The Traffic

"Fake News Alert: Rivers Gov Fubara Denies Shutting Down Oil Operations"

By Achimi Muktari

In the wake of a viral social media post that sent shockwaves across Nigeria, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has categorically denied claims that he ordered the shutdown of oil operations in the state. The post, which has been widely circulated, alleged that the governor had halted activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other oil companies in protest of the state’s financial allocation freeze.

According to the viral post, Fubara supposedly declared, “No oil for Nigeria if there’s no federal allocation for Rivers State,” implying a bold standoff with the Federal Government and even challenging Minister Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu to act against his stance.

The inflammatory claims came in the aftermath of a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja on Wednesday, which restrained the Central Bank of Nigeria from disbursing further financial allocations to Rivers State due to a legal dispute involving the state’s House of Assembly. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who presided over the case, ruled that funds from the federation account should not be released to the state until a lawful appropriation act is passed by a validly constituted Assembly.

Despite the court ruling, the Rivers State Government has swiftly moved to appeal the judgment, expressing confidence that the ruling would be overturned.

Addressing the rumors head-on, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, released an official statement on Thursday, discrediting the viral report as “false and concocted propaganda.”

“The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to a spurious news item circulating on social media, claiming Governor Siminalayi Fubara has shut down NNPCL and all oil companies in Rivers State,” the statement read. “The report is not only false but a product of the imagination of enemies of the state. It was circulated by an unverified and inconsequential medium.”

Johnson further stressed that Governor Fubara remains committed to the rule of law and dismissed any notion that he would resort to “unconventional and crude approaches” in addressing governance issues.

The debunked story had sparked a wave of panic, with claims that Nigeria's global oil production ranking plummeted as a result of the alleged shutdown. However, the Rivers State Government is urging the public to disregard these baseless reports, assuring citizens that oil production continues without disruption.

Governor Fubara has made it clear that despite the legal and financial challenges the state is facing, his administration will pursue all remedies through lawful channels. As the appeal process continues, Rivers State remains committed to upholding the rule of law while ensuring the uninterrupted flow of its vital oil industry.

In the meantime, Rivers citizens and the general public are advised to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information as the state works through this legal impasse