President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday held a meeting with Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), the Administrator of Rivers State, at the State House in Abuja. The talks came less than two weeks before the scheduled termination of the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state, which is set to expire on September 18.
The emergency proclamation, which began in March, followed the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire House of Assembly. In a nationwide broadcast earlier this year, Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, citing the need to safeguard peace and prevent a collapse of governance in the state.
The President’s intervention placed Vice Admiral Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, in charge of Rivers as Administrator. His mandate was to restore order, stabilise governance, and ensure continuity in public administration during the emergency period. With the suspension nearing its end, Governor Fubara is expected to return to office unless new measures are announced.
Details of Wednesday’s discussions between Tinubu and Ibas were not made public, and the Presidency did not issue an official statement. However, sources suggested that the meeting formed part of wider consultations on the political and administrative future of the state as the emergency order winds down.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has travelled out of the country on a 10-day working vacation in Europe. According to his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President departed Abuja on Wednesday and will split his time between France and the United Kingdom before returning. The trip, which forms part of his 2025 annual leave, is expected to include rest as well as working engagements.
The departure comes after a period of intense domestic and international activity for the Nigerian leader. This week, the Presidency highlighted unprecedented fiscal gains, reporting N20.59 trillion in government revenue between January and August 2025. This figure marked a 40.5 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, driven by reforms that expanded the tax base and digitised compliance systems.
On the policy front, Tinubu recently directed the full enforcement of mandatory health insurance for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. He stressed that while all public workers must be covered under the National Health Insurance Authority, the law’s implementation must not impose undue burdens on private businesses.
Internationally, Tinubu has sought to boost Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic standing. In August, he visited Brazil, where agreements were signed in aviation, trade, and science. The trip also reopened discussions with Petrobras, the Brazilian oil giant, about returning to Nigeria’s energy sector. Additionally, it led to the approval of direct Lagos–São Paulo flights by Air Peace.
Earlier in the year, the President attended the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, to deepen economic cooperation. He also toured Saint Lucia and Brazil in June and July as part of efforts to strengthen South–South partnerships.
The Financial Times recently described Tinubu’s domestic reforms as “shock therapy” aimed at stabilising Nigeria’s economy and restoring investor confidence. International organisations have similarly acknowledged growing global respect for Nigeria’s economic direction under his leadership.
Although framed as a vacation, Tinubu’s latest European trip is expected to mirror his previous pattern of combining rest with official engagements. Observers note that such trips often serve dual purposes, allowing the President to sustain diplomatic outreach while also reinforcing his reform agenda abroad.
With the Rivers State emergency rule set to end in less than two weeks, attention now turns to whether the political transition will be smooth and whether Governor Fubara will resume office without fresh disputes. The President’s discussions with Ibas, even as he prepares to leave for Europe, underline the sensitive nature of the matter and the national interest at stake.
