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The Rivers State government has shut down viral misinformation on social media that Governor Siminalye Fubara has ceased the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and other oil companies in the South-South state.
The disclaimer was contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, late Thursday, October 31, 2024.
The Rivers government described the social media report as not only false but concocted propaganda, urging the public to disregard it.
On Thursday evening, social media was awash with speculation that Fubara had ordered the shutdown of NNPCL and other oil companies operating in Rivers State.
The report attributed the Governor's action to the recent pronouncement of an Abuja High Court, prohibiting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from further releasing allocations to the Rivers government.
“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 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,” the statement read.