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Tag: Fubara

  • Fubara to council chairmen: you have few days to vacate office

    Fubara to council chairmen: you have few days to vacate office

    The days of Rivers State local government chairmen in office are numbered, Governor Siminalayi Fubara warned yesterday.

    He said their threat to stay in office after July 17 is without basis, dismissing as a ruse the extension of their tenure by the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.

    The governor who spoke during the kick-off of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road project in Elegba, Emohua Local Government Area, urged the youths to shun violence.

    Also speaking during the 56th anniversary of the death of Ijaw activist Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro  in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, Fubara said he had defeated “Rivers’ enemies,” stressing that the detractors are now victims of their plots.

    Lamenting that miscreants attacked some people at the inauguration of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road project, he warned that any disruption of public peace would not be tolerated in the state.

    He said: “Nobody has the monopoly of violence. I should even be the one who should come out and shout that I will do this and that. But I don’t need to do that because both sides belong to me. I have taken oath to protect all.

    “So, I am advising those people who call themselves local government chairmen: you have a few days in office. Please, conduct yourselves in a peaceful manner.”

    Fubara spoke on the reality of life after office, saying it should help them to exercise caution.

    He said:  “Politics will come, politics will go, but we will still live our lives. Let nobody deceive you. If you deliberately hurt anybody, because you are expressing your useless support, nobody will forgive you. You will pay for it.

    “So, I’m begging everyone. Please, conduct yourselves. As a matter of fact, I am the one that is most hit, and abused as a governor who doesn’t know what to do with power. Is it not? Have I said anything?”

    Fubara added: “We have made our promise to our leader, who happens to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that we will take the path of peace and that is the part we are taking. 

    “We will continue to take that path. Don’t mind what they say. Don’t mind what they do. Peace remains the path to take. While taking the path of that peace, it does not mean that we won’t defend ourselves. Or let me describe it this way: we will not just be like a tree seeing someone coming to cut it down, and won’t do anything. No. We need to also protect ourselves in a lawful manner.”

     Fubara said the project being executed showed that his administration meant well for Rivers.

    Read Also: Students loan application portal opens May 24 – NELFUND

    He explained that the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku road project would be funded with savings from the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), adding that 50 percent of N80.8bn had already been paid.

    He said:  “We are telling the people that we are transparent; that we are a government that is ready to serve. We are a government that thinks about the people first.

    “This is not different from the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President. Our mission is not different from the mission of Mr President. Mr President’s mission is to give hope to our people.

    Kicking off the project, Senator John Azuta Mbata, who represented Rivers East District in the National Assembly, said the dual carriage road project, which is the responsibility of the Federal government, was undertaken by the Fubara administration.

    He said: “We are, indeed, extremely delighted to have a governor of your calibre. We salute your leadership on this occasion. We salute your humanity on this occasion. We salute your humility on this occasion.

    “We don’t have to talk too much about it. Anybody who is a politician understands that my standing here means I am making a grand political statement.”

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works,  Atemea Briggs, said the state highway will connect two separate Trunk-A federal roads.

    A community leader,  Chief Charles Bekee, recalled how the road, which was reconstructed in 2001, collapsed a decade after because of traffic snarl.

    He assured that the communities in the three local governments that will protect the project and give the contractor the impetus to achieve its mandate.

  • Fubara to LG chairmen: you have few days to vacate office

    Fubara to LG chairmen: you have few days to vacate office

    Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara has reminded the executive chairmen of the local government areas in the state that they have a few days to vacate their offices.

    The governor’s statement came amid threats by the local government chairmen that they would not vacate office on July 17 because the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly extended their tenure to six months in an amended law.

    The governor admonished them to shun violence, warning that they would not be forgiven if they relied on their “useless” support to hurt anybody in the state.

    The governor regretted that after the state’s event on Tuesday, miscreants attacked some persons, who attended the inauguration of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road project, on their way home, and described such actions as utterly needless.

    Fubara gave the warning to the Egbeda community during the official kick-off of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road project in the Emohua Local Government Area on Thursday.

    He said: “Let me also say this here. When we left Aleto the other day, some people went there and attacked our people. There is no need for that.

    “Nobody has the monopoly of violence. I should even be the one who should come out and shout that I will do this and that. But I don’t need to do that because both sides belong to me. I have taken an oath to protect all.

    “So, I am advising those people who call themselves local government chairmen: you have a few days in office. Please, conduct yourselves in a peaceful manner.”

    Fubara drew their attention to the reality of the life after office, saying it should help them to exercise caution.

    He said:  “Politics will come, politics will go, but we will still live our lives. Let nobody deceive you, if you deliberately hurt anybody, because of expressing your useless support, nobody will forgive you. You will pay for it.

    “So, I’m begging everyone, please, conduct yourselves. As a matter of fact, I am the one who is most hit and abused as a Governor who doesn’t know what to do with power. Is it not? Have I said anything?

    “So, please, just endure until when you finish, then you go your way. I don’t want trouble. I don’t want anything that will bring any problems in this State. I know what they want to do, but we will not give them the opportunity.

    The governor added: “We have made our promise to our leader, who happens to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we will take the path of peace and that is the part we are taking. 

    “We will continue to take that path. Don’t mind what they say. Don’t mind what they do. Peace remains the path to take. While taking the path of that peace, it does not mean that we won’t defend ourselves, or let me describe it this way: we will not just be like a tree seeing someone coming to cut it down, and won’t do anything. No, no no. We need to also protect ourselves in a lawful manner.”

     Fubara said the project was being executed to let the world know that his administration meant well for Rivers and was transparently accounting for every kobo.

    Read Also: Alleged debts: Senator Worgu cautions Fubara against maligning Wike’s integrity

    He explained that the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku road project would be funded with savings from the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), adding that 50 percent of the total cost of N80.8bn had already been paid.

    He said:  “Why did we pay 50 percent? We understand the fluctuation of prices as a result of exchange rate uncertainties, and we don’t want to find ourselves in a situation of too much variation. So, we sought EXCO approval, and EXCO approved that we should pay 50 percent, and we have done that.

    “And, what is it that we are saying to the world? We are telling the people that we are transparent. That we are a Government that is ready to serve. We are a Government that thinks about the people first.

    “This road is a 33.5-kilometre road that has a bridge. It is a road that would connect Ikwerre, Emohua and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas.

    “When this road is completed, commercial activities will become very easy, no more wasting of manhours on the road. And that shows that we are thinking about the people, and also caring for the well-being of the people.”

     Fubara urged residents of communities in the three LGAs to support the contractor to deliver the project within the stipulated 24 months.

    He said the contractor had already pledged to ensure the project was completed and ready for inauguration before his third year in office.

    He said: “I know strongly, having confirmed the reputation of the contractor, I have no doubt that they will deliver. So, I want to thank every one of you for your patience, continue to support us, we mean well for our people.

    “This is not different from the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President. Our mission is not different from the mission of Mr President.

    “Mr President’s mission is to give hope to our people. And we are here to give hope to the people of Ikwerre, Emohua, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, genuinely.

    “Genuinely, not because we have any economic interest here, not at all. We are doing it as a service to our people. We have started our journey in showcasing our interests, wishes, and what we have done in the past one year”

    Kicking off the project, Senator John Azuta Mbata, who represented Rivers East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, described the dual carriage road project as massive saying though it was within the capacity of the Federal government, Fubara has undertaken it

    He said: “We are, indeed, extremely delighted to have a Governor of your calibre. We salute your leadership on this occasion. We salute your humanity on this occasion. We salute your humility on this occasion.

    “We salute your propensity and preference for peace and tranquillity. We are very delighted to be associated with your humble self and our very presence here today, I believe, makes the point that we are your supporters.

    “We don’t have to talk too much about it. Anybody who is a politician understands that my standing here means I am making a grand political statement.

     “We are the face of the people that are behind, and we are many, millions of people, Rivers people, chiefs, traditional rulers, elder statesmen, and businessmen. We make the silent majority that is behind, supporting the effort of the Government to emancipate the people and to bring development to Rivers State.

    “I want to take the opportunity to call on all and sundry, all our people, wherever you are, to give your utmost support to the government because, for the very first time, the government has moved away from the time when the governor was seen as a tin god, a time when the governor demanded worship, so to say; to a time when the governor has become a symbol, a rallying point for the people.

    “A rallying point for accountability of resources of our people. A rallying point for bringing all our people into the same boat. We are in an era where there is massive and extensive consultation going on. This is the order of the day when nobody’s view is thrown away.”

    On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Atemea Briggs said the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road project is a state highway that will be connecting two separate Trunk-A federal roads.

    He explained that it will be constructed as a dual carriageway with solar-powered street lights to provide associated benefits of improving the fortunes of the people who will be using the road.

    In his welcome address on behalf of the communities, Chief Charles Bekee recalled how the road, once reconstructed in 2001, collapsed a decade after because of an increased volume of vehicular traffic.

    Bekee noted that the road remained deplorable for a long time until Fubara awarded the contract for the reconstruction.

    He assured the benefiting communities in the three LGAs that the road traverses have already resolved to protect the project with a high level of cooperation to give the contractor the impetus to achieve its mandate.

    He further pledged unalloyed support of the three local government areas to Fubara.

  • We have defeated ‘enemies’ of Rivers, says Fubara

    We have defeated ‘enemies’ of Rivers, says Fubara

    …says detractors now victims of their ploys

    Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has told the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide that his camp has defeated enemies of the state in the ongoing crisis rocking the state.

    Fubara acknowledged the assurances of brotherly support from the IYC and urged the Ijaw nation to key into the celebration of the liberation of the state.

    The governor spoke while addressing the national and state leadership IYC on a solidarity walk to the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday, May 16, to mark the 56 anniversary of the late Maj. Isaac Adaka Boro.

    Fubara said Adaka Boro genuinely stood for equity, justice, and fair play, and pursued his course to ensure liberation for the Ijaw people and their clans.

    The governor emphasised that every genuine Rivers man was a liberator, adding that he was delighted to receive them on such auspicious day to re-enact the common purpose of liberation.

    Fubara, who thanked the large crowd for their assurances of being available to respond to his call and stand by him, said there would not be any need to disrupt the peace.

    He insisted that the enemies of the state had been defeated already.

    Read Also: Alleged debts: Senator Worgu cautions Fubara against maligning Wike’s integrity

    He said: “Because he stood for that unique thing, even after his death, we still celebrate him because he was a liberator.

    “Every Rivers man, it doesn’t matter whether you are Ijaw or upland, the most important thing is that every genuine Rivers man must be a liberator.

    “And I’m happy that you have come here today. I have also received you because we have one common purpose: to liberate our dear State.  We are not going back on that.

    “I am happy that you’ve told me this morning that when I call on you, you will respond. But there is nothing to call on you for. Because we have already defeated them.

    “By the special grace of God, what they thought that they would have done to us while we were celebrating our one year in office, they are the ones sleeping with their two eyes open. It shows that we have the Ijaw blood. And what is that blood: it is the blood of action; less talk, more action.”

    Fubara appealed to Ijaw youths to conduct themselves peacefully as they celebrated Boro Day, and also be good ambassadors of the entire Ijaw Nation.

    He emphasised that it should be done in the same spirit that had enveloped the state, celebrating victory over his political detractors.

    Fubara in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, promised to support the IYC Eastern Zone with a befitting Secretariat in Rivers.

    In his speech, the national president of IYC, Jonathan Lokpobiri, described the day as historic because Ijaw people were meeting with their governor at Major Isaac Adaka Boro Day memorial.

    Lokpobiri said it affirmed that the gods of the Ijaw people were at work, and warned all detractors to retrace their steps and allow the governor, who had the full mandate of the people, to discharge his duties to Rivers people.

    He commended Fubara for his courage, bravery and commitment to good governance, insisting that his struggle and triumph resonated with the hope of all Ijaw people.

    On his part, the chairman of IYC, eastern zone, Tamuno Kpokpo, clarified that their visit did not signify an ethnic war but to lend support in the protection of the interest and continuous development of Rivers state.

    Kpokpo said IYC would stand to resist anybody or group of persons anywhere who dared to cause any distraction of governance in the state, and appealed that the governor be allowed to govern the state peacefully.

  • Alleged debts: Senator Worgu cautions Fubara against maligning Wike’s integrity

    Alleged debts: Senator Worgu cautions Fubara against maligning Wike’s integrity

    Senator Olaka Worgu has called on the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to stop his current strategy of trying to demonise his benefactor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

    Worgu said the governor’s efforts in propaganda against Wike were dead on arrival, saying the minister was globally and nationally known as a performer while in office.

    He said calling Wike names would not erase the Minister’s records that had already been etched in the hearts of people.

    He spoke while responding to claims by the governor that his administration was overburdened by the debts he inherited from Wike’s unpaid projects.

    He reminded Fubara that Wike was so outstanding in governance and performance that the then federal government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gave him an award as the best in infrastructure.

    Worgu recalled that Wike inherited projects from his predecessor, completed and paid for them while also initiating and paying for most of his projects.

    He said: “Honestly, we have become the laughing stock of Nigerians with all these allegations. We all know there is a rift between Governor Fubara and the former governor now Minister Wike. What we are seeing is propaganda.

    “Wike was a performer. We know that Wike paid for most of the projects he inherited from his predecessor. He also paid for the ones that he awarded.

    “He set a record in governance and Nigeria earning him an award from the then APC federal government of Muhammadu Buhari as the best-performing governor in infrastructures in the entire country.

    “Wike did not only pay the debts of his predecessors he also did many projects more than any governor had ever done in our state.  Assuming but not conceding that he left debts, is the government not a continuum?”

    Worgu argued that Wike only paid for most of his completed projects and could not have settled debts of contractors, who failed to finish their jobs.

    He said: “Wike paid by milestones so if a contract did a job it must be where he was at the time. He could not pay for jobs that were not done. Some of these jobs were not completed at the time of his exit from power.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Fresh resignations as three commissioners leave Fubara’s cabinet

    “Why should he pay the contractors who had not finished their jobs just because he was leaving? That would have been bad business for the state. He was a prudent governor. It behoves the new governor to complete the projects and pay the contractors their outstanding debts.

    “The important thing is whether the state got value for money. Everybody agrees to that. Wike was a tough governor who insisted that the state got value for money from contractors. Calling people rats and using uncouth words do not impress anybody”.

    Worgu told Fubara that Rivers people would not judge him on how many names he called Wike but on his performance in office.

    He said instead of dissipating his energy on attempting to bring Wike down, he should focus on trying to outperform him in office.

    Worgu asked Fubara to examine his conscience and see whether what he was trying to do to Wike was the best way of paying him back for making him the governor.

    He said: “We believe that what the government should do is to challenge the records of Wike by working hard, building hard so that people will appraise them better. But this is not happening. Many people believe that we have lost a year by fighting and picking on Wike.

    “This is the wrong way to go. Our dream has always been that successor governors will build on Wike’s legacies and do more than he did. Inciting the mob to lynch Wike who is the hero of our state will not be the right thing.

    “Wike trusted the current governor a lot and ensured that he emerged governor. Is mudslinging the man, demonizing and castigating him the way to pay back? I urge the governor to focus on his job and focus on delivering what he promised the people not to put all the efforts of the government into fighting a person who did him good.

    “Rivers people will judge him not on the amount of insults he heaped on Wike. You cannot change the records, we all witnessed it. What we saw Wike do is etched in our hearts and you cannot just wipe it away by just calling names.

    “The unprecedented development Wike did in Rivers is replicating in Abuja. Go to Abuja and see what Wike has done.  We will keep lagging behind if we put all our efforts into denigrating Wike. We can speak on issues by having healthy competition”.

  • BREAKING: Fresh resignations as three commissioners leave Fubara’s cabinet

    BREAKING: Fresh resignations as three commissioners leave Fubara’s cabinet

    Fresh resignations have hit the Rivers State Executive Council following the decisions of three loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to leave the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Wike’s loyalist Mmom resigns from Fubara’s cabinet

    The commissioners of Housing, Dr. Gift Worlu; Environment, Austin Ben Chioma and Education, Prof. Chinedu Mmom, resigned from their appointments on Wednesday, May 15.

    Although each provided different reasons, the development followed the unresolved crisis between the governor and his benefactor, Wike.

    Details shortly…   

  • Fubara: My govt bogged down by Wike projects debts

    Fubara: My govt bogged down by Wike projects debts

    Rivers State Government is under a debt burden imposed by the soaring cost of projects initiated by my predecessor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara said yesterday.

    He said many contractors were demanding for outstanding payments running to billions of naira, which former Governor Nyesom Wike could not redeem before handing over last year.

    The governor, who spoke during the inauguration of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road (Old Bori Road) in Eleme Local Government Area, said he would be exhibiting the white papers specifying the cost of projects when they are commissioned.

    Fubara, who had unfolded plans to probe the administration of his predecessor, was Accountant-General of the state during the period.

    He said although he never wanted to speak about the debts, the buttocks of the fowl would have to be exposed because he had been pushed to the wall.

    Abia State Governor Alex Otti, who inaugurated the project, cautioned against arrogance in public life, saying that nobody can give power, except God.

    Fubara said the project was awarded to a contractor,  ‘CCCC’, on August 14, last year 2023 by his administration to provide a bypass to the bad sections of the Eleme/ East-West Road.

    He explained that the project was embarked upon to demonstrate support for the Federal Government because it is a federal road.

    Read Also; Nigeria gains additional maritime territory

    Fubara said: “As we are going, we will be going with the white paper to show the records and the amount of the projects. It was awarded at the cost of N6.7bn. I can say that we have paid the contractor completely.

    “The purpose of this is to let the world know that if there is one problem this administration has, it is debt. Most of the projects that are commissioned, they are coming for their balanced payment running into billions.

    “I said I don’t want to talk because I am part of the system. But when you continue to push me, I will say it so that they will see the nyash of the fowl.”

    He added: “Aleto is a bypass,. If you cannot assess the East-West road, it can take you away from the bad section to the good section of the East-West road. Is what we are doing today not a help to the Federal Government and a show that this government has interest and the support and it is doing everything to make the Federal Government succeed?

    “So, when people come and say funny things. I start laughing. It is not social media. We are talking about actions. We are taking actions that make positive impact in the lives of our people.”

    The governor, who thanked the people of Eleme for their support during the project execution, promised to site more infrastructural projects in the area.

    He said: “ I want to thank the good people of Eleme for their support in the course of this project. The contractor never complained because of the cooperation. What we have done today is a sign that if we come back here to take any other project, you are protected. 

    I can assure you that we are going to come back and do more projects for the good people of Eleme.”

    Fubara said Governor Otti was invited to inaugurate the project because he has integrity.

    He said: “Why did I invite the governor of Abia State? I invited him because he is not an artificial integrity man. He is an action integrity man. He is not the one that they will gather because they just want to talk. He is a man who came in the face of difficulties and challenges just like we have here and  is making impact in the lives of Abians”.

    On Wike’s comment that his administration fought the then Federal Government, Fubara said the scenarios were different as his government was dealing with the house rat.

    He said: “I heard someone saying when we came on board, we were fighting the Federal Government. The Federal Government did not use any instrument in your state to frustrate you. Our scenarios are quite different.

    “If we are fighting the Federal government, it is a different matter. We are talking of the Federal Government that is giving us support, but the rat in the house is eating the bag of garri. So, you can imagine such situation. So, I will continue to identify with good governance.”

    Fubara, who said that “somebody in the house” was stoking the crisis to distract both the state and federal governments from delivering their promises, vowed to expose the “black leg.”

    Otti commended the Rivers governor for executing the road project in Eleme, where he once lived.

    He said: “I have always said it that leadership is about service. Anytime leadership departs from service, then, you are getting it wrong. Service should be service to the people, not service to self or very few interests. Anytime you are serving few people rather than the majority, you need to go and look at yourself again.

    “So, for me, it’s all about good governance. Clearly, Governor Fubara came prepared, and I don’t believe that any distraction is enough to take his focus away from improving the welfare and interest of the people.

    “I can assure you, Rivers people, that the dividends of democracy that you are seeing now are still a dress rehearsal. It is early in the morning, and I am sure that in no distance future, you will be seeing more.”

  • UPDATED: My administration overburdened by debts from Wike’s projects, says Fubara

    UPDATED: My administration overburdened by debts from Wike’s projects, says Fubara

    Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has lamented that he inherited debts running into billions from projects inaugurated by his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

    Describing the development as a problem, Fubara said many contractors were coming to him for the balance of their payments.

    The governor, who spoke during the inauguration of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road, also known as Old Bori Road in the Eleme Local Government Area of the state, said he would be appearing at project inaugurations with the white papers specifying their cost.

    Fubara said he never wanted to speak about such issues but that he had been pushed to say them so that the buttocks of the fowl would be exposed.

    He said the project was awarded to CCCC on the 14th of August 2023 by his administration to act as a bypass against bad sections of the Eleme axis of the East-West Road.

    The governor said he embarked on the project to demonstrate his support for the Federal Government insisting that his administration would always put the people’s interest first.

    He said: “As we are going we will be going with the white paper to show the records and the amount of the projects. It was awarded at the cost of N6.7bn. I can say that we have paid the contractor completely.

    “The purpose of this is to let the world know that if there is one problem this administration has is debt. Most of the projects that are commissioned are coming for their balanced payment running into billions.

    “I said I don’t want to talk because I am part of the system. But when you continue to push me, I will say it so that they will see the ‘nyash’ of the fowl.

    “Aleto is a bypass that if you cannot assess the East-West road, can take you away from the bad section to the good section of the East-West road. Is what we are doing today not a help to the Federal Government and a show that this government has interest and support and is doing everything to make the Federal government succeed?

    “So when people come and say funny things, I start laughing. It is not social media, we are talking about actions. We are taking actions that make positive impacts in the lives of our people”.

    The governor thanked the Eleme people for their support during the project execution and promised he would site more infrastructure in the area.

    He said: “I want to thank the good people of Eleme for their support in the cause of this project. The contractor never complained because of the cooperation. What we have done today is a sign that if we come back here to take on any other project, you are protected.  I can assure you that we are going to come back and do more projects for the good people of Eleme”.

    Fubara explained that he invited Governor Alex Otti of Abia State to inaugurate the project because he was a man with real and not fake integrity.

    He said: “Why did I invite the governor of Abia State? I invited him because he is not an artificial integrity man. He is an action-integrity man. He is not the one that they will gather because they just want to talk. He is a man who came in the face of difficulties and challenges just like we have here and is making an impact in the lives of Abians”.

    On the comment of Wike that his administration fought the then federal government, Fubara said the scenarios were different as his government was dealing with the house rat.

    He said: “I heard someone saying when we came on board, we were fighting Federal Government, Federal Government did not use any instrument in your State to frustrate you. Our scenarios are quite different.

    “If we are fighting the federal government it is a different matter. We are talking of the Federal government that is giving us support but the rat in the House is eating the bag of garri. So you can imagine such a situation. So I will continue to identify with good governance”.

    Fubara said somebody in the house was stoking the crisis to distract both the state and federal governments from delivering their promises and vowed to expose the black leg.

    Inaugurating the project, the Abia state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, commended Fubara for executing a road project in the Eleme community where he once lived in the state.

    Otti said: “I have always said that leadership is about service. Anytime leadership departs from service, then, you are getting it wrong. Service should be service to the people, not service to self or very few interests. Anytime you are serving a few people rather than the majority, you need to go and look at yourself again.

    “So, for me, it’s all about good governance. Clearly, Governor Fubara came prepared, and I don’t believe that any distraction is enough to take his focus away from improving the welfare and interest of the people.

    “So, I can assure you, Rivers people, that the dividends of democracy that you are seeing now is still a dress rehearsal. It is early in the morning, and I am sure that in no distance future, you will be seeing more.”

    Otti charged Eleme and the good people of Rivers State to continue to support the Governor of the State to do even more to make life easy for the majority.

    Read Also: Fubara to raise probe panel on Wike’s govt

    He said: “Power belongs to God, no human can arrogate to himself the capacity to give power, except you have the capacity to give life. Of course, you can take life, but you cannot give it.”

    In his project description, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Atemia Briggs, said the project was awarded on 14th August 2023 to CCECC.

    Briggs explained that the road is 10.89km with a width of 10.5 meters, and a drain length of 10.1 KM, adding that it would serve the human and economic needs of the people.

    In his welcome remark, the former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Orji Ngofa, said the old road collapsed following heavy vehicular traffic.

    Ngofa thanked Fubara for reconstructing the entire stretch of the road to improve the well-being of the people and serve the transportation and economic needs of all users of the road.

  • My administration is overburdened by debts from Wike’s projects, says Fubara

    My administration is overburdened by debts from Wike’s projects, says Fubara

    Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has lamented that he inherited debts running into billions from projects inaugurated by his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.

    Describing the development as a problem, Fubara said many contractors were coming to him for the balance of their payments.

    The governor, who spoke during the  inauguration the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road, also known as Old Bori Road in Eleme Local Government Area of the state, said he would be appearing on project inaugurations with the white papers specifying their cost.

    Fubara said he never wanted to speak about such issues but that he had been pushed to say them so that the buttocks of the fowl would be exposed.

    He said the project was awarded to CCCC on 14th of August 2023 by his administration to act as a bypass against bad sections of the Eleme axis of the East-West Road.

    The governor said he embarked on the project to demonstrate his support for the Federal Government insisting that his administration would always put the people’s interest first.

    He said: “As we are going we will be going with the white paper to show the records and the amount of the projects. It was awarded at the cost of N6.7bn. I can say that we have paid the contractor completely.

    “The purpose of this is to let the world know that if there is one problem this administration has is debt. Most of the projects that are commissioned they are coming for their balanced payment running into billions. 

    “I said I don’t want to talk because I am part of the system. But when you continue to push me I will say it so that they will see the nyash of the fowl.

    “Aleto is a bypass that if you cannot assess the East-West road, it can take you away from the bad section to the good section of the East-West road. Is what we are doing today not a help to the Federal Government and a show that this government has interest and the support and is doing everything to make the Federal government succeed? 

    “So when people come and say funny things, I start laughing. It is not social media, we are talking about actions. We are taking actions that make positive impacts in the lives of out people”.

    The governor thanked the Eleme people for their support during the project execution and promised he would site more infrastructures in the area.

    He said: ” I want to thank the good people of Eleme for their support in the cause of this project. The contractor never complained because of the cooperation. What we have done today is a sign that if we come back here to take any other project, you are protected.  

    I can assure you that we are going to come back and do more project for the good people of Eleme”.

    Fubara explained that he invited Governor Alex Otti of Abia State to inaugurate the project because he was a man with real and not fake integrity.

    Read Also: Fubara to raise probe panel on Wike’s govt

    He said: “Why did I invite the governor of Abia State? I invited him because he is not an artificial integrity man. He is an action integrity man. He is not the one that they will gather because they just want to talk. He is a man who came in the face of difficulties and challenges just like we have here and  is making impact in the lives of Abians”.

    On the comment of Wike that his administration fought the then federal government, Fubara said the scenarios were different as his government was dealing with the house rat.

    He said: “I heard someone saying when we came onboard we were fighting Federal Government, Federal Government did not use any instrument in your State to frustrate you. Our scenarios are quite different. 

    “If we are fighting Federal government it is a different matter. We are talking of the Federal government that is giving us support but the rat in the House is eating the bag of garri. So you can imagine such situation. So I will continue to identify with good governance.”

  • Fubara to raise probe panel on Wike’s govt

    Fubara to raise probe panel on Wike’s govt

    • Senator Wogu: plan is witch-hunt, diversionary
    • Governor inaugurates commissioner screened by three lawmakers

    Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara took the political crisis in the state a notch higher by declaring his intension to probe the administration of his predecessor and godfather, Nyesom Wike.

    Fubara, who served as Accountant-General of the state during Wike’s administration said a judicial panel of inquiry would investigate how the affairs of governance were conducted before he assumed office on May 29, last year.

    He spoke during the inauguration Mr. Dagogo Israel Iboroma (SAN) as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    Iboroma replaced Prof. Zaccheaus Adangor, who was reassigned to Special Duties before he resigned.

    Iboroma was sworn in after the screening by the three-member House of Assembly presided over by Victor Oko-Jumbo.

    The governor said the Attorney-General was brought on board at a critical time to tackle the legal matters confronting his administration with bravery and courage.

    He said: “My brother, Dagogo Iboroma, you are going to be the brand new Attorney-General of our dear State. SSG, give him his letter, he is the Attorney-General.

    “Why are we bringing you at this very critical time? We have a lot of issues around us. We believe that you are not going to be the one that when they send service to you, you go and file “nolle prosequi” (a formal notice of discontinuance) or you go and file one thing that would kill us here.

    “Let me also say this. You have a big task. We will be setting up a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the affairs of governance. So, brace up, I am not going back on it.

    “Please, defend us. We know that you are going to defend us because your record is clean. You are a gentleman and peaceful. You are not a noise maker. People like you are endowed, and they have the fear of God.”

    Fubara acknowledged that the political crises, which was thought to be a family matter, has unfortunately escalated.

    However, he said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, that his administration has moved on, following the presence of “a well- constituted House of Assembly” to discharge legislative duties, and the appointment of a seasoned lawyer as Attorney-General.

    Fubara said: “I am happy that this is happening today to mark the beginning of a new era in our administration.

    “When I said that I had a reason for being patient, it is because I know that we are all from one family. And if we have a disagreement, no matter how bad it is, it should be resolved amicably.

    “But it has become very clear that this disagreement, there is no way to resolve it amicably. And for a lot of reasons, there are visible evidence that there is sabotage, deliberate attempt to sabotage this administration.

    “For that reason, we have to move forward. And, moving forward, if it means taking decisions that are going to hurt anybody, we are not going back.”

    Fubara  accused Prof. Adangor of sabotaging the administration he served as chief law officer.

    He said: “It is good that you were already a SAN before your appointment. This means that you’re a very thorough lawyer and has earned your appointment. Not like the one we had here.

    “Instead of you to close your mouth, you go publicly to claim that you are a learned person. But go publicly to tell people that you were the chief law officer.

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    “Chief law officer? You were here and you went to stand before a magistrate court. At that time, you didn’t remember that you were a chief law officer, going against the ethics of your job. Like I said, you will get your reward, not in the next world, but in this world.”

    The governor said God never made mistakes when he elevated any person to whatever level, adding that the claim that he became governor by mistake is unfounded.

    Probe amounts to witchhunting, says Nwogu

    Rejecting the proposed probe, Senator Olaka Nwogu said the plot would amount to witch-hunting, adding that it would escalate the crisis.

    The elder statesman, who represented the Rivers Southeast District in the National Assembly, said any attempt to initiate any probe at this stage of the crisis would be viewed as vendetta.

    Speaking in Port Harcourt, Nwogu said the probe would never be objective because Fubara was part of the Wike administration.

    He said while Wike was the governor, Fubara was the gatekeeper, insisting that the investigation would be selective.

    Nwogu said Fubara’s disposition has negated the peace overtures.

    He said: “There is nothing extraordinary about investigation, except that in the circumstances we find ourselves. It will not appear as something done to promote good governance.

    “It appears it is designed for witch-hunt or to endorse a particular label already put on somebody. Recall that when this started, they started saying that the minister was asking for certain percentage of money, which is not true.

    “It was dealt with when the governor came to meet with the elders and we met with the minister where he recanted most of the things he wrongly labelled the minister as part of the reconciliation process.

    “This completely negated the instruction the President gave and the mediatory efforts of the President. The governor is saying that the President wasted his time. It is something Rivers people must be careful about”.

    Describing Wike as the greatest governor Rivers ever produced, Nwogu said some people were influencing Fubara to humiliate him.

    He said: “Some people may say condemn him. But this is the greatest governor we ever had. All these are simply efforts to destroy him. If this is what they had wanted to do, it should have been part of the government”.

    Nwogu said the probe is diversionary, adding: “It is preconceived to hoodwink people to think the other way. How are Wike and Fubara different? They ran the same government. One was the gatekeeper of the other. This is going to be very selective.

    “This is an attempt to criminalise a good governor that was the envy of the entire nation. We should be careful at how far we escalate this. Let me urge  caution. Let me ask people to be mindful”.

    Nwogu said Wike’s sin was making Fubara a governor, stressing that the minister has been the victim and not the aggressor.

    He added: “All the time they say the governor is a victim the minister is the aggressor. But if you look carefully, you will understand right from the beginning all the minister did was to make him a governor. So, he has been at the receiving end.

    “So, he is actually a victim of unwarranted and undesired attack. This agenda is unfolding and it is very terrible agenda of our state. This is the direction. If he chooses to abandon the eight point agenda and to pursue this course, it means he has no respect for President’s intervention.”

    Court strikes out LP’s suit against INEC

    A Federal High Court in  Abuja struck out a suit filed by the Labour Party (LP) seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh election in the Rivers House of Assembly to fill the seats of the defected lawmakers.

    Justice James Omotosho struck out the suit after counsel for the party, F. I. Adariku, applied to withdraw suit.

    In the suit, the LP had sought the order of the court to compel the commission to conduct fresh election to fill the seats of the lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC).

    But INEC, through its lawyer, Victor Giwa, disagreed with the LP.

    Giwa, in a preliminary objection filed on INEC’s behalf, prayed the court to dismiss the suit for being frivolous and incompetent.

    According to the lawyer, the suit is an abuse of court process.

    He urged the court to decline jurisdiction in the case as the plaintiff (LP) lacked the locus standi and territorial jurisdiction to institute the action.

    Giwa, a human rights activist, argued that there was a pending case currently ongoing at a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt Judicial Division, with suit number: FHC/PH/CS/25/2024 before Justice E.A Obile.

    He said the Port Harcourt suit had same parties and same subject matter which was filed earlier before the instant suit in February.

    However, after INEC filed its objection, the LP approached the court to withdraw the suit.

    Adariku, who held the brief of Kehinde Edun, the party’s national legal adviser, sought to withdraw the suit, praying the court to strike it out.

    Counsel A. S. Adisa, who held the brief of Giwa, did not oppose the application.

    The lawyer, however, sought for N500, 000 cost.

  • Fubara: An emperor at work

    Fubara: An emperor at work

    “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?

    “You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people. (Italics mine).

    The above were straight from the lips of Siminilayi Fubara, the Rivers State governor moments after staging the psych-op that could well have passed for Nigeria’s variant of the Storming of the Bastille.

    Students of History would remember that revolutionary moment, when on the morning of July 14, 1789, hundreds of Parisians stormed the state prison, seizing 250 barrels of gunpowder and freeing its prisoners. A pivotal moment in the French Revolution, its consequences would not only reverberate in France, but also beyond its borders for years after.

    Today, if anyone still needed a crash lesson in semiotics to appreciate the gravity of those words in the context of the turf war between the executive and the legislative branches in the Rivers State capital, they only need to stretch their memory to a related event of October 29, 2023, when the parliament, the symbol of representative government, was razed to the ground by elements (anarchists), who, supposedly for the loved for their governor, threw the niceties of law and legalism into the sewers. And that was just few days before the governor, in an unparalleled demonstration of executive delinquency and self-help, moved in the bulldozers to complete the rite of destruction on an edifice that was built with taxpayers’ money.

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    That was last year. Today, Nigerians, are already familiar with the intriguing power-play starring Nyesom Wike, the godfather and his now estranged governor-godson, Fubara. I mean the high drama of the godfather wanting the godson out and the inevitability of the actors along the divide lining up behind their principals; the account of the lawmakers, one-score and half of them, and their mission to impeach the governor with the governor’s supporters doing what they had to do – razing the complex which served the parliament – to stave off the process. And then the governor, if only to be certain that such a dream would never recur again, moving in bulldozers as if to complete the job begun by the arsonists!

    Lest we forget, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was at some point, urged to step in. And he did at the end of which an agreement was signed and sealed. Don’t ask me if the parties implemented the terms of the agreement to the letter. There was just about enough of bad faith on both sides to scupper the deal and with it the end to the truce.   

    Unfortunately, while the good people of Rivers State have no idea of how long the current drama will last, even more inconceivable, at least at this point is the cost that would be put on their necks as the horror drags on!

    To understand why fancy treatise on ‘rule of law’, the imperatives of constitutionalism’ and such other nuances of public order is unlikely to make sense to the feuding parties is to appreciate the true character of the elements in that combat particularly their contempt for the law and critical institutions designed to breathe life into society as an orderly, organic entity. As it was in the post-succession era of Peter Odili, so it has been till date. It has all these while being a case of– to borrow the words of The Nation’s revered columnist, Tatalo Alamu – the end justifying the meanness!

    However, while it seems bad enough that these elements sworn to neither hold prisoners nor listen to voices of reason, and who see politics as war by other means are perennially in the forefront, what must alarm is the ease with which the nation’s organic law – the constitution – is being shredded under a false indignation by the same elements who think it is either their way or hell’s highway.

    In this, Fubara, with his changeover from being the underdog to the deal breaker and now lawbreaker, has of late, proven to be more sinning than sinned against (in matters of public peace and decorum) – with Wike – the tormentor-in-chief doing no more than throwing jibes from his Abuja redoubt on occasions! 

    Ways back, a Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Angus Chukwuka, had darkly hinted of the days ahead: “We have illegality challenging illegality; I don’t know whether one will cancel the other. But it’s important that the state actors take caution that what they are doing will actually draw the state into unnecessary crisis”.

    The good lawyer may have understated the looming anarchy. No thanks to the army of conflict entrepreneurs, the state, surely, has entered a new phase of an executive-induced anarchy. The governor, now battle-charged would appear not only ready to take on his enemy, but the constitution at whose behest he still pretends to hold his office.

    I guess it’s a small matter that the governor has withheld the account of the local governments, barred the heads of the councils from answering to the parliament aside other extra-constitutional steps taken in his self-assumed but clearly deluded expediency. He obviously believes that the law (which he also treats with contempt) is such that afford him such latitudes to do as he pleased with anyone and whomsoever.

    Surely, if the governor, before now, thought little of declaring the seats of some 27 state lawmakers void, going the extra-mile of empowering a three-member parliament to make laws for the running of his dear state; argue as you might, it seems highly unlikely that the governor and his ‘people’ ever heard of, let alone read Section 91 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which puts a minimum number of state lawmakers at 24 and maximum at 40 members.

    And now with the governor not done with implementing a budget passed by a four-member parliament, only yesterday, he actually sought to get his nominee for a cabinet position approved by a House of three odd members; those 27 lawmakers can only ignore the weekend threat to pull their official residences down to their peril.

    Does anyone still doubt that a new emperor is in town?