₦300 Million: How Will NBA Back Rivers State Emergency Rule After Collecting Gifts? – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has openly questioned the moral stance of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over its opposition to the emergency rule declared in Rivers State.

Speaking during a media chat in Abuja, Wike alleged that the NBA collected a ₦300 million “gift” from the suspended administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which, according to him, compromised the association’s neutrality and informed its resistance to the emergency declaration.

The former Rivers governor challenged the integrity of the NBA’s response to the unfolding political crisis, which followed the suspension of Fubara and other state officials for six months by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In the aftermath of the suspension, the NBA relocated its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu, citing the emergency rule as a reason and describing the declaration as “unconstitutional.”

The NBA has since faced scrutiny for this move, especially after the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, demanded the return of the ₦300 million grant initially allocated for the conference.

While the NBA described the money as a gift, Wike firmly disagreed, labelling the fund illegal due to the lack of appropriation.

“On the NBA matter, it is unfortunate. How will the NBA back Rivers emergency rule when they collected gifts? When the Body of Benchers came to see me, I told them. When the Justice gave judgement about local government, the NBA came out and condemned it without reading the judgement.

“The president declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. They say he is not correct until everybody now knows why they took that stance because the state gifted them a gift that was not appropriate,” Wike said.

He added: “NBA took ₦300 million and said it was a gift. In my budget I put it as a grant. I am allowed by law because it is appropriated. In this case the gift was not appropriated. NBA took an illegal gift.”