By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Governor of Rivers State, Mr Sim Fubara, has denied rumours that he has shut down the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and other oil companies in the state in retaliation for a Federal High Court in Abuja blocking fund allocations to his government.
On Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Governor Fubara to access funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
She held that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January 2024 by the state government governor was an aberration and must stop.
The judge based her judgement on the refusal of Mr Fubara to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Mr Martin Amaewhule.
In December 2023, the Governor presented the 2024 budget titled the Budget of Renewed Hope, Consolidation, and Continuity to the state parliament then headed by Mr Edison Ehie, who now works as his Chief of Staff.
The House he presented the budget to comprised five members, as 27 other lawmakers, loyal to the immediate past Governor of the state, Mr Nyesom Wike, had had their seats declared vacant after they defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, after going to court, the Assembly, which has Mr Amaewhule as the Speaker, gave the state governor an ultimatum in June 2024 to present the 2024 budget worth N800 billion to them as directed by Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja in January 2024.
After Wednesday’s judgement on the allocation of funds to the state, there were suggestions to the governor to revoke licences of oil companies in the state and a directive for a revalidation to raise funds to run the government.
On Thursday, there were speculations that Mr Fubara may have followed this advice, but the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Warisenibo Joe Johnson, played down the rumours.
“The report was not only false but concocted propaganda from the imagination of the author and enemies of the state. The story was also circulated by an inconsequential and unverified medium.
“Governor Siminalayi Fubara is committed to the rule of law and does not rely on unconventional and crude approaches to respond to matters of governance.
“We therefore enjoin Rivers people and well-meaning Nigerians to discountenance the spurious and fake report as Governor Fubara at no time contemplated and/or directed such needless order of shutting down the economy for any reason,” the statement said.