The Rivers State Executive Council (SEC) has officially terminated the N134 billion contract previously awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the renovation, retrofitting, and furnishing of the State Secretariat complex. The project was initially approved during the six-month emergency administration of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd). Along with the revocation, the SEC ordered CCECC to immediately refund the N20 billion mobilisation fee that had already been disbursed to the company.
The decision was taken at a State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Port Harcourt under the chairmanship of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Explaining the development to journalists, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, revealed that the original contract award did not adhere to proper procurement procedures. As a corrective measure, the Council has now approved the revalidation of the bidding processes for four key projects, which were initially advertised on February 19, 2025.
Ezekiel-Hart further stated that new advertisements would soon be published to invite credible and experienced contractors to participate in the renewed bidding process. The projects slated for revalidation include the renovation and furnishing of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex, as well as several major shoreline protection and reclamation works in riverine communities within Opobo/Nkoro and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas. These include 4.8 kilometres of shoreline protection across Queenstown, Epellema, Oloma, and Minima in Opobo/Nkoro; 2.5 kilometres of similar work in Ndoni-Onukwu, Isikwu, and Aziazagi; and another 2.5 kilometres covering Utuechi, Obiofu, Isala, Ani-Eze, and Odugri in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.
Additionally, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr. Azibaolanari Uzoma-Nwogu, disclosed that the Council had approved the establishment of a committee to draft a proposal for setting up Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and ICT laboratories across the three senatorial districts of the state. The initiative is part of the government’s plan to enhance digital learning and examination systems.
In a separate development, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Mr. Tonye Cole, has issued a N20 billion defamation claim against Channels Television. Through his legal representatives, S.O. Okutepa (SAN) & Co., Cole sent a seven-page demand letter dated October 8, 2025, accusing the station of broadcasting defamatory remarks made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, during a live interview on its programme, *Politics Today*, aired on September 18, 2025.
During the programme titled *One-on-One with Nyesom Wike*, the former Rivers State governor allegedly described Cole as a “thief” and accused him of embezzling state funds through Sahara Energy, claiming he was involved in the sale of Rivers Gas assets for $308 million — a transaction Wike said drained the state’s finances. Cole’s lawyers argued that the statements were entirely baseless, malicious, and intended to damage their client’s public image. They also faulted Channels TV for giving Wike unrestricted airtime and for allowing the interview to remain accessible on its YouTube channel and other platforms.
The legal team demanded that Channels TV publish a full retraction and apology, both in writing and on-air, and remove all versions of the interview from its media platforms. They further requested that the station pay N20 billion in damages through a bank draft and issue a written undertaking to refrain from any further defamatory publications. The network was given 14 days, expiring on October 22, 2025, to comply with these conditions or face legal action.