Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has advised his supporters to focus on what lies ahead for the state, saying he has decided to put everything that happened in the recent past behind him.
Fubara, who made reference to the past political crisis between him and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, spoke during the inauguration of the Omademe Internal Roads Project in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday.
He said he is not interested in going down that road anymore.
The Governor urged political leaders across the state to join hands with him in sustaining the prevailing peace and putting the past political crisis behind them, saying as a person, he is now focused on matters ahead of him.
Fubara said, “We want to say it publicly here that it’s not about the number of days, but what matters in the life of every administration is the value that is added. So, please, nobody should lose any hope. We will continue to add value till the last day.
“And who knows? God might have another different thing for us. So, please, I want everybody to cheer up. We are working as one now. Let us sustain that tempo for the good of Rivers State. That is where I stand, and I am not shifting grounds on that.
“I urge political leaders across the state to join hands with me in sustaining the prevailing peace and putting the past political crisis behind them.
“Just think of where we are coming from. Think of what has happened before. For me, I am not interested in going down that road anymore. What is behind me is behind me. What I am looking at is what is ahead of me. So, please, let’s look at what is ahead of all of us as a team, as a state, as part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Recall that Governor Fubara was engulfed in a political crisis with his predecessor, Wike since 2023, a situation that pitched the executive against the House of Assembly loyal to the FCT Minister.
The crisis also led to the declaration of six months emergency rule in the state by President Bola Tinubu, where the governor and the lawmakers were suspended from office.
Fubara also explained that the approval by his administration for a comprehensive staff payroll verification exercise was targeting “ghost” workers across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
He said the approval of the verification exercise and implementation of the report was borne out of the administration’s resolved to entrench fiscal discipline within the public service.
He added that the issue of bloated salary payrolls at the local government level had been a lingering challenge even before he assumed office, and there was the need to tackle it headlong.
Earlier, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Prof. Temple Nwofor, had provided some insight into the road project, stating that the contract for the internal roads was awarded to Setraco Construction Limited in February 2024, while work commenced in November 2024.
