Tinubu Thanks Senate for Approving State of Emergency in Rivers, States Real Reason for the Declaration

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The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State may not be as a result of the political impasse in the state after all. The presidency may have taken the decision principally because it was desperate to safeguard oil exploration activities in the state.

Though the president alluded to the economic factor in his speech, the main reason adduced for the declaration was the political crisis, which he said had rendered governance almost ineffective. But in the statement signed by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, the president is quoted to have said that efforts made by his administration to increase oil output in the area were seen to be at risk. The statement was released to express the gratitude of the president to the Senate for approving the declaration of the state of emergency.

The President said, according to the statement, “The crisis in Rivers State was at a perilous tipping point, threatening the security of vital oil and gas installations and undermining the national economy and the significant progress we have made in the reforms initiated since our administration commenced in May 2023.” Though the Senate has passed a resolution for the setting up of a body of eminent Nigerians to reconcile the warring parties in the political impasse, the parties may have to be able to establish a nexus between the threat to the economic structures and the political crisis, which evolved as a result of the disagreement between Governor Similayi Fubara and his aggrieved godfather, Nyesom Wike, former governor and currently minister of the federal capital territory.

The declaration has generated mixed reactions from lawyers and other people, some of whom insist that the president’s action is a clear breach of the constitution, while others attempt to justify the move. Interestingly, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON appears to have endorsed it, despite complaints by Nigerians that it is a violation of the constitution. Mr. Odunayo Ategbero, chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT of ALGON said, “If the President had not taken it upon himself to act swiftly, a lot of issues could have arisen. Perhaps, if the House of Assembly had been allowed to impeach the governor, it could have led to a crisis that might have snowballed into something even worse, possibly a civil war.”