Deyemi Saka writes…
While we may debate whether the recent proclamation of a State of Emergency in Rivers State fully adheres to the provisions of Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) or whether it is the appropriate response, I boldly state that the move was not a product of deep thinking.
Just three weeks ago, the Supreme Court upheld a Federal High Court ruling prohibiting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation from disbursing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The apex court affirmed the Federal High Court’s verdict, which halted the release of funds to Rivers State due to Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s failure to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill before the Amaewhule-led Assembly.
It is on record that the Governor made spirited attempts to comply with the Supreme Court’s judgment by re-presenting the budget and promptly dissolving the newly inaugurated local government administration, which was a product of the disputed period.
However, it is evident that the Sole Administrator appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can neither present nor re-present any budget. Furthermore, there is no functioning State House of Assembly to indulge such an absurdity, as, in an attempt to mask its bias and vested interests, Mr. President also suspended the Assembly.
The simple questions here are:
1. How will the Sole Administrator govern the state and carry out the business of governance for six months?
2. How will civil servants in Rivers State survive in the coming months, considering that Mr. President’s action has resulted in non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment?
3. Is Mr. President aware that allocations to Rivers State include security votes and other sundry receipts from the Federation Account?
4. Does Nigeria have an Attorney General of the Federation? If so, what legal counsel or advice did he provide to Mr. President and his team? Or is he merely a mannequin—a waste of space in governance and public administration?
If for nothing else, the blatant disregard for judicial independence and the rule of law should be enough reason for the National Assembly to reject this politically motivated, shallow decision to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State.
To think that some people are hailing and praising Mr. President despite this chronic knowledge gap on governance is truly confounding.
Deyemi Saka
PR Consultant and Public Affairs Analyst
