The Government of Rivers State consists of elected representatives and appointed officials responsible for the government of

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Rivers State has a population of about 5 million people, and is one of the 36 states that make up the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The state government is composed of the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

, and

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

branches, whose powers are vested by the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

in the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...

, the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and the High Court. The judiciary operates independently of the executive and the legislature. At the local level, elected officials are in charge of local government areas.

Executive

The executive branch is headed by the

, assisted by the Deputy Governor, both elected. The governor appoints the heads of parastatals, state-owned bodies, judicial officers, permanent secretaries and members of the Executive Council with the exception of the deputy. The Civil Service is administered by the head of service, a career civil servant, with each ministry managed by a permanent secretary. The commissioner is responsible for policy, while the permanent secretary provides continuity and is responsible for operations.

Governor

As the highest ranking-official in the executive, the Governor of Rivers State wields significant influence in matters relating to the governance of the state. As in most presidential systems, the governor is both the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

and

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

. The governor is empowered by the Constitution to preside over the Executive Council, as well as to appoint, dismiss or reappoint its members–excluding the deputy governor–at will. In addition the governor may sign legislation passed by the House into law or may

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

it, however, the

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

automatically becomes law after 30 days if the governor does not sign the legislation. A vote by a

two-thirds majority 2/3 may refer to: * A fraction with decimal value 0.6666... * A way to write the expression "2 ÷ 3" ("two divided by three") * 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines of the United States Marine Corps * February 3 * March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – ...

in the House can overrule the governor. The same vote is required to initiate an impeachment process of the governor or the deputy governor. When the chief executive is unable to discharge their duties, the deputy governor assumes the office of Acting Governor until the governor resumes duty, or until election of a new governor. Since achieving statehood, Rivers State has had a total of 6 governors. Four of the former governors are still alive while only one has died. The longest serving governor is Peter Odili, a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

by profession. He spent 2,923 days in office.

Deputy Governor

The position of Deputy Governor of Rivers State constitutes the vice-head of state and government, created when the federation returned to civilian authority under the Second Republic. Whoever holds the post is considered the second highest official in the executive branch. The deputy governor is also seen as the first official in line to succeed the Governor of Rivers State, should that office be vacated. The deputy governor is elected concurrently on a

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...

with the governor for a term of four years renewable once. The annual salary for the office as of 2009 is

₦ The naira ( sign: ₦; code: NGN) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It controls the vol ...

2,112,215. Physician

Ipalibo Banigo Ipalibo Gogo Banigo (née Harry; born 20 December 1952) is a Nigerian medical doctor, politician and the first female Deputy Governor of Rivers State. A member of the People's Democratic Party, she has held various important offices at the Rive ...

is the first woman to hold the position since it was established. Banigo, formerly a civil servant in the Ministry of Health, was chosen by governor

Ezenwo Nyesom Wike Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (born 13 December 1967), is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who is the sixth and current Governor of Rivers State. He is an Ikwerre from Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State. He is a member of the People's Democratic ...

to be his

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pr ...

in the 2015 election.

Executive council

The executive council is currently made up of:

Ministries

Agencies and Parastatals

Agencies and parastatals, typically reporting to a ministry, include: * Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Agency * Road Traffic Management Authority *

Rivers State University of Science and Technology Rivers State University (RVSU or RSU), formerly Rivers State University of Science and Technology (UST or RSUST), is a university located in the Diobu (Mile III) area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. As of 2021, the vice chancello ...

* Rivers State Television Authority * Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency * Rivers State Polytechnic * Rivers State Newspaper Corporation * Rivers State Microfinance Agency * Housing and Property Development Authority * Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology *

Rivers State College of Arts and Science Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic (formerly known as Rivers State School of Basic Studies, Rivers State College of Arts and Science and later Port Harcourt Polytechnic ) is a polytechnic funded by the Government of Rivers State, located in Por ...

* Rivers State University of Education * Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation * Rivers State Agricultural Development Programme * Universal Basic Education Board * Senior Secondary Schools Board * Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board * Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board * Local Government Service Commission * Rivers State Waste Management Authority

Legislature

The Rivers State House of Assembly is the

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

legislative body of the state government. It was established in 1979 by part II, section 84 of the

Constitution of Nigeria The Constitution of Nigeria is the written supreme law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria has had many constitutions. Its current form was enacted on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated the Fourth Nigerian Republic. History Nigeria's str ...

, which states "There shall be a House of Assembly for each of the States of the Federation". Led by a

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

, the House of Assembly consists of 32 members, each elected to four-year terms in single-member

constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

by plurality. Its primary responsibility is to create laws for the peace, order and effective government of the state.

Powers

There are numerous powers the Constitution expressly and specifically granted to the House of Assembly as they are necessary for its relevance. These include the powers to approve budget estimates presented to it by the executive; to make laws establishing the chargeable rates and the procedure to be used in assessing and collecting the rates charged by each local government council; confirm gubernatorial appointments, oversee and monitor activities of government agencies, review policy implementation strategies of the executive, summon before it and question a commissioner about the conduct of his or her ministry especially when the affairs of that ministry are under consideration and to initiate impeachment proceeding in order to secure the removal of the governor or the deputy.

Current Representatives

The legislature consists of elected representatives from each constituency. As of June 12, 2015 they were:

Judiciary

The administration of justice in Rivers State is one of the fundamental duties of the judiciary of the state. This branch of government explains and applies the laws by hearing and eventually making decisions on various legal cases. It has a regulatory or supervisory body known as the Judicial Service Commission, which takes care of appointment, promotion and disciplinary issues of the judiciary. The

Chief Judge of Rivers State The Chief Judge of Rivers State, also known as the Chief Judge of the High Court of Justice, is the title and office of the head of the judicial branch of Rivers State. The Chief Judge presides over the state's High Court, and is usually the mo ...

is the appointed head of the judicial branch. The chief judge is also the most senior judge and presiding member of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

. Among other responsibilities, the chief judge has the ceremonial duty of administering the oath of office of the Governor of Rivers State. In modern tradition, the chief judge retires voluntarily at sixty years of age, or statutorily at sixty five. Most appointments to the judiciary are made by the governor, but acting upon the recommendation of the National Judicial Council. At present, there are about 10 judicial divisions within the High Court of Justice, and about 26 judges carrying out their professional work.

Elections and voting

Local government

Local government areas handle local administration, under an elected chairman. Rivers State is divided into twenty-three local government areas (LGAs):

References

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