On Thursday, September 4, 2025, a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism became involved in a brawl with a Director from the same ministry, leading to a physical altercation at the Rivers State Secretariat complex.

Eyewitnesses at the Secretariat reported that the scuffle surprised both civil servants and visitors, drawing attention to Block C, which houses the ministry and other offices.

According to witnesses, the conflict began when the Permanent Secretary allegedly requested the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) to transfer twenty-two million, two hundred thousand Naira—released by the state government—to a private account.

Sources indicated that this money was intended for a special project involving three ministries: Culture and Tourism, Agriculture, and Commerce and Industry.

However, the DFA, who held custody of the funds, reportedly refused the Permanent Secretary’s directive. She insisted that only a letter signed by the Permanent Secretaries of the three involved ministries could authorize the transfer to the “special account.” This disagreement escalated from a shouting match into a physical confrontation.

Despite the alleged “verbal assaults,” the Permanent Secretary, who is said to be a pastor at a Pentecostal church in Rivers State, remained calm and unruffled. In response, other staff members, particularly a female Director overseeing Publication, Research, and Statistics in the same ministry, defended him by accusing the DFA of “overstepping her bounds.”

Reports indicate that the two female directors later engaged in a physical fight, causing chaos throughout the Secretariat. One director was alleged to have inflicted bodily harm on the other during this altercation.

Efforts to obtain a response from the state Head of Service, Inyingi Brown, regarding this incident were unsuccessful.