Five Commissioners have resigned from the Rivers State Government under the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Five commissioners loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, stepped down from their positions. The resigning commissioners include Chinedu Mmom (Ministry of Education), Gift Worlu (Ministry of Housing), Jacobson Nbina (Ministry of Transport), Inime Aguma (Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation), and Austin Ben-Chioma (Commissioner for Environment).
Inime Aguma cited “no room for professional development in the workplace” as the reason for her resignation, while Austin Ben-Chioma attributed his resignation to “the political crisis befalling our dear Rivers State and other personal reasons.” Mmom and Worlu pointed to a toxic working environment, and Nbina referred to an “unresolved political crisis” in the state as his reasons for leaving.
These five were among the commissioners who first resigned last December during a political crisis but were reappointed after President Bola Tinubu’s intervention. Previously, three other commissioners—Zacchaeus Adangor (Ministry of Justice), Emeka Woke (Ministry of Special Projects), and Alabo George-Kelly (Ministry of Works)—also resigned.
Governor Fubara recently announced plans to establish a panel of inquiry to investigate the governance of the state under the Wike administration. He accused his opponents of deliberately sabotaging his administration, despite his hopes for an amicable resolution to the state’s issues.
This latest development intensifies the ongoing political crisis in the oil-rich state, deepening the feud between Fubara and the state House of Assembly. Last week, lawmakers loyal to the governor elected a new speaker, and Fubara issued an executive order relocating the Assembly’s sitting venue to the Government House, citing safety concerns.
The feud stems from a fallout between Fubara and his predecessor, current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. Despite President Tinubu’s earlier intervention, the crisis remains unresolved.
