Perhaps if all indices of governance are based on performance, there is nothing that will have led to the suspension of the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara from office even for a day. Fubara is an embodiment of capacity, commitment and dedication to the development of Rivers. His passion to development especially in timely execution and delivery of people-oriented projects led to the mantra of his administration, “Rivers First”.
But being a governor is not all about project initiation, completion and inauguration. A governor also plays all necessary high-wired politics to surmount challenges and sustain his office. Playing the right politics stabilises the state, removes tension, protects democratic values and helps in fulfilling oaths of office. While Fubara scored high in performance, he got below average in politicking.
Indeed, Fubara took over power from the position of strength. His predecessor and godfather, Chief Nyesom Wike, reportedly finished strong in all ramifications both in politics and performance. Wike handed over a performing Rivers to Fubara on May 29, 2023. No wonder the governor premised his administration on continuity. He promised to follow the footsteps of Wike, acknowledging that his predecessor left shoes that were too big for him to wear.
But Fubara wore the performance side of the shoes with gait. He hit the ground running and continued with the developmental trajectory of his predecessor. He was willing to embrace all contractual debts and to complete some of the projects left by his predecessor. Despite the political crisis, the governor posted statistics of healthy economy with his sectorial performance receiving accolades in many quarters.
The state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) surprisingly grew astronomically. Despite all the political distractions in May 29, 2024, the government confirmed that the IGR increased from N12bn to between N17bn off peak periods and N28bn during peak periods. The government said Fubara was not in the habit of borrowing money to execute projects and programmes.
In, fact Fubara’s economic policies underscored his background as a prudent career civil servant, who rose to the pinnacle of his career occupying the position of the Accountant-General before taking over the mantle of leadership.
Small business owners and new investors were happy that the governor in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI) floated N4bn to support micro and small scale businesses in the state. The liquidity support was targeted at empowering 3000 businesses, which were expected to pay a single-digit interest rate with a five-year repayment plan. The intuitive stimulated commerce in the oil-rich state.
The economy was so healthy in 2024 that BudgIT, a prime civic-tech organisation leading the advocacy for fiscal transparency and accountability in Nigeria, scored Rivers first in fiscal performance ranking. The report also said that only Rivers and Lagos generated enough IGR among other states.
Within his one year in office, Fubara had inaugurated about 10 projects and initiated new ones. Within the period, Fubara inaugurated the Andoni section 27 km, Emohua-Terma 23km, Egbeda Internal roads 21km, Omoku-Egbema 21km and old Bori Road 11km among others.
Prior to his suspension, Fubara embarked on another round of project inauguration and commissioning spree and inaugurated Okania-Ogbogoro-Mgbaraja road; Okocha road, Umuakali-Eberi road, Bori internal roads, section of Kala-Epellema road, Opobo Ring Road, Egbeda-Omerelu Link Road, among others.
Perhaps, the most ambitious road project that was almost progressing to completion before his suspension is the 50km Port Harcourt Ring Road. It is a dual-carriage ring road with six flyovers and streetlight. It is designed to connect about six local government areas to the capital city and was awarded at the cost of N195bn. A humongous amount of N150bn was deposited as the initial payment. The ring road was conceived towards the end of Wike’s administration. The former governor was said to have initiated it, but Fubara kicked it off and pursued its completion.
Undoubtedly, Fubara prioritised the health sector with many interventionist projects. The governor had criticised the deplorable condition of the primary healthcare he inherited from his predecessor.
He said: “Healthcare goes with development. That is the truth. Your workers need to be healthy to be productive. If you put everything in place and you don’t have good health, then your people will be under-productive.”
Fubara started rebuilding some of the health facilities and reviving zonal hospitals in the state. He built general hospitals and upgraded zonal hospitals of Ahoada, Bori, Degema and the Psychiatric hospital. The governor was preparing to inaugurate them when he was suspended.
The governor further employed 1000 health workers to improve healthcare delivery in the state after more than eight years of neglect of manpower needs in the state hospitals.
The Chief Medical Director of the Rivers State Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Bright Ogbonda, described the Fubara health policies as friendly.
He said: “This move has significantly boosted the human capacity of our healthcare system. Rivers State now has 25 general hospitals, with more coming soon, and the governor has upgraded zonal hospitals in Bori, Ahoada, Degema, and the Psychiatric Hospital, among others.
“With this addition to the workforce, nearly all hospitals will now have at least 7 to 15 doctors and 20 to 35 nurses. This will ensure that quality healthcare reaches the people.”
Fubara’s turnaround maintenance of the primary health enabled the state to win $500,000 coveted prize as the Best Performing State in the South-South region in the Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge.
The state received the award at an event organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum and supported by UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
Fubara also pursued infrastructural upgrade and rehabilitation of dilapidated schools in the educational sector. He upgraded the Government Secondary Schools in Bokori, Eneka, Emohua, Okrika, Ataba, Community Secondary Schools in Kunusha, Tai, Rumuepirikom and many others.
He committed N612bn in furnishing the convocation ground at the University of Port Harcourt and over N700million for the construction of a twin hostel at the Nigerian Law School, Yenagoa Campus. He released N2bn to the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) as a counterpart fund for the upgrading and standardisation of Basic Schools in Rivers.
Fubara further committed major resources to fight insecurity in the state. He donated 100 operational vehicles to the police to improve their fight against crimes in the state. He donated gunboats to the Navy to tackle incessant attacks by pirates and gave one of the state’s helicopter to the Air Force to improve the capabilities of tackling oil bunkering and other related crimes in the state among other interventions.
Fubara maintained a robust and enviable relationship with civil servants in the state. He regularly paid their salaries and became outstanding for paying their promotional arrears as well as well as owed pensions and gratuities. The governor endeared himself to the civil servants, whom he described as his primary constituents by paying them N100,000 Christmas bonus each among other welfare packages.
Another project that excited residents was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with two private companies to build 20,000 housing units for low and middle-class income earners and also to develop a central spare parts market in the state.
Already the housing project is being developed by the Pricewise Home Nigeria Limited, a sister company to TAF Africa Global, the firm that developed Riv/TAF Estate also known as Golf Estate in Port Harcourt. Also the automobile spare part market is being developed by Gosh Project Limited.
Another ambitious project that caused jubilation in the state was when the governor kicked off the construction of a new mega smart Port City in Eleme Local Government Area principally to decongest Port Harcourt.
Fubara said the Port Smart City, a joint venture between the state government and the Rainbow Heritage Group, was important to realign the state with modern developmental realities.
He said: “The development of new cities and urban renewal is at the core of the programme of this government. Now development is following a new pattern where government and developers come in to partner with communities to ensure there is an orderly and well planned development system.”
But the governor also received criticisms for discontinuing the 10,000 recruitment of workers into the civil service. The recruitment process started during the administration of Wike and came to completion when Fubara took over.
The beneficiaries went through various processes to complete their documentations but their hope of securing the jobs were dashed when the governor cancelled it. It was one of the positive initiatives that was consumed by the political crisis that rocked Rivers“
Giving reasons for the cancellation of the jobs, he said: “I know that is the first question, the 10,000 jobs; when we came on board, we already had details that were submitted to us from the 23 local government areas.
“You will agree with me that when we subjected those names to proper scrutiny, most of those names 60 per cent of them were over-aged. They were names that people brought for political patronage.
“But what we are talking about today is employment for the future. I personally after the analysis of those things, I asked how will you employ somebody who is 52 years old as a civil servant? How many years is the person going to work before retirement?”
His promise of a new recruitment process did not materialise before his suspension. His explanations also were considered flimsy and cruel in some quarters. The cancellation, which many believed was politically motivated especially as it was initiated by Wike created tension in the state.
Despite all his interventions in security, the state has continued to witness upsurge in attacks resulting in kidnappings and robberies by pirates.
On August 28, 2024 Israel Pepple, Chairman of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Rivers commercial district, led his members to Fubara lamenting constant attacks by pirates on members and passengers on the waterway.
He called on the governor to intervened urgently. Fubara made promises, but in September the same year, gunmen struck again kidnapping 10 travelers along the Bonny waterways. Similar attacks have continued till date. The government has not been able to find solutions to such incidents including cult-related conflicts in the state.
Fubara as a Naive Politician
Indeed, Fubara is not a politician. He is simply a technocrat, an administrator in the mold of a former one-term Lagos State Governor, Akiwunmi Ambode. In fact, Fubara’s lack of political experience became evident in most of his missteps, erroneous calculations and near political suicides he committed during the crisis between him and the camp of Wike.
His actions, political language and choice of words exposed the governor as a political lilliputian and a new comer, who should have patiently waited to learn some fundamentals before picking any political battle. Fubara’s errors showed that he did not wear the political side of Wike’s shoes. Perhaps, he mistakenly thought that performance alone was enough to sustain his grip on power.
It has become obvious that Fubara had no business allowing the political war with Wike and members of the state House of Assembly to begin. The crisis was needless. First, he started it early and he was not prepared for it. The crisis started barely three months into his administration. He lacked the finesse to see it to the end.
Despite how some persons have tried to justify the governor’s actions, many analysts are of the opinion that Fubara should have bid his time by stooping to conquer. Many of them opined that he should have played the fool for a reasonable period of time to enable him acquire some experience, win the hearts of major supporters of Wike and later strike decisively to regain political control.
Some major events defined the political hullabaloo that unsettled the state. First was the October 2023 bombing of the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly located on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The second one was the demolition of the House of Assembly complex in December 2023 by the state government under the guise that it failed an integrity test after the bombing. Despite how Fubara and his loyalists had tried to prove their innocence, most people had continued to believe that the two incidents were interrelated and that they bore signs of someone desperately fighting to avert an impeachment by dislocating the legislative arm of government.
Another major event that shaped the crisis was the purported defection of the 27 lawmakers led by Amaewhule to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2023. The governor was convinced that the lawmakers had defected for good and he saw it as a killer pill.
It was obvious that many of those the governor relied upon completely misled him. Some of them were after their pockets. They deceived him into believing that he could do without the 27 lawmakers and that he could conduct critical state businesses with only three loyal lawmakers.
Their error of judgement created the problem currently being experienced in the state. Those leaders failed to tell the governor that there is no blanket application of a judicial precedent to future cases without seeking the interpretations of the judiciary. Only the court could determine whether the material facts of a new case are the same with an already decided matter.
They did not tell the governor that every section of the Constitution must be subjected to judicial interpretation before it can be effectively applied on any suspected breach. Therefore, no one no matter your status is allowed to be a judge in their own case.
But they told the governor that the actions of the 27 lawmakers amounted to defections and that their fates had been sealed by the provision of the constitution. So, in the eyes of the governor even without seeking court’s interpretation, the lawmakers had lost their seats.
This singular belief, which the governor relied upon created serious constitutional breaches in the state. It was the springboard that pushed the governor into some actions that cost the state democratic governance.
Fubara took his 2024 appropriation bill to the three lawmakers, who passed it in a speed of light. He repeated same with the 2025 bill. The three lawmakers screened and confirmed commissioners and performed other functions of the legislature despite the judgements of the Federal High Court led by Justice Omotosho.
Unknown to Fubara, he was operating without the legislature and against constitutional democracy, which requires that the three arms of government must play their roles in line with the rule of law. The governor never knew that he had no budgets for 2024 and 2025. He did not understand that all his appointments were non-existent in the eyes of the law; that every businesses he contracted with the threw-member Jumbo-led lawmakers would eventually become ultra-vires, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.
Fubara further demonstrated his political naivety when he refused to completely implement his side of the December 20th, 2024 eight-point agreement prepared by President Tinubu to nip the crisis in the bud before it loomed large. The governor avoided two key recommendations of re-presenting the 2024 Budget and conducting the local government elections before the expiration of the council chairmen’s tenure.
Despite agreeing to implement it to the letter, the governor later recounted saying there was nothing constitutional in the agreement and that it was simply a political solution to the crisis. He dumped it and followed the advice of his supporters.
Most people believe that those the governor depended upon for political guidance betrayed him. They deceived him and made him fight like a blind man. They ensured he kept his original political family in abeyance. They concluded that the governor did not need them as they positioned themselves to reap where most of them never laboured.
Little wonder Fubara was unable woo some lawmakers loyal to Wike to his his camp despite the resources at his disposal. People questioned the governor’s political style when they discovered that over 10 lawmakers from his own Ijaw ethnic group maintained their loyalty to Wike.
The House of Assembly kept their cool, remained loyal to Wike and continued to diligently pursue their cases to logical conclusions at the Supreme Court. When the judgement came, it rained ice on Fubara and his camp.
The court did not mince words in describing Fubara as a dictator, who was running democracy without the legislature. The court said he was spending the state’s resources without a budget. It outlined many constitutional breaches of the governor and mandated him to re-present the budget to the authentic House of Assembly led by Amaewhule.
The court also blamed the demolition of the state House of Assembly complex on Fubara. The Supreme Court also voided the local government election conducted by Fubara on October 2024 saying it was done against an order of the Federal High Court. The cookies really crumbled in Fubara’s camp after the judgement.
After the judgement, people expected Fubara to carry out self assessment and sober reflection of his actions. They expected him to know that the judgement had put him in a disadvantaged position. In fact, Fubara should have started cleansing his house immediately by sweeping away all the appointees that were cleared by the three lawmakers. They expected him to write a sincerely worded letter of apology to the House of Assembly promising to release all their withheld allowances and proposing a date for the re-presentation of his budget.
But instead, his supporters designed a project commissioning and inauguration event, which was seen in some quarters as an affront to the judgement of the Supreme Court because it involved spending monies that the judgement had prohibited.
Even when the lawmakers issued Fubara 48-hour ultimatum to present his budget and went ahead to extend it to 72 hours, Fubara failed to explore the window. He wanted things to be done his own way as governor without realizing that the judgement indirectly invalidated his office and set a tone for his impeachment.
In fact, the lawmakers refused to do it the Fubara’s way. There was a stalemate and confusion became the order of the day. The lawmakers instead opted to impeach the governor and begin a process of removing him from office.
The state was charged. Militants regrouped in the creeks and threatened fire and brimstone against oil installations and innocent citizens of the state of the lawmakers should go ahead to remove the governor. But the lawmakers did not bulge. They continued with the process of removing Fubara and in not time unknown attackers began to bomb some oil installations in the state.
On March 18, explosion rocked the Trans Niger Pipeline near the Bodo-Bonny road creating panic in the economy. On March 23, a manifold connecting a federal line in Okwawiriwa area of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area was rocked by another explosion. Tension and foreboding of imminent violence continued to mount in the state.
The uncertainties compelled the President to declare a state of emergency and to appoint Vice-Admiral lbok Ete-Ibas as the Sole Administrator of the state for the first six months. President Tinubu immediately suspended the two warring irreconcilable parties, the executive and the legislature allowing for genuine and sincere reconciliation within the period.
Obviously, the onus of genuine reconciliation rests on Fubara. A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, told Fubara shortly after his suspension to go and beg Wike for forgiveness. He insisted that the Rivers crisis remained a political misunderstanding and had nothing to do with the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
He said: “I advise Fubara to go and kneel before Wike and beg for forgiveness. Those, who are deceiving him have no balls. They go cap in hand kneeling and begging same Wike when they get it they come in the open to claim ijaw lions.
“Now, Fubara is the one outside they are there ranting. Mr. President used the state of emergency to save Fubara and the ijaw nation the embarrassment of impeachment. He should go thank and appreciate President Bola Tinubu.
He told the suspended governor to shut his doors against crisis merchants and step up the ongoing reconciliation. He classified those, who tried to make an ethnic case out of the crisis and others, who choreographed most political mistakes of Fubara and supervised some of his constitutional breaches without guiding him properly as the enemies of Rivers and Fubara.
He said most of the people, who claimed to love the governor and offered him pieces of advice, were his real enemies because according to him they were profiting from the crisis and would not want it to end.
He urged the suspended governor to reestablish his relationship with Wike and heed the directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the process of finding lasting political calm in Rivers.
Addressing Fubara, he said: “Thank God that President Tinubu saved you through the declaration of emergency rule. This opportunity has offered you a second chance, please do not bungle it.
“First, make yourself unreachable to those, who will come and slow this process down and feed you with unsolicited advice to abort this reconciliation”.
Eradiri appealed to the governor to rein in his supporters and stop them from actions capable of derailing the reconciliation process.
Just like Eradiri advised, Fubara and Wike recently reconciled and decided to put the crisis behind them. Both parties sheathe their swords and embraced peace in the interest of peace and development of Rivers.
The suspended governor has returned to his original political family and has shown signs that he learnt his lessons. Storming out of the roundtable, Fubara held a meeting with members of his Simplified Family. He told them pointblank that the division was over and that it would no longer be business as usual.
He first dissolved all the simplified groups associated with him and said his supporters would henceforth become members of the larger Wike’s political family. On that day he talked tough and spoke in a language considered strange by his foot soldiers. Some of his key supporters in attendance looked flabbergasted; others appeared lost while most of them understood that their leader had signed a new agreement.
Fubara to accept the new deal between him and his predecessor, Wike. He explained that he accepted the terms proposed by Wike because there was no price too big to pay for peace.
Fubara said: “After the meeting we had before May 29th, we’ve had series of meeting and one of the meetings we had was the one we met with the President and the President Tinubu clearly said, ‘I want you and your oga to settle’.
“Nobody can take away the role my oga played, that’s the truth, yes we might have our differences but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role the man played. Nobody can whish away the risk he took, yes at a point we had our differences and if today there’s need for us to settle please anyone who genuinely believe in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do.
“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one both of you are sitting down together to say yes this is what we want.
“At this point I’ve met him and we have spoken, you can’t take away him not being hurt, he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too and if he feels that for the pains he has gone through these are things he wants, in as much it is not my life , I will give it to him and let us have that peace because even while all these things are going, I still in my quite time appreciate and recognise the role he played and everyone of us here we know it.
“Like I said, it’s heavy, its bitter but we must accept the situation and move on with it. I can’t abandoned you people that’s one thing I need to say here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes I will not abandon anybody.
“The sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy and I want everybody to prepare for it. Without a total reconciliation which by the grace of God the both of us have gotten to, there’s no way we can make progress in this state, there’s no way the President can come in to save the situation.
“So, I want to appeal to every one, I have accepted that we must accept this peace no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel we must accept it”.
Fubara insisted that it was not all about him, but principally about the development and progress of the state, lamenting the number of abandoned projects in the state in the midst of the crisis. He promised that all his supporters would be integrated into the bigger family adding that it was time for his followers to stand with him.
He told them: “We have fought, I think in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do, at this point if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace, I meant it and i’m still ready to follow it to the end.
“Some of you might be frowning but if we believe that we are in one family and our interest is to support the President, then what is the issue ? You all will definitely be integrated into the big family. If you say you are with us and you believe in me, this is the time for us to see it. The time when there’s nothing and you stand.
“It is not even me as a person, it’s about the overall interest of the state, in the midst of this crisis with me and my oga look at the projects we’ve initiated many have been abandoned. We know the progress we would have recorded and areas that would have been developed so there’s need for this peace, that’s the truth.
“Everyone of us should understand that at this time we’ve done our best and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know its difficult and heavy but that’s the true situation”.
Immediately after the meeting, the once vivacious Simplified Family became cold. Their leaders walked out and their members went their separate ways. All the gatherings, protests, publications and announcements ceased.
In fact, all eyes are now on the reinstatement of the new Fubara. By all indications, Fubara will return to his office after Ibas has conducted the local government election. The suspended governor will return with new appointees and most people believe that he will like resume his duties as an excellent administrator on October 1st. Indeed, Fubara will no longer be as politically naive as he was throughout the crisis.
