This contract cancellation follows a critical assessment of the Secretariat by the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers Emergency Rule …
By TheInvestigator
In a decisive move, the Rivers State Executive Council has officially cancelled a staggering ₦134 billion contract for the reconstruction of the State Secretariat complex in Port Harcourt, originally awarded by former sole administrator Vice Admiral Ikot Ete Ibas (retd). This announcement was made by Dr Austin Ezekiel-Hart, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, during a press briefing following the executive council meeting held at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
This contract cancellation follows a critical assessment of the Secretariat by the House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on Rivers Emergency Rule, which, during a May 2025 visit, described one of the building’s floors as being in worse condition than those in Gaza. The committee directed the immediate evacuation of civil servants from the hazardous floor due to safety concerns.
Ezekiel-Hart confirmed that the council has also instructed the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, to return ₦20 billion paid as mobilisation fees. “The Executive Council has approved the cancellation of the contract for the renovation, electro-fitting, and furnishing of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex,” he stated, underscoring the council’s commitment to accountability.
Additionally, the council approved the revalidation of the rebidding process for the four contractors, as published in the dailies on February 19, 2025. This follows Ibas’s exit from the state after the six-month emergency rule, imposed by President Bola Tinubu, concluded on September 18, 2025, leading to the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly members.
In a related development, Dr Azibaokanari Uzoma-Nwogu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, announced the council’s approval for the establishment of Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and Information Communication Technology (ICT) labs across the Senatorial Districts and 23 local government areas of the state. The council has formed a six-member committee, chaired by Deputy Governor Prof Ngozi Odu, for the prompt establishment of these centres.
Furthermore, the council has mandated the state’s flood control committee, also led by Odu, to implement urgent measures to mitigate flooding in affected areas, while advising residents against obstructing drainage channels.