PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — The Rivers State Executive Council has revoked a ₦134 billion contract awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for the renovation and furnishing of the state secretariat complex.
The decision was reached on Thursday during a council meeting presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
In a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, the council also directed CCECC to refund the ₦20 billion mobilisation fee earlier paid for the project.
According to the statement, the contract was initially awarded by former sole administrator Ikot-Ete Ibas during the six-month emergency rule in the state.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Austin Ezekiel-Hart, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, said the project “was hastily awarded without due process.”
He said the council had also approved the revalidation of the bidding process for four projects earlier advertised in February, including the secretariat renovation and shoreline protection works in Opobo/Nkoro and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas.
Ezekiel-Hart added that the government would reopen the bidding process to allow qualified contractors to submit fresh proposals, emphasizing that the move aims to “ensure transparency and strict adherence to due process in project execution.”
