Fubara Appoints Benibo Anabraba as Rivers State SSG, Moves to Rebuild Cabinet After Return to Office

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has appointed Hon. Benibo Anabraba as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

The appointment was announced on Monday through a statement by Dr. Honour Sirawoo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications. According to the statement, Anabraba will be sworn in today, Monday, October 13, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.

The statement read in part: “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has approved the appointment of Hon. Benibo Anabraba as Secretary to the State Government. The new SSG will be sworn in today by 4:00 p.m. at the Government House.”

Anabraba’s appointment marks one of Fubara’s first major administrative decisions following his reinstatement as governor after months of political and legal turbulence. President Bola Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy, and the House of Assembly amid a deepening political crisis between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

During the emergency period, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas served as Sole Administrator, dissolving boards and suspending several of Fubara’s appointees. Since the lifting of the emergency on September 18, the status of these appointees had remained unclear.

With his return, Governor Fubara appears poised to reorganize his administration, beginning with key appointments to strengthen governance and restore political stability in the state.