Barely three days after the House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee visited Rivers State, the Coalition for Civil Service Reforms (CCSR) has praised the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd.), for what it described as a rescue mission in the state’s troubled civil service.
In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade LarryKing Amos, and made public on Sunday, the Coalition commended Ibas for reforms that have breathed life back into a system once crippled by decay. The group highlighted his consistent payment of salaries and welfare initiatives as key drivers of renewed staff morale, harmony, and stability in the state.
According to the Coalition, the administrator’s commitment has helped restore peace between the workforce and government after years of strained relations. It also applauded the Ad-Hoc Committee’s recognition of these reforms, particularly its insistence on urgent renovation of the collapsing State Secretariat, which civil servants have long described as unsafe.
“As a group that has consistently called for civil service reforms, we have written several letters in the past, warning about the dangerous state of key structures like the Secretariat and House of Assembly complex,” the statement read. “For years, our calls fell on deaf ears. But since Admiral Ibas assumed office, there has been deliberate attention to workers’ safety and welfare.”
The House Committee, led by Majority Leader Professor Julius Ihonvbere, had last week ordered the immediate overhaul of the Secretariat, likening its deplorable state to conditions “worse than war-torn Gaza.” Floors were said to be crumbling, roofs leaking, electrical wiring exposed, while toilets and basic amenities were almost non-existent.
The Coalition described the renovation order as “life-saving,” adding that for the first time in a long while, civil servants in Rivers now see genuine hope for better working conditions.
