{"id":62996,"date":"2025-03-19T09:07:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T09:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=62996"},"modified":"2025-03-19T09:07:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T09:07:42","slug":"meet-the-new-helmsman-of-rivers-state-vice-admiral-ibok-ete-ekwe-ibas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/03\/19\/meet-the-new-helmsman-of-rivers-state-vice-admiral-ibok-ete-ekwe-ibas\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the New Helmsman of Rivers State: Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Idowu<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Early Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas was born on September 27, 1960, in Nko, Cross River State, Nigeria.<\/p>\n

A distinguished naval officer and diplomat, he served as the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff of the Nigerian Navy from July 2015 until his retirement in January 2021.<\/p>\n

In recognition of his outstanding service, he was appointed as Nigeria\u2019s Ambassador to Ghana in 2021.<\/p>\n

On March 18, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him as the Administrator of Rivers State.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Educational Background and Naval Training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ibas began his early education at Nko Primary School before completing it at Big Qua Primary School, Calabar, in 1971.<\/p>\n

He proceeded to Hope Waddell Training Institute between 1972 and 1976 and later attended the School of Basic Studies, Ogoja, from 1977 to 1979.<\/p>\n

His naval career commenced at the Nigerian Defence Academy on June 20, 1979, as part of the 26th Regular Course, leading to his commission as a sub-lieutenant on January 1, 1983. Committed to professional development, he underwent extensive military training throughout his career.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distinguished Naval Career<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vice Admiral Ibas held numerous key positions in the Nigerian Navy. As a midshipman, he served aboard NNS Ruwan Yaro, NNS Obuma, and NNS Aradu.<\/p>\n

After his commission as a sub-lieutenant, he was a watchkeeping officer on NNS Ayam and NNS Ekpe. Between 1993 and 1996, he served as the executive officer of NNS Siri, NNS Ekun, and NNS Ambe.<\/p>\n

He later commanded the Nigerian Navy Underwater Warfare School from 1997 to 1998 and the Forward Operating Base Ibaka from 1998 to 2000.<\/p>\n

Excelling in the Senior Staff Course, he was appointed as a directing staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, from 2000 to 2002 and later served as Director of Maritime Warfare from 2009 to 2010 and Deputy Commandant in 2014.<\/p>\n

Ibas also served as Naval Provost Marshal from 2003 to 2004 and as Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of Naval Staff from 2004 to 2005.<\/p>\n

He was the Command Operations Officer of the Western Naval Command in 2006 and later commanded the Naval Air Base, Ojo, from 2006 to 2009.<\/p>\n

He went on to serve as Chief Staff Officer of the Naval Training Command from 2010 to 2011, Chief of Administration at Naval Headquarters from 2011 to 2012, and Navy Secretary from 2012 to 2013.<\/p>\n

He commanded the Western Naval Command from 2013 to 2014 before being appointed Chief of Logistics in 2014 and GMD\/CEO of Nigerian Navy Holdings in the same year. On July 13, 2015, he became the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Diplomatic Role<\/strong><\/p>\n

Upon retiring from active naval service, Ibas transitioned into diplomacy, serving as Nigeria\u2019s Ambassador to Ghana from 2021. His appointment underscored his vast experience in security, strategic relations, and international diplomacy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Personal Life and Interests<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vice Admiral Ibas is married to Barrister Theresa Ibas, and they are blessed with children. Beyond his professional engagements, he enjoys reading, watching documentaries, and playing golf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Patrick Idowu   Early Life Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas was born on September 27, 1960, in Nko, Cross River State, Nigeria. A distinguished naval officer and diplomat, he served as the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff of the Nigerian Navy from July 2015 until his retirement in January 2021. In recognition of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":62998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1689],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62996"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62999,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62996\/revisions\/62999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}