Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, says he is at peace with his political benefactor.
He also noted that “proper peace” has returned to the state after a months-long feud that triggered an emergency rule in March.
Speaking to journalists after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, Fubara stressed that he had resumed his duties in an atmosphere of peace and cooperation.
“As far as I’m concerned, we have made peace. Fubara and his principal are working together,” the governor said, referring to his estranged predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Fubara also revealed that his visit to Tinubu was a courtesy call and an opportunity to seek direction following the expiration of the six-month emergency rule that saw his suspension and those of key political leaders of the state.
“Ideally, it’s proper for me to see Mr. President and to tell him that I’m back, and I’ve also resumed my responsibility as the governor of Rivers State,” he said, adding, “It’s not much. It’s a father-son discussion, telling him thank you, and the areas where, if at all, there should be any issue for him to guide me properly so we don’t get in any situation of crisis.”
Tinubu lifted the emergency rule on September 17, restoring the offices of governor, deputy governor and the House of Assembly after a political impasse between Fubara and Wike that had crippled governance.
The Supreme Court had earlier declared that “there was no government in Rivers State,” citing the collapse of relations between the loyalists of both men in the assembly.
The crisis threatened governance in the oil-rich state as vital pipelines came under attack in the days leading to Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule.
Meanwhile, Fubara lamented the huge economic opportunities lost due to the underutilisation of the state’s two seaports, warning that unless their capacities are optimised, both Rivers and Nigeria will continue to miss out on jobs, investments, and industrial growth.
The governor stated this when he received a delegation of the Nigerian Ports Authority Board and Management, led by its Chairman, Senator Adeyeye Adedayo Clement, on a courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, the governor said seaports remain critical to national development, noting that world-class ports and airports drive prosperity in many countries.
He stressed that despite being strategically blessed with the Port Harcourt and Onne seaports, Rivers had yet to fully harness their potential.
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