The Rivers State Executive Council has cancelled the ₦134 billion contract awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation for the reconstruction of the State Secretariat Complex.
The decision was reached during the first council meeting since the suspension of the six-month state of emergency in the state.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara presided over the meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt, attended by Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Odu, the Secretary to the State Government, the Head of Service, eight commissioners, and the Permanent Secretaries of Works and Education.
The council also directed CCECC to refund the ₦20 billion mobilisation fee it received under the previous administration led by former military administrator, Major-General Anthony Ibas (retd.).
It further ordered a fresh bidding process for other revoked projects in Opobo/Nkoro and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Areas, which were earlier advertised in February.
The council set up a six-man committee chaired by the Deputy Governor to identify and recommend suitable sites for Computer-Based Test centres across the state to improve digital learning and external examinations.
The flood control committee, also headed by Odu, was instructed to take immediate steps to address flash floods in affected communities.
Residents were warned against blocking drainage channels, while the council also approved new measures to tackle youth unemployment and strengthen programmes in education, environment, and job creation.
