, but only about ₦1.1 billion is reflected in the exhibits as actual spending. The exhibits show a revised allocation of ₦2.67 billion for office building repairs, while about ₦404 million was spent.”

“₦350 million is stated to be allocated for canteen and kitchen equipment. It is unclear from the exhibits how much was released for the project. Over ₦463 million was shown to be spent on rehabilitation projects. A project initially budgeted at ₦800 million appeared to be increased to ₦1.56 billion.”

“The closing balance in the account as at August 2025 was ₦19,929,707,462.66,” SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare said.

The lawsuit, filed on 31 October 2025, is pending before Hon. Justice S.H. Aprioku and has been adjourned to 19 May 2026 for further hearing.