Rivers: Permanent Secretary Slaps Director Clash over ₦22.2 Million Transfer (Video)
A dramatic scene unfolded on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at the Rivers State Secretariat in Port Harcourt when a Permanent Secretary and a Director in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism allegedly exchanged blows over a disputed ₦22.2 million transfer request.
PulseNets learnt from eyewitnesses that the altercation began inside Block C of the Secretariat, which accommodates the Ministry of Culture and Tourism alongside other key offices. The unexpected confrontation reportedly drew civil servants, visitors, and passersby to the scene.
According to multiple accounts obtained by PulseNets, the crisis was triggered after the Permanent Secretary allegedly instructed the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) to move ₦22,200,000 recently released by the state government into a private account. The sum, officials said, had been earmarked for a joint special project involving three ministries: Culture and Tourism, Agriculture, and Commerce and Industry.
However, the DFA was said to have rejected the directive. She allegedly told colleagues and staff that she would only process such a transfer “if a jointly signed letter from all three Permanent Secretaries was presented.” This insistence, sources reported, provoked a heated shouting match that spiraled into physical confrontation.
PulseNets further learnt that the Permanent Secretary, who is also a pastor of a Pentecostal church in Rivers State, maintained composure during the verbal exchanges. But the situation escalated when another senior staff, the Director in charge of Publication, Research, and Statistics, openly sided with the Permanent Secretary. She reportedly accused the DFA of “crossing her professional boundary” and immediately came to his defence.
The confrontation then descended into open chaos. Witnesses told PulseNets that both female directors engaged in fisticuffs, trading blows in full view of stunned workers. One of them was said to have sustained bodily injuries during the fight, which temporarily disrupted activities across the Secretariat.
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Efforts by PulseNets to obtain an official response from the state Head of Service, Mrs. Inyingi Brown, proved unsuccessful as calls and messages were not returned at the time of filing this report.
The scandal has since sparked outrage within Rivers State’s civil service, with many describing it as “a show of shame that ridicules the public service.”
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