The number of resignations in the Rivers State Executive Council has risen to nine after two more commissioners handed in their resignations following the depature of seven of their colleagues from Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s cabinet.
The latest to resign are the Commissioner for Special Projects, Emeka Woke and the Commissioner for Environment, Austen Ben-Chioma.
While Woke served as the Chief of Staff to former governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Ben-Chioma served as Commissioner for Urban Development in the immediate past administration.
Woke was also former Local Government Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area.
His letter of resignation is dated November 14, 2023 as that of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), whose resignation was first to be reported.
My decision to resign at this time necessitated by pressing family demands for my time and attention as well as the desire to afford other deserving Rivers people the opportunity to serve you and the state in that capacity,” Woke’s letter read in part.
However, Ben-Chioma’s letter is dated December 15, 2023 as the case with the rest of the cabinet members that have resigned.
He also highlighted that his decision to resign was due to personal reasons.
Those who resigned earlier include the state’s Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice Prof Zacchaeus Adangor, Commissioner for Works George-Kelly Alabo, Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Commissioner Inime Aguma and Commissioner of Finance, Isaac Kamalu.
Others are Commissioner of Transportation, Dr Jacobson B. Nbina, State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Prince Chinedu, as well as the State Commissioner for Housing, Gift Worlu.
The resignation of these nine Commissioners have so far come to public knowledge since the escalation of the political crisis in Rivers State.
One Commissioner, Henry Ogiri who was in charge of the Ministry of Power had before the new wave of resignations, left in November to take up a federal appointment as a Commissioner in the National Population Commission.
The Rivers State cabinet is now left with about 8 commissioners assuming more cabinet members have not resigned yet.
‘No Crisis In Rivers State’
Meanwhile, Amid the political uncertainty that has now seen nine members of his cabinet resign in the last 48 hours, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday assured investors that there is no crisis in the state.
The governor, who spoke during the flag off of 20,000 housing units in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, told investors that Rivers State is very safe and secure for their investments.
Rivers State is a haven for investment. What we are doing today is to let the world know; not what you hear on the radio or what you see on the screen of television, ‘Rivers State is not safe, there is a crisis’.
Rivers State is safe and secure for anybody anywhere to come and invest, your investment is safe in our hands,” Fubara said.
Fubara also assured the people of the state that his government will take care of them and defend them, adding that his administration is not interested in fighting anybody.
For our people, I want to assure you that our governance has nothing to do with fighting anybody. Our governance is to take care of and defend our people.
I can assure you here that this is the beginning of our service to the people of Rivers State. It is not service to big men like me but like to the low-income people,” he said.
