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

Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. 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 a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

, 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, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

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 g ...

, the

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

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 area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

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 The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

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 system A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

s, the governor is both the

head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...

and

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

. 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 A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

into law or may

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

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 Pl ...

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

two-thirds majority A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fund ...

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 Peter Otunuya Odili (born 15 August 1948) is a Nigerian politician who was the third elected Governor of Rivers State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Odili is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Background Peter Odili ...

, a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

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 to ...

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 ...

2,112,215. Physician

Ipalibo Banigo Ipalibo Gogo Banigo (née Harry; born 20 December 1952) in Obuama, Degema, Rivers State. She is a Nigerian medical doctor and politician who is the current senator representing Rivers West Senatorial District since 2023. She served as the fir ...

is the first woman to hold the position since it was established. Banigo, formerly a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

in the Ministry of Health, was chosen by governor

Ezenwo Nyesom Wike Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (born 13 December 1964) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who has served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory since 2023. He previously served as the governor of Rivers State from 2015 to 2023. He is an Ikw ...

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 pre ...

in the

2015 election Africa * 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015 * 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015 * 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015 * 2015 Burundian presidential election 21 July 2015 * 2015-16 Central African g ...

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 (RIVSU or RSU), formerly known as Rivers State University of Science and Technology (UST or RSUST), is a government-owned university located in Diobu (Mile III) area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Southern Nigeria. A ...

* Rivers State Television Authority *

Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency The Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (abbreviated as RSSDA) is an agency of the government of Rivers State set up under the Sustainable Development Agency Law No. 3 of 2007. It is an agency dedicated to promoting programmes and activitie ...

Rivers State Polytechnic Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic (formerly Rivers State Polytechnic) is a tertiary learning institution in Bori City, Khana Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. It has two campuses, one for the School of Management Sciences and the ...

Rivers State Newspaper Corporation A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

* Rivers State Microfinance Agency *

Housing and Property Development Authority The Rivers State Housing and Property Development Authority (RSHPDA) is a government agency that has the task of preservation and delivery of affordable housing in Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of so ...

* Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology * Rivers State College of Arts and Science * 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

legislative body A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers o ...

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

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

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

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

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

constituencies An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

plurality Plurality may refer to: Law and politics * Plurality decision, in a decision by a multi-member court, an opinion held by more judges than any other but not by an overall majority * Plurality (voting), when a candidate or proposition polls more ...

. 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 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 (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...

. Among other responsibilities, the chief judge has the ceremonial duty of administering the

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...

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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