…Says report is not only false but a concocted propaganda.
The Rivers State Government said it is not true that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has shut down the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and other oil companies in the state as rumoured on social media.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, described the report false, baseless and a concocted propaganda.
A report making the rounds on social media had alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara ordered a total shutdown operation of NNPC and All Oil Companies in Rivers State, declaring that without federal allocation for Rivers State, there will be no oil for Nigeria.
The rumoured report which alleged that within minutes of the shutdown, Nigeria dropped in the global oil production ranking from 4th to 24th, also alleged that Governor Fubara also challenged Minister Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu to take action against this stance and see Nigeria boil.
Reacting swiftly, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joe Johnson urged Nigerians to disregard such rumours which he described as false, baseless and unimaginable, noting that Governor Fubara is committed to the development of Rivers state and Nigeria.
The statement reads in part; “The attention of Rivers State Government has been drawn to a spurious news item circulating on social media on “Gov. Siminalayi Fubara shutting down NNPCL and all oil companies in Rivers State”.
“The report was not only false, but a concocted propaganda from the imagination of the author and enemies of the State. The story was also circulated by an inconsequential and unverified medium.
“Governor Siminalayi Fubara is committed to the rule of law and does not rely on unconventional and crude approaches to respond to matters of governance.
“We therefore enjoin Rivers people and well-meaning Nigerians to discountenance the spurious and fake report as Governor Fubara at no time contemplated and/or directed such needless order of shutting down the economy for any reason.”
