Meet Rivers State new sole administrator appointed by Tinubu

By Clement Adeyi, Abuja

Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR psc+ GSS AM ndc MSc is the new Sole Administrator of Rivers State following the state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025.

Ibas was born on 27 September 1960. He is a retired Nigerian Navy Vice Admiral and was the 22nd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Nigerian Navy from 2015 to 2021.

Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas 

Ibas hails from Nko, Cross River State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of 26 Regular Course on 20 June 1979 and was commissioned sub-lieutenant on January 1, 1983.

He began his primary education at Nko Primary School, Nko, in 1966 and completed it at Big Qua Primary School, Calabar in 1971.

Someone who has risen to the highest position in the Navy and knows much about the protection of facilities

He then proceeded to the prestigious Hope Waddell Training Institute Calabar from 1972 to 1976.

Between 1977 and 1979, he attended the School of Basic Studies Ogoja before proceeding to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979.

Those at the corridors of power say, President Tinubu’s choice for Ibas as Rivers State SOLAD is simply because he is from the Niger Delta and a retired Naval helmsman who understands the terrain and has a wealth of experience in combating activities of militants in the Creeks.

Read Also: Explainer: How State of Emergency in Rivers is Different from Previous Ones

“As someone who has risen to the highest position in the Navy and knows much about the protection of facilities and installations in the oil region it is a wise move by President Tinubu to appoint Ibas as Sole Administrator in the crises ridden state,” says a top government official.

Read Also: Tinubu declares state of emergency in Rivers