The Rivers State Government has officially dismissed allegations that Governor Siminalayi Fubara ordered the shutdown of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) operations within the state. This clarification came from Joe Johnson, the state Commissioner for Information, following online rumors suggesting that the governor took this action in response to a court ruling preventing the Central Bank of Nigeria from disbursing federal allocations to Rivers State.

Reports circulating on social media included a claim, attributed to a YouTube blog, that Governor Fubara had stated, “no allocation to Rivers State, no oil for Nigeria,” in light of the Federal High Court’s decision in Abuja. However, the Rivers State Government characterized these reports as “false” and labeled them as “concocted propaganda from the imagination of the author and enemies of the State.” Johnson noted that the story stemmed from an “inconsequential and unverified medium.”

Reiterating Governor Fubara’s adherence to the rule of law, Johnson emphasized that the governor does not engage in “unconventional and crude approaches” to governance. He urged the residents of Rivers and concerned citizens to disregard the misleading information and reaffirmed that Governor Fubara had never considered or issued any orders to shut down the state’s economy.

Additionally, during a Thanksgiving Service commemorating the first anniversary of a thwarted impeachment attempt, Governor Fubara remarked that the court ruling was “the least of his problems.” He assured attendees that payments to contractors and civil servants would be processed the following day (Thursday). The legal action that led to the suspension of funds for Rivers State was initiated by pro-Wike lawmakers protesting the 2024 budget, which Fubara had signed into law after it was presented to a limited assembly of four members.