By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Rivers State Government on Saturday April 12, 2025, strongly warned  against the peddling of fake news in the State.

This is just as the authorities vehemently denied rumours of the appointment of a former Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, Dr Samuel Nwanosike, as the new helmsman of the River state Waste Management Agency .

The Source reports that the social media has in the last 24 hours been awash with reports of the appointment of  Nwanosike, a purported  cousin of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, as the new Sole Administrator of the state’s waste disposal agency .

Dr Nwanosike first  hit the lime light for the wrong reason ,when he disrespectfully tagged Governor Siminalayi Fubura as a ” mumu Governor ” last year at the heat of the political crisis in the state .

His rumoured appointment and those of other perceived loyalists of Wike has placed the State’s Sole Administrator on the spot with not a few questioning his motives and impartiality in the face of the disagreement between Governor Fubara and his erstwhile godfather .

But in a statement late on Saturday from Juliana Masi, the spokesperson for the SSG ,the State Government categorically refuted claims of Nwanosike’s appointment ,as well as the reported approval of the employment of about 10,000 persons by the State Civil Service Commission.

The SSG described all the reports as not only fake ,but misleading,noting that the purveyors are only out to create chaos and anarchy in the state .

“We wish to categorically inform the good people of Rivers State and the general public to ignore the fake announcements

Be informed that all official communications from the office of the Administrator of Rivers state have appropriate channels through which they are circulated. Pay attention to such channels.

The Government remains steadfast in its pursuit of a  peaceful, prosperous ,and united Rivers State”,part of the Government statement reads.

By Adesina Soyooye

For publicly dubbing the, now, suspended Governor of Rivers State, “Mumu Governor”, a former Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Council has bagged a big job from the Sole Administrator of the State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, rtd.

Recall that Dr Samuel Nwanosike, as a serving LGA Chairman, at a public fora, referred to the then unsuspended Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, a “Mumu Governor”.

However, Ibas has,  surprisingly, appointed the unabashed staunch loyalist of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to a juicy office.

Nwanosike is now  the new Head of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA). appointment came on the heels of the surprisingly and much criticised dissolution of Commissions and Boards of Parastatals and Institutions by Ibas.

With the appointment of Nwanosike to high profile position, the story in Rivers State is that the Sole Administrator has lost the moral high ground of neutrality.They say he has shown where his loyalty lies. They point out that he could not have been ignorant of the relationship between Wike and Nwanosike and certainly not deaf to the insult hauled at Fubara by Nwanosike. They say it questions the neutrality of Ibas in the political crisis,  a product of the bad blood which flows between Wike and Fubara.

This appointment, they are saying, is likely to highten the political distrust and tension in the State.

Nwanosike’s appointment took effect from April 11, 2025, and was announced by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Professor Ibibia Worika.

President Bola Tinubu had on March 18, declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State, suspended the democratically elected Governor Fubara, his Deputy, Dr Ngozi Odu, and Members of the State House of Assembly from office for an initial period of six months. He appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, rtd, a former Chief of Naval Staff, as the State’s Sole Administrator.

“I have seen that while the State appears peaceful, it may very well be peace of the graveyard which any little trigger can alter the balance of peace in the State and across the Region “

This afternoon (Yesterday, Friday, 11, April), I visited His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, at his residence in Port Harcourt.

We discussed the extreme political developments in the State in the last couple of weeks. I appreciated his calmness and peaceful disposition in the midst of unprecedented turbulence.

In our frank conversation, which was private, he expressed confidence in the ability of the institutions and leadership of the country to do what is right, and so do I.

I want to commend the good people of Rivers State on both sides, for maintaining peace and order even in the midst of this extreme and rare political development as I have seen that while the state appears peaceful, it may very well be the peace of a graveyard which, any little trigger can alter the balance of peace in the state and across the region.

In this regard, I want to appeal to all our people, the youths of Rivers State, and in particular the youths of Ijaw Nation, in Rivers State and across the Niger Delta, from Arogbo in Ondo State, to Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State, to continue to be peaceful and resist any provocation or incitement to violence. They should refrain  from violence and destructive tendencies, particularly the destruction and vandalization of strategic oil and gas infrastructure in the region, which has the tendency to cause further pollution-damage to our already compromised environment, slow down the pace of economic development and activities in the region, and create fiscal challenges for government at all levels in the country, especially at this time when the global economy is experiencing unprecedented instability with consequences for all nations.

On account of the above, I urge all stakeholders to place the overall well-being of Rivers state, its people, the Niger Delta region and the entire country in their decisions, utterances and actions.

I also urge the Sole Administrator, who himself is a highly decorated and respected military veteran from the Niger Delta region, to refrain from actions that do not build confidence and aid the quick and amicable resolution of the crisis.

I commend the security forces for keeping peace in the region and urge them to continue to work with stakeholders and constituted authorities  to do so, even in Rivers State and across the region.

I call on the President to prevail on stakeholders, especially my brother the FCT Minister and the governor, Siminalaye Fubara, to find a common ground for tolerance and accommodation for a quick resolution. As I have always said, there are no perfect fathers and sons.

We must learn to tolerate and manage one another in spite of our imperfections and always remember the unique relationship they have built over the years, which has led to the emergence of the governor. It is always the divine prerogative of fathers to torlerate and forebear for the overall interest of all.

On the part of the President, I would like to state that the Ijaw Nation is not at war with the Federal Government or with the President, and we are looking up to him as the leader of the nation to lead in the resolution of the issues and restore normalcy and democratic rule. I call on all leaders from the Niger Delta at the State and National level to play an active part in the resolution of this issue.

The Ijaw Nation is not at war with the President or the APC-led Federal Government. On the contrary the Niger Delta and the Ijaw Nation have always stood for a restructured and truly Federal Nigeria where power is properly devolved, accelerated infrastructure and human capital development, environmental justice and fairness for all, and an inclusive Nigeria. On all these issues, we are encouraged to see the President as a partner from his antecedence and not a foe irrespective of party differences as some may portray.

Dickson, a ranking Senator  was Governor of Bayelsa State for two-terms