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Rivers Gov, Fubara, denies shutting down NNPCL
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has denied a viral social media post which claimed he ordered the shutting down of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and all oil operations in the state.
The post which the governor described as misleading and mischievous, made the rounds following a ruling on Wednesdayby Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from further disbursing financial allocations to the Rivers State government.
While delivering judgment on a suit filed by a fraction of the State House of Assembly led by Hon. Martins Amaewhule, Justice Abdulmalik held that monies from the federation account should not be released to the state pending the passage of a lawful appropriation act by a validly constituted house of assembly.
On Thursday, the social media space went agog when a post surfaced with the caption:
“Breaking News: Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara Shuts Down NNPC and All Oil Companies in Rivers State, Declares “No Allocation for Rivers State, No Oil for Nigeria”.
The post had read:
“In a bold move, Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara has ordered the shutdown of NNPC and all oil companies operating in Rivers State, declaring that without federal allocation for Rivers State, there will be no oil for Nigeria.
“Within minutes of the shutdown, Nigeria dropped in the global oil production ranking from 4th to 24th. Governor Fubara has openly challenged Minister Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu to take action against this stance and see Nigeria boil.”
But in a rebuttal on Thursday night, Fubara denied the allegations, saying he never ordered the shutting down of the operations of the oil company as he believes in the rule of law taking its course.
In a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, Fubara urged Nigerians to ignore the fake report as he never issued such an order.
The statement titled ‘RE: RIVERS STATE GOVERNOR SIM FUBARA SHUTS DOWN NNPCL’, said:
The attention of Rivers State Government has been drawn to a spurious news item circulating on social media on “Gov. Siminalayi Fubara shutting down NNPCL and all oil companies in Rivers State.
“The report was not only false, but a concocted propaganda from the imagination of the author and enemies of the State. The story was also circulated by an inconsequential and unverified medium.
“Governor Siminalayi Fubara is committed to the rule of law and does not rely on unconventional and crude approaches to respond to matters of governance.
“We therefore enjoin Rivers people and well-meaning Nigerians to discountenance the spurious and fake report as Governor Fubara at no time contemplated and/or directed such needless order of shutting down the economy for any reason.”
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