Port Harcourt — Viral videos and social media posts circulating this weekend claim that lawyers attending the 66th Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt were forced to pay ₦5,000 each to be backed across flooded streets near the venue.
The video, taken on the day of the conference surfaced just days after former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi publicly boasted about the road network and infrastructure he delivered during his tenure.
The claims gained traction following a heated exchange at the conference between Amaechi, now the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore.
During a political session, Amaechi defended his record as governor (2007–2015), highlighting roads, schools and other projects. He challenged critics and specifically called on Rivers State lawyers present to take Sowore around the state so he could see the infrastructure for himself.
“Where are the Rivers lawyers? Please take Sowore around,” Amaechi said, according to reports from the session held at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in the Elekahia area of Port Harcourt. He also told Sowore to “close your mouth” when politicians with governance experience were speaking.
An Instagram Reel posted by the account @hettysmedia on or around 29 August 2026 directly referenced the exchange. The caption stated: “Rotimi Amaechi bragged too soon to Sowore about the beautiful road network and other infrastructure he built in Rivers State. The venue of that discussion was right here at the NBA Conference.”
The short video appears to show waterlogged or flooded conditions in the vicinity of the conference area, presented as ironic commentary on Amaechi’s remarks.
Port Harcourt and surrounding parts of Rivers State frequently experience flooding during the rainy season, with recent reports noting submerged roads and disrupted movement in areas including parts of the metropolis.
Residents and visitors have long complained about drainage challenges, even as successive administrations have claimed progress on roads and related infrastructure.
Social media users amplified the contrast, sharing anecdotes that some conference attendees resorted to paying informal carriers or “backers” ₦5,000 per person to be piggybacked or ferried across flooded sections of road. These accounts remain largely unverified by major news outlets or official statements from the NBA, Rivers State Government or police.
No formal confirmation of an organised ₦5,000 fee structure has been published by mainstream media as of 29 August 2026.
Amaechi and his supporters have previously pointed to hundreds of kilometres of roads, flyovers, bridges and other projects completed or advanced during his time in office. Critics have disputed the quality, maintenance and long-term effectiveness of some of those works, arguing that flooding and poor road conditions persist.
The NBA conference, themed “Beyond Limits,” drew thousands of legal practitioners to Port Harcourt. The viral reaction has turned a political debate over past governance records into a broader conversation about the current state of infrastructure in the oil-rich state.
As of Saturday evening, neither Amaechi nor conference organisers had issued a direct public response to the specific flooding videos or the ₦5,000 claims circulating online.
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