Following the state of emergency declared in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, March 18, appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd), as the sole administrator of the State for six months.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following the escalating political crisis rocking the oil-rich state.
Prior to his appointment, Ibas was a retired Naval officer and diplomat who was born on September 27, 1960, in Nko, Cross River State.
The retired Naval officer commenced his education at Nko Primary School and Big Qua Primary School in Calabar, completing his primary education in 1971.
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He attended Hope Waddell Training Institute from 1972 to 1976 and proceeded to the School of Basic Studies in Ogoja between 1977 and 1979.
In June 1979, he enlisted in the Nigerian Defence Academy as part of the 26th Regular Course and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1983.
Throughout his military career, Ibas undertook various courses, including the Sub-Lieutenant Technical Course in India, Primary Pilot Training at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kaduna, Junior Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji, and the National Defence Course at the National Defence College in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he also earned a master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University.
Ibas held numerous key positions within the Nigerian Navy, such as Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy Underwater Warfare School, Commander of the Naval Air Base in Ojo, Chief Staff Officer at the Naval Training Command, Chief of Administration at the Naval Headquarters, and Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command. In July 2015, he was appointed as the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff, a position he held until his retirement in January 2021.
Following his retirement from active military service, Ibas was appointed as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, further extending his service to the nation in a diplomatic capacity.
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas’s extensive experience in military leadership and diplomacy positions him well to navigate the complexities of his current role as the administrator of Rivers State.
