In March 2025, Nigeria saw big changes in politics and security. President Bola Tinubu announced an emergency in Rivers State. This stopped Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly from working for six months at first. The reason was growing political problems and dangers to important national resources. This decision has caused much talk and worry.
What Happened Before: Trouble in Rivers State
Rivers State, in the oil-rich Niger Delta, has long been important for Nigeria’s economy because it makes a lot of oil. But the state has often had political problems. The latest trouble comes from a long fight between Governor Fubara and some people in the state’s politics, especially with Nyesom Wike, who is a Minister. This disagreement has made it hard to govern and improve the state.
In December 2023, Governor Fubara ordered the Rivers State House of Assembly building to be torn down, saying it had problems with its structure. But more than a year later, the building was still broken, which stopped the state government from making laws. This made the relationship between the governor and lawmakers worse, leading to problems in how the state was run.
Worries About Safety: Dangers to National Resources
Besides political fights, Rivers State has had safety problems, especially with people damaging oil equipment. Militants have attacked pipelines, which hurts Nigeria’s oil production and economy. The Trans Niger Pipeline, which is very important for moving oil to ships, caught fire because of vandalism. These incidents stop oil exports, cost a lot of money, and harm the environment.
President Tinubu said that intelligence reports showed that militants were ready to increase attacks on oil equipment, which could cause an energy crisis in the whole country. He was worried that the governor was not doing anything about these dangers. He said that reports showed that there had been pipeline vandalism by militants, but the governor did not stop them.
The Constitution and the Emergency
The Nigerian Constitution says that the President can declare an emergency in any part of the country if there are big dangers to public order and safety. This is meant to bring back peace and stability when the government is not working well.
President Tinubu used this power to declare the emergency in Rivers State, saying it was needed to protect national interests. He chose Ibokette Ibas, a retired Vice Admiral, to be in charge of the state during this time. The courts were not stopped from working, so laws could still be followed.
Reactions and What It Means
The announcement has caused different reactions:
Some people agree that it was needed to stop more safety problems and protect important national resources. They say the federal government is right to do this to keep the country stable.
Others disagree, saying it is too much power for the President and could hurt democracy. The Nigerian Bar Association said it was against the law, because an emergency should not end elected governments.
Stopping elected officials from working raises questions about the balance between national security and democracy. The federal government says these actions are temporary and meant to bring back order, but people worry that power could be used wrongly.
What Happened Before: Emergencies in Nigeria
Nigeria has declared emergencies before because of problems:
- 2004: Plateau State had an emergency because of fights between ethnic and religious groups.
- 2006: Ekiti State was put under emergency rule because of political problems.
- 2013: Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states had emergency rule because of the Boko Haram attacks.
In each case, the federal government tried to bring back order, but the results were different, and there were discussions about how well they worked.
