The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas, on Saturday, April 5, 2025, continued his inspection tour across the state, focusing on ongoing projects and neglected public infrastructure in several Local Government Areas.
As part of the tour, Vice Admiral Ibas visited Emohua and Ikwerre LGAs where he conducted an on-the-spot assessment of government structures and social facilities that have suffered various levels of neglect and vandalism.
At the Emohua Local Government Council Secretariat, the Administrator observed the extent of damage inflicted on the facilities, similarly replicated at the Ikwerre LGA Council Secretariat.
The tour also took him to the General Hospital in Rumueche community, Emohua LGA, where all the hospital buildings were found completely vandalised, with the entire premises overrun by weeds. A similar sight was witnessed at the Zonal Hospital in Isiokpo town, where most of the buildings are no longer in use and have been overtaken by wild plant growth.
Speaking with journalists after the inspection, Vice Admiral Ibas emphasized the importance of assessing the situation personally despite receiving official reports.
“I had briefs from the various Permanent Secretaries. I thought it is appropriate that I go out to see for myself what we have on ground,” he said.
The Administrator acknowledged the challenges confronting the state’s public infrastructure but expressed his determination to develop effective solutions.
“We have a lot of projects that are ongoing, which we had the opportunity of looking at. You can also recall that there are some challenges that over the past months have cropped up. I also needed to see first-hand what the state of affairs are,” he stated.
“Having gone out, I think I will now go back and see how best we can address the challenges, while we continue to encourage the contractors that are handling the projects to make sure that they keep to the terms of the contract.”
Vice Admiral Ibas also stressed the importance of collective peace and development, noting that the stability of Rivers State contributes to national growth.
“A peaceful state brings prosperity to all of us. Not just those from within the state, but Nigeria, and I think we all have to work together to make sure that we make the state a place we love to be,” he said.
