The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), on Wednesday, approved the complete rehabilitation and modernisation of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex.
The administrator, whose six-month rule will end next week Thursday, September 18,2025, made the announcement this during the 2025 Civil Service Week Gala and Awards Ceremony held at Government House, Port Harcourt.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the Administrator’s Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubo, the project is aimed at transforming the secretariat into a modern, efficient, and conducive work environment for civil servants, described as the backbone of the state’s governance.
The statement added that Ibas also approved the construction of 106 housing units for civil servants.
Paying glowing tribute to retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, Ibas described them as the bedrock of the state’s administration.
He said the awards ceremony was an expression of gratitude for decades of sacrifice, resilience, and commitment.
“These interventions are designed not only to recognise your service but also to improve your welfare in tangible and lasting ways. We must build an administration that is efficient, effective, and truly citizen-centric,” he said.
The administrator urged serving officers to draw inspiration from their predecessors and strive to make meaningful impact in the lives of citizens.
He emphasised the importance of embracing innovation, technology, and continuous training to build a civil service fit for the future.
In her welcome address, the acting Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyingi Brown, described the service as the “engine room of government” and expressed gratitude to the Administrator for his unwavering support.
“A society that does not honour its heroes is not worthy of emulation,” she said, lauding the retirees as torchbearers of discipline and loyalty. She pledged to build on their legacy through reforms and innovation, projecting that the Rivers State Civil Service would become a model of efficiency and transparency by 2030.
Speaking on behalf of the retirees, President of the Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries, Sir Promise Njowhor, said the recognition was historic.
“For once, since the creation of the state, we are being honoured. Our morale has been lifted,” Njowhor said.
He pledged the association’s support for government programmes, describing the retirees as a pool of experience available to contribute to the state’s development.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Most Civil Service Friendly Award to Ibas by the Forum of Permanent Secretaries in recognition of his sustained promotion of the welfare and development of the Rivers State Civil Service.
Was appointed the state’s Sole Administrator on March 18, 2025 after President Bola Tinubu declared a six-month emergency rule in the state, sacking elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara, her deputy and the entire members of the House of Representatives.
Tinubu cited the protracted political cricis between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, as the reason for the emergency rule.
