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Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara has boasted that all the actions of his government in the ongoing political crisis in the State are guided by the rule of law.
He said his government decided to follow its course lawfully to the end insisting that he was already ahead of his detractors.
Fubara urged supporters and all Rivers people to eschew violence and conduct themselves in compliance with the rule of law, boasting that he was already on top of the situation.
The Governor spoke at Tema Junction during official inauguration of Emohua-Kalabari (Tema Junction) Road project in Asari-Toru Local Government Area on Friday.
The project was inaugurated by Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West).
Fubara said that he would continue to lead the state with the fear of God and guided by the laws of the land, promising that he would not let Rivers people down, including all those, who believed in his leadership.
The Governor said the people were with him noting that his detractors were boasting that he had no assembly member and local government chairman supporting his administration.
He said: “I want to thank everyone of you for your support. I want to thank you specially for your support during the time of the election; before, during and the wonderful support we are getting now after the election. And the support is what is shocking the whole world.
“We don’t have any Assembly member, like they said. We don’t have any local government chairman, like they said. But we have the people. Having the people is the most important thing. I assure the people that we will not disappoint them.
“We will lead as a Government that has the fear of God, purposeful for the people. I assure you that we will not let you down. We will not bring any form of disgrace.
“But I am not asking you to be violent. No need for it. The most important thing is our course: we will follow it lawfully to the end. And by the special grace of God, we are on top of the situation.”
Fubara encouraged the people to continue to support the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government, and ensure the protection of important government installations in Kalabari land.
The Governor lamented the unabated illegal bunkering activities and vandalism of critical infrastructure of state, which he said caused a depletion of inflow of revenue to the federation accounts.
Fubara, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, said that recurring reports of the Nigerian Navy showed preponderance of such activities in the area and tasked youths to stop engaging in such economic sabotage.
He said: “When you watch or read most of the reports on the activities by the Nigerian Navy, you will see that greater part of these bunkering activities are done, more especially in this area.
“I want to appeal to you, there are other justifiable and clean means of livelihood. We must not subject ourselves to economic sabotage. Please, I am appealing to you, it is better we desist from it.
“I am going to constitute a very high-powered delegation that will visit these areas, and talk to the leadership: the chiefs and the community heads and leaders, so that we can improve on our present state.
“When we have (exploited) more crude oil resources from this area, it brings in more resources (finances) to the state, it brings more resources (finances) to the country. Mr President can do more projects and the State can also do more projects. Afterall, you will want me to do more projects. So, support me in this fight to end illegal bunkering and oil pipeline vandalization.”
Speaking on the Emohua-Kalabari Road project, Fubara said it was awarded on the 18th February, 2023, by the immediate past administration at the cost of N21.2bn but only paid N6bn.
Fubara said that his administration paid the remainder of N15.2bn, and completed 70 percent of the job to confidently claim it as part of his projects delivered for the good of the people in Kalabari land.
He said: “Although the Permanent Secretary did mention a few things, and I know that when we leave here, some agents will want to say one thing or the other. So, I came prepared.
“Let me also say it here, maybe, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC was being economical with their presentation. On my table as I am talking to you, there is a request for variation of the cost of this project.
“This is because, as at the time this project was awarded, and while the project was on-going, there was serious exchange rate differences. But I told them not to worry that they should go ahead and complete this project, and I assured them that we will sort them out and they accepted.
“For the records, this project was awarded on the 18th of February, 2023, by the immediate past administration. In the month of March, the first payment for the project was done, and the next one was in April, and the third one was in May.
“The total value of this project is N21.2billlion, and out of that, only N6billion was what the previous administration committed.
“When we came on board, we said to the contactor, go ahead, assuring that we are not cutting it short because we know that the project is for the benefit of our people. I can boldly say here that the balance of N15.2billion has been paid completely.
“So, for those of you that are mathematicians and even those of you who understand elementary statistics, you will understand that 70 percent of this project was done by this administration. Therefore, we can boldly say that this project was delivered by this administration.
“That is not even an issue but the reason why we have to go on this line is just to explain to our people, so that you will understand where we were and exactly where we are now.
“Originally, our mantra was supposed to be ‘Consolidation and Continuity’. And if that is our mantra, the success of our administration should not be ascribed to anybody, but to the success of the administration, to the success of governance, knowing fully well that one will serve out our tenure and another will continue, and government is a continuous process.
“But with what we are faced with, we have no other option but to do this explanation so that we will understand the works that we are doing. For those people who say that we have not been doing anything, they will know that we have been doing a lot silently, not with noise or media exaggeration.”
Fubara assured that he would continue to deploy resources of the state to better the conditions of the people and directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works to commence the process for the immediate extension of the road from Tema Junction to Abonnema Town.
The governor explained that the Trans-Kalabari Road project was re-routed away from the Ogbakiri axis because of the high maritime line entailed in the construction work and the associated cost but assured that the road would still connect to Tombia Town.
He said: “Let me assure our people, as I have said before, this Government is a Government that is focused. This Government is a Government that wants the forgotten people to feel the impact of governance.
“This Government is a Government that wants to give opportunity to everyone. You don’t need to be close to me to benefit, that is the truth. This is because I see it as sycophancy. What we need to do, we will do it for our people.
“So, let me thank the four local government areas which co-operated to make this project a success: Emohua, Asari-Toru, Degema and Akuku-Toru. And let me also thank the traditional leadership of the Kalabari Kingdom, please just be peaceful, everything that we desire, by the special grace of God, will definitely come our way.”
Inaugurating the project, Dickson, said that crisis would normally make some people to forget governance but that Fubara had refused to be distracted by crisis.
Dickson, who was former Governor of Bayelsa State, said the project was a life-changing development because his experience plying the road when it was deplorable was also unpleasant
He said, “Today, we have seen what you are doing. When we led that delegation last week to you at Government House, I didn’t know that you are embarking on life-changing projects like this across the length and breathe of this area.
“Not many people will see this and doubt your commitment and your understanding of the imperatives of development. Your love for our people, your love for Rivers people, and your understanding of the challenges facing your people, if anyone was in doubt, looking at this wonderful road, such doubts, clearly will be misplaced.”
He praised the governor for what he had achieved in such a short time, despite the deliberate distractions, and urged him to remain focused to do more for the people.
He added as a competent accountant, he was sure that the governor would prudently deploy every taxpayer’s sweat into meaningful developmental projects that would positively impact the majority of the people of the state.
Providing the description of the project, the Permanent Secretary of Rivers State Ministry of Works, Atemea Briggs, said the Emohua-Kalabari Road is 15.24km in length, and was awarded at the cost of N21.26bn by the previous administration, which paid only 28 percent of that sum amounting to N6bn.
In her welcome address, the Vice Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Mrs. Tekena Daphne Wokoma, recalled that the road, which was properly constructed with bridges first in the 1990s, eventually collapsed few years after.
The unattended deplorable condition of the road, she said created motoring discomfort for commuters with kidnappers and armed robbers finding it easier to operate on the route but added that Fubara had wiped their tears, saved them from the nightmare and associated difficulties.
Wokoma said the road would.further improve the economic potentials of the benefiting communities in the four local government areas of Emohua, Degema, Asari-Toru and Akoku-Toru.
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