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By Myke Agunwa
The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd) has threatened to sue the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to recover the N300m paid for the hosting of the 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC).
The Sole Administrator in a statement on Tuesday, dismissed the claim by NBA that the amount was a donation, insisting that it was paid with an understanding to make Port Harcourt the host state of the conference, which NBA breached by moving it to Enugu.
The Administrator maintained that by relocating the 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Rivers State to Enugu State, the purpose of the payment has been breached and therefore every financial commitment must be refunded.
A statement by Hector Igbikiowubo, the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) on Media to the Sole Administrator, emphasized that the state government outrightly rejected the NBA’s recent claim that the N300m payment made by the state was a “gift”, unrelated to hosting rights for the NBA AGC 2025.
“For clarity, the Rivers State Government’s records show that the payment of ₦300m to the NBA was made with the mutual understanding that Rivers State would host the 2025 edition of the NBA AGC.
“The Rivers State Government entered into this arrangement with the NBA in good faith, with the understanding that hosting the conference in the state would attract significant economic benefits to our state, positively and directly impact the businesses of our people.
“The NBA’s unilateral decision to relocate the AGC 2025 against our mutual understanding and subsequent decision to withhold the ₦300 million paid for the purpose of hosting the NBA AGC 2025 in Rivers State is unethical and amounts to a breach of trust.”
The statement stressed that failure of the NBA to immediately refund the ₦300 to the Rivers State Government, would compel the implementation of all legal means to recover the property of the good people of Rivers State.
“We reaffirm our willingness to engage in partnerships with all professional bodies, including the NBA, but we will not accommodate exploitation of our people and the Rivers State Government,” the statement added.