Benibo Anabraba was sworn in as the new Secretary to the State Government on Monday by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who urged him to carry out his responsibilities with integrity and refrain from abusing his position of authority.
The appointment of Anabraba was Funara’s first significant appointment since he was reinstated when President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule on September 18.
Anabraba, who previously served as the existing administration’s Commissioner for Housing, was the All Progressives Congress’s Minority Leader in the Rivers State House of Assembly. He was one of those vetted by Victor Oko-Jumbo, the governor’s loyalist and former factional Speaker of the State Assembly.
Fubara praised the selection as a sign of divine favour and congratulated the new SSG.
“I use the word ‘congratulations’ because this position you just got can only be God’s,” he remarked. My task is extremely straightforward: God has appointed you to be the Secretary to the Government of Rivers State at this specific moment.
It’s a genuine chance. There are too many commissioners to count, however we can count the number of SSGs since Rivers State’s founding. Thus, it is an honourable position.
“I want you to uphold the honour of that office, carry out your responsibilities with dignity, and defend Rivers State’s interests.” I want you to leave office with honour, and you can only do so if you carry out your responsibilities with responsibility.
The governor noted Anabraba’s prior service history and conveyed confidence in his capacity to perform.
“I am confident that you will perform well,” Fubara remarked. “I am aware that you served in the Rivers State House of Assembly at one point. You were actually a principal officer at the time, I believe you were the Minority Leader. You served as one of my commissioners as well, and I was aware of your success during our time together.
“You’re a really committed individual. Therefore, this is not a chance to demonstrate authority. It’s not a chance to claim, “I can do as I please because I have a big office.” It is a summons to service.
“We’re starting from a really, really poor place. Now that the state is at peace, we must reassure the residents of Rivers State that we have their best interests in mind. In order to assist us succeed in this task that God Almighty has given us, please, by God’s grace, do your work exceptionally well,” the governor continued.
According to our correspondent, as the governor assembles his staff, a wave of administrative reforms has accompanied Fubara’s return to the governorship.
The nomination comes after Fubara was reinstated following months of political and legal turmoil that resulted in his suspension under President Tinubu’s emergency rule.
The governor, his deputy, and members of the House of Assembly were suspended when Tinubu proclaimed a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025. He explained the extreme action by pointing to the protracted political dispute between Fubara and his predecessor and political backer, Nyesom Wike.
With the goal of re-establishing political stability in the state, the President named retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator in lieu of Fubara.
Ibas suspended all of Fubara’s appointed commissioners, special advisers, and aides as soon as he took office. Additionally, he suspended the heads of parastatals he encountered in office and abolished boards.
The status of Fubara’s appointees had been unclear since Ibas left the state on September 18. At its first meeting following the emergency rule’s lifting, the Rivers State House of Assembly urged the governor to present a new list of commissioner nominees for review along with the 2025 budget for approval.
