Rivers boils again as lawmakers slam Fubara over ‘rot in schools despite N600bn savings

A new round of tension is unfolding in Rivers State as the House of Assembly has taken aim at Governor Siminalayi Fubara, accusing his administration of neglecting public schools at a time the state reportedly has more than N600bn in its coffers.

The lawmakers, loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, said it was “shameful” that basic education facilities had collapsed barely three months after the end of emergency rule.

Former Sole Administrator, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), had handed over in September with more than N600bn in various state accounts, a figure the Assembly insists makes the situation in public schools inexcusable.

The confrontation escalated on Monday after the House Committee Chairman on Education, Igwe Aforji, inspected Township School 1 and 2 on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt. His findings prompted Speaker Martin Amaewhule to issue a scathing rebuke.

According to him, students are learning in “heartbreaking and unacceptable conditions.”

He cited an instance where a single teacher was forced to teach Primary 1 and 2 simultaneously in one overcrowded classroom.

“One teacher switches between two classes at the same time while the pupils awkwardly try to block out lessons meant for the other group. This is happening in 2025 in Rivers State,” the Speaker lamented.

Amaewhule also described the absence of electricity, toilets and security personnel in schools located near critical government infrastructure, including the Government House and the PHED headquarters.

“Vandals have taken over the school. They destroy the little facilities left. Yet nothing is being done by the Executive Council,” he added.

‘Schools Are Rotten, But the Decay Didn’t Start With Us’ – Fubara

Governor Fubara, speaking at a meeting of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, did not address the lawmakers directly but maintained that education remains his top priority.

He promised that the 2026 budget would allocate the largest share to the education sector, adding that his administration is planning reforms rooted in proper needs assessment.

Fubara, however, insisted that the deterioration of schools is a longstanding problem weaponised against him during the 2023 election campaigns.

“You all know the state of our schools. They didn’t suddenly decay in one year. They have been like this for a long time. During the campaign, they mocked me, saying there were no teachers in Etche, Gokana and other places,” he said.

In a rare admission, Fubara said he only began experiencing peace in governance after President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers in March 2025.

The emergency rule had followed the violent power struggle between the governor and Wike, which led to the emergence of two rival Speakers-Martin Amaewhule and Edison Ehie-and the bombing of the Assembly complex.

“Before we returned from the emergency, there was hardly any week without one crisis or another,” Fubara recalled.

The governor also highlighted ongoing upgrades to zonal hospitals, improvement in health workers’ welfare, and upcoming job openings, including the long-discussed 10,000 employment slots. He stressed that recruitment would be based strictly on state needs and not political patronage.

The session, which combined the 3rd and 4th quarterly meetings of the traditional rulers’ council, ended with Fubara thanking monarchs for their role in stabilising the state during its most turbulent political period in decades.