By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Rivers State Government has distanced itself from a social media post claiming that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has plans to cripple oil operations in the South-South state region, especially in Rivers State.
According to the viral post, the governor allegedly ordered the closure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other oil companies in the state following a court ruling on Wednesday.
The post reportedly reads: “Breaking News: Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara Shuts Down NNPC and All Oil Companies in Rivers State, Declares No Allocation for Rivers State, No Oil for Nigeria
“In a bold move, Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara has ordered the shutdown of NNPC and all oil companies operating in Rivers State, declaring that without federal allocation for Rivers State, there will be no oil for Nigeria.
“Within minutes of the shutdown, Nigeria dropped in the global oil production ranking from 4th to 24th. Governor Fubara has openly challenged Minister Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu to take action against this stance and see Nigeria boil.”
But reacting to the viral post in a statement on Thursday, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, said the report is not only false but also a concocted propaganda.
He stated that Fubara is a respecter of the rule of law and won’t take laws into his own hands by resorting to crude and unconventional approaches to settle an issue that borders on governance.
The statement reads: “The attention of Rivers State Government has been drawn to a spurious news item circulating on social media on “Gov. Siminalayi Fubara shutting down NNPCL and all oil companies in Rivers State.”
“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 New Diplomat reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja had on Wednesday restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria from further disbursing financial allocations to the Rivers state government.
The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, issued the verdict while delivering judgment on a suit filed by a factional Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule loyal to Wike.
The judge had ruled that monies from the federation account should not be released to the state pending the passage of a lawful appropriation act by a validly constituted House of Assembly.
However, the state government said it has appealed the judgment, expressing optimism that the Appeal Court would upturn the judgment.
