Governor of Rivers Nyesom Wike increased from 28,000 to 50,000 the number of Special Assistants on Political Units.
The action was perceived as the governor making good on his vow to prioritise infrastructure after completing enough physical projects.
The appointments were effective right away, according to a statement released on Thursday by Kelvin Ebiri, the governor's special assistant for media.
On March 1, the governor vowed that moving forward, his administration would prioritise welfare and empowerment programmes, sometimes known as "stomach infrastructure."
He said having spent the better part of his administration providing physical infrastructure, he would direct his attention to the politics of stomach infrastructure.
He said: “Now that we have done virtually everything we have promised Rivers people, this is the time now we have to play politics of stomach infrastructure”.
There was jubilation in the state when the Governor announced an upgrade in the number of appointees.