October 03, (THEWILL) — Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday, issued a stern warning to permanent secretaries who allegedly aided illegality during the recent emergency rule in the state, stressing that there will be no hiding place for compromised officials.
The governor gave the warning at the Government House, Port Harcourt, during the swearing-in of a new permanent secretary, Austin Ezekiel-Hart. The oath of office was administered by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi.
Charging the new appointee to uphold professionalism and the values of the service, the governor emphasised that integrity and due process remain non-negotiable in his administration.
In a stern message to some permanent secretaries, he accused them of compromising their duties during the state’s emergency rule, Fubara declared:
“For every one of you here, Permanent Secretaries who were involved in illegality—when I say illegality, I’m not talking about the administration of the emergency rule itself; it was a situation beyond control. But those who supported actions that fell short of civil service standards, be sure your punishment will come. The records are there, and at the right time, I will bring them up, one after the other, against you.”
He commended Ezekiel-Hart for standing firm under pressure, describing him as a professional deserving of recognition, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rewarding uprightness while sanctioning misconduct.
The governor also directed the Head of Service to assign the new appointee to his duty post immediately.
The ceremony was witnessed by members of the State Executive Council, commissioners, and other senior government officials.
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