The newly appointed administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd) will today, March 24, 2025 meet with civil servants at the State Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt, capital of the state.
In a circular dated March 21, 2025 and signed by the state’s Head of Service, Dr George Nwaeke informed that: “I hereby write to inform you that His Excellency, Vice Admiral (Rtd), Ibok-ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, Administrator, Rivers State will be visiting the State Secretariat Complex on Monday, 24 March, 2025.
“In light of the above, you are requested to inform all your staff to be on duty on the said date. Also make available your nominal role for sighting,” reads the circular.
Confusion however arose when the circular, captioned ‘Special Visitation by the Administrator’, with reference number GO/HOS/C/A.779/205 was addressed to Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief of Staff, all Hon Commissioners, all Special Advisers and even all Senior Special Advisers, political appointees affected by the presidential proclamation.
Few hours later, our news desk observed that the first circular has been brought down, replaced with a new one, properly addressed to chairman of the state Civil Service Commission and all Permanent Secretaries and Heads of government agencies and others.
We could not immediately reach out to Dr Nwaeke, Head of the state Civil Service to know why the first circular was withdrawn. But we learnt that it was a regretable error from his office.
The Administrator, had last week, on day three after his resumption of duties in the state announced that March salaries of civil servants will be paid because the federal government has released the withheld allocations of the state.
It’s expected that the Administrator would use opportunity of today’s meeting to assure civil servants of their salary payments and solicit for their cooperation and support.
