THE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Sole Administrator for River State, Vice Admiral (RTD.) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas has ordered the cancellation of all procurement and tender processes that were carried out by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) during the period.
In an official statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Worika, the government directed all ministries, departments, and agencies that carried out such tender processes for projects in their respective offices to immediately refund any tender fees collected from contractors, pending the approval of a spending plan by the state, which shall be notified in due course.
The directive, which effectively suspends all government tender processes until further notice, is said to be in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment upholding the Appeal Court ruling in Suit No. CA/ABJ/CV/133/2024 and in the absence of an Appropriation Law.
This move is expected to significantly impact contractors and businesses currently engaged with Rivers State projects, requiring them to await fresh guidelines once the government finalises its financial regulations.
Eighteen-Eleven Media