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The Rivers State Government has refuted claims circulating on social media that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has ordered the shutdown of oil operations in the state.
A viral post alleged that Governor Fubara issued a directive to close the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and other oil companies in Rivers State following a recent court ruling.
The post claimed, “Breaking News: Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara Shuts Down NNPC and All Oil Companies in Rivers State, Declares No Allocation for Rivers State, No Oil for Nigeria.”
The post further asserted, “In a bold move, Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara has ordered the shutdown of NNPC and all oil companies operating in Rivers State, declaring that without federal allocation for Rivers State, there will be no oil for Nigeria. Within minutes of the shutdown, Nigeria dropped in the global oil production ranking from 4th to 24th. Governor Fubara has openly challenged Minister Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu to take action against this stance and see Nigeria boil.”
The backdrop to these claims involves a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja, which restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria from disbursing financial allocations to the Rivers State government.
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Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued this verdict on Wednesday, determining that funds from the federation account should not be released to the state until a lawful appropriation act is passed by a validly constituted House of Assembly.
The Rivers State government has appealed this judgment, expressing confidence that the Appeal Court will overturn the decision.
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In response to the viral claims, Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, issued a statement on Thursday, characterizing the report as false and a product of propaganda.
He emphasized that Fubara is dedicated to the rule of law and does not resort to unconventional methods to address governance issues.
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The statement reads, “The attention of Rivers State Government has been drawn to a spurious news item circulating on social media on ‘Gov. Siminalayi Fubara shutting down NNPCL and all oil companies in Rivers State.’ The report was not only false but concocted propaganda from the imagination of the author and enemies of the State. The story was also circulated by an inconsequential and unverified medium.”
Johnson concluded, “Governor Siminalayi Fubara is committed to the rule of law and does not rely on unconventional and crude approaches to respond to matters of governance. We, therefore, enjoin Rivers people and well-meaning Nigerians to discountenance the spurious and fake report as Governor Fubara at no time contemplated and/or directed such needless order of shutting down the economy for any reason.”
