By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

Hails Tinubu’s intervention as fatherly, decisive

• Commends Wike, Akpabio, Abbas, others

• Commits to honour agreements, cordial relations with Assembly

Amid the euphoria that greeted his return to office yesterday, Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, recalled the circumstances that surrounded his six-month absence from office and why he did not see any need to challenge his suspension.

Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu and members of the state’s House of Assembly were all suspended on March 18 in a broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declaring a six-month emergency rule following an intractable face-off between the governor and the lawmakers.

Addressing the people in a statewide broadcast, Governor Fubara hailed the intervention of Presisent Bola Ahmed Tinubu in resolving the political crisis and restoring democratic governance in a fatherly and decisive manner.

Fubara said: “On behalf of the government and the good people of Rivers State, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. President for his fatherly disposition and decisive interventions in resolving the political crisis and for graciously restoring full democratic governance to our state.

“Personally, I will never take Mr. President’s kindness for granted, and for that, I hereby reaffirm my utmost loyalty and eternal gratitude”.

He described the last six months of emergency rule as challenging even as he recalled the steps President Tinubu took to reconcile all the warring parties.

The governor said he resisted the pressure to challenge the emergency rule because of his conviction that no sacrifice was too great to secure peace.

He said: “It is without doubt that the last six months had been enormously challenging for our dear state under the emergency rule.

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“As your Governor, I accepted to abide by the state of emergency declaration and chose to cooperate with Mr. President and the National Assembly, guided by my conviction that no sacrifice was too great to secure peace, stability and progress of Rivers State.

“This was why I also resisted the pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the declaration of a state of emergency, the suspension of democratic institutions, and all other actions that we endured during this difficult period.

“In the course of the six-month period, Mr. President graciously brokered the peace process with all the parties successfully.

“Our Leader, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and I, as your Governor, have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation in the best interest of our dear Rivers State.”

Fubara assured those expressing genuine fears, frustrations and uncertainties over the nature of the peace process that their concerns were valid and understood.

He said: “However, nothing has been irretrievably lost. There remains ample opportunity for necessary adjustments, continued reconciliation, and inclusiveness.

“We must all remember the saying, ‘the costliest peace is cheaper than the cheapest war’.

“Accordingly, let us, therefore, embrace this moment as a fresh beginning. Let us work together with renewed hope and determination to build a stronger, more peaceful and prosperous Rivers State. I assure you that we will continuously work towards ensuring that we carry everyone along.”

The governor said despite the turbulence, his administration made credible milestones in infrastructure, education, healthcare and other key sectors over the last two years.

He noted that his government was faced with immediate responsibility to return to the path of governance and development by completing the projects it started and ensuring that none of them was starved of funds or neglected.

On his relationship with the House of Assembly going forward, Fubara said: “I commit to working harmoniously with the Rivers State House of Assembly to recover lost grounds and accelerate the social and economic advancement of our dear state.

“I also renew my pledge to serve with the fear of God, humility and a high sense of duty.”

The governor thanked “the resilient people of Rivers for their patience, courage and peaceful conduct during the six months of emergency rule.

He extended his appreciation to all stakeholders, religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society groups, political actors, women groups, youths, concerned citizens at home and abroad, and well-wishers whose prayers and support sustained them through the challenging period.

Fubara appealed to Rivers people to draw strength from their shared identity, saying that their diversity remained their greatest asset, and their unity the strongest guarantee of their future.

“We must rise above bitterness and division and channel our energies into rebuilding trust, fostering inclusiveness and securing a peaceful and prosperous state for all,” he said.

Referring to Wike as “our leader”, Fubara thanked him for committing to the prompt resolution of the political impasse in the state.

He thanked the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Abbas Tajudeen; and the distinguished members of the National Assembly for the role they all played in the resolution of the matter.

Fubara hailed the Speaker and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, respected elders, stakeholders and all concerned citizens for working together to resolve their differences and ensuring peace and harmony in the state.

He called on all citizens of Rivers State, regardless of political, religious, or ethnic affiliation, to join hands in rebuilding the state and securing a future of dignity and progress for everyone.

Calling for commitment by all stakeholders to make the existing peace in the state permanent, Fubara said: “We believe the political crisis is now behind us and that peace and stability have once again returned to Rivers State, though not without the hard lessons learnt from the emergency rule.

“The responsibility now rests squarely on us: the Government, the State House of Assembly, political leaders and stakeholders to put aside our differences, work for the common good, and advance the interests of our people above all else.

We have a duty to ensure that the peace we have all embraced remains permanent in our dear Rivers State”.

Prior to his state broadcast, Fubara, after arriving at Government House, described the rousing reception as humbling and deeply symbolic.

He said: “Let me first of all appreciate the wonderful people of Rivers State. I am really humbled by what I saw at the airport.

“I was also briefed with some photographs of what happened here yesterday. That reception really humbled me. It showed love, confidence, and solidarity.”

The governor stressed that the overwhelming turnout was more than a celebration, but an affirmation of the enduring connection between his government and the people.

“It is not just the massive reception by the number of people who came out to celebrate, but a reaffirmation of the bond between this government and the people that we are serving. I want to assure you that we will, by the grace of God, continue to do those things that have made you people love us.”

Heroic reception greets Fubara’s return

The governor’s broadcast came few hours after he arrived in Rivers to a heroic reception by a crowd of jubilant residents yesterday.

The enthusiatic supporters gathered at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, as early as 6am to wait for the arrival of Fubara, who was coming to resume duties after the emergency rule was lifted.

In the crowd were hundreds of the disbanded Simplified Family of the governor, including their leaders and former sacked local government chairmen.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Ngozi Odu, was at the airport to receive Fubara.

Sacked Mayor of Port Harcourt City, Ichemati Ezebunwo, popularly known as Sugar Mayor; a former Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah; former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh; former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Oji Ngofa; former Commissioner for Environment, Sydney Gbara and former minority speaker of the three-man House of Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo, were among those that waited for the governor.

Others were former Commissioner for Youths, Chisom Gbali; former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Evans Bipi; former President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese; and former Commissioner for Education, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, among others.

The jubilant supporters, especially the women, were dressed in colourful attires as they sang and danced in expectation of Fubara.

Some members of Women Unite for SIM, a prayer group, were also sighted among the persons waiting for him at the airport’s car park.

After waiting for hours, the spirit of the people was lifted when the governor’s official convoy made a grand entry into the VIP wing of the airport, signaling the imminence of his arrival.

The atmosphere at the airport and the mood of the people changed when the first aircraft belonging to Rivers State Government descended at the tarmac at about 11.40am.

Most people thought that Fubara was on board the aircraft as they positioned their gadgets to capture him stepping out of the plane.

Protocol officers laid red carpet towards the plane’s entrance only to discover that the governor was not on board the plane.

But more than 30 minutes after, a chartered aircraft with registration number 5N-BTX, an Embraer Legacy 600 owned and operated by Anap Jets, a Nigerian airline, arrived the airport.

The governor stepped down from the aircraft at about 12.20pm after the conclusion of all the protocols at the VIP wing of the airport.

On sighting the governor, the crowd hailed him and called him various names such as the icon of peace, the ocean, among others.

Fubara, who wore a blue jeans shirt, a black fez cap and a pair of glasses, was accompanied by his wife, Valerie and his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie.

The supporters, who thronged at the airport, were in jubilation as they received Fubara with many of them shouting: “We love you our governor”.

Fubara was immediately ushered into his vehicle and his convoy with siren blaring headed for the Government House in Port Harcourt.

From the airport to Government House, crowds thronged out in celebration of the governor’s arrival as they reaffirmed their loyalty and bond with his administration.

Rivers women hail Tinubu, Wike, Fubara

Rivers Women under the aegis of Rivers Women Unite for Sim also applauded President Tinubu, Fubara and the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, alongside other leaders and stakeholders, for their roles in ending the political impasse and restoring democracy in Rivers State.

They spoke after their special fellowship tagged: “Finger of God” at the Ecumenical Centre, Port Harcourt.

The women noted that the suspension of emergency rule and return of democratic structures was a welcome development for the people of Rivers

They commended all Rivers people, civil society groups, and the media who stood firm during the trying times, and called for forgiveness, deeper healing, reconciliation, and unity to ensure lasting peace, progress and development in the state.