No fewer than 5,000 civil servants employed by the Rivers State Government may be placed on forced leave following plans to shut down the state’s 50-year-old Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt for a massive renovation project estimated at ₦134 billion.
The renovation which is scheduled to commence on Friday, January 2, 2026, was approved during the emergency rule period and awarded by the then Sole Administrator of the state, Rtd Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ekwe Ibas.
Rtd Vice Admiral Ibas, who supervised the affairs of the oil-rich state under emergency rule, awarded the contract to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) at a total cost of ₦134 billion and a mobilisation fee of ₦20 billion was reportedly paid to the contractor during the final days of the emergency administration.
However, Governor Siminalayi Joseph Fubara cancelled the contract days after the exit of the sole administrator on the night of September 18, 2025, and ordered CCECC to refund the ₦20 billion mobilisation fee. While it remains unclear whether the funds have been refunded, the state government has indicated that renovation work on the complex will proceed as scheduled.
In preparation for the project, the Head of Service of Rivers State, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyingi Brown, has directed all ministries, departments, and agencies operating within the Secretariat Complex to vacate the premises with immediate effect.
The directive was contained in a circular dated December 29, 2025, addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, the Chairmen of the Civil Service Commission and Local Government Service Commission, all Permanent Secretaries, the State and Local Government Auditors-General, as well as heads of non-ministerial and extra-ministerial departments.
Titled “Commencement of Renovation Works at the State Secretariat Complex,” the letter stated that the governor had approved restricted access to the complex, allowing only essential staff to report for duty during the renovation period.
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Permanent Secretaries and heads of MDAs were instructed to ensure that only critical personnel gain access to the premises, a measure aimed at guaranteeing staff safety and ensuring the smooth execution of the construction work. The statement noted that further directives regarding the resumption of normal operations would be communicated in due course.
Once regarded as one of the finest government office complexes in Nigeria, the Rivers State Secretariat was constructed in 1975 under the administration of the first military governor of the former Rivers State, Alfred Diete-Spiff.
The sprawling complex consists of multiple high-rise buildings, including the 17-storey Point Block, the 10-storey Podium Block, and three seven-storey structures designated as Blocks A, B, and C.
