Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has addressed recent tensions in the state, emphasizing that his actions are defensive rather than aggressive.
“I am, rather, defending the state against predators; I am protecting Rivers against those who feel that they own the life of others,” he stated during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Fubara spoke about an attempt to detonate an explosive device at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, describing it as a calculated effort to destabilize the state and justify calls for a state of emergency.
“It is the handiwork of detractors who want to undermine the state to achieve their evil plans,” he asserted.
He alleged that certain youths were paid to protest in favor of extending the tenure of former local government chairmen who had completed their three-year terms. Fubara connected this protest with the presence of National Assembly members at the hotel, suggesting that the explosive device was meant to create chaos.
“There was a plan to detonate dynamite at the Hotel Presidential because you people were there. But, this God that we serve, it happened that the man, who was trying to do it, detonated it, but just a few seconds later, it blew his hands off.
“The idea was that as you were hearing the state of emergency, by the time they finish, when you return to have your sitting tomorrow, the debate will be from somebody from this state who called you people to tell you not to come.”
Fubara criticized the law’s slow response to these issues, implying that some individuals are considered above the law.
“Is there nowhere in the country where tenure elongation for former local government chairmen has been an issue?” he asked.
He questioned whether the legal standards applied differently in Rivers State compared to the rest of Nigeria.
“Is it that the Constitution that governs Nigeria is different from the one that operates in Rivers? These are the very pertinent questions we should ask.
“Why should it be that when it comes to the case of Rivers, the law is always silent? Is it that there is somebody bigger than Nigeria? That is the question I want you to go back with,” Fubara said.
Fubara also urged the committee to consider Rivers State’s interests in their recommendations on privatization and commercialization of public companies. He emphasized that state ownership could ensure the protection and viability of these assets.
“I will also appeal to you that in this process of privatisation, anything that has to do with our own state here that needs to be privatised, the Rivers Government will be interested.
“So, as a committee, if there is anywhere you can support us; if there is anyone that is still available, let us know, and let us get the details so that we can own it.
“It is only when we own it that those assets can be protected. It is only when we own it, that is when those assets become viable to the state, and also become viable to the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.
Senate Committee chairman Orji Uzo Kalu, representing Abia North Senatorial District, commended Fubara for his commitment to peace and effective governance. He also urged Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike to prioritize the state’s interests and encourage his supporters to maintain peace.
“Wike must put the interest of the state above all considerations,” Kalu said.
Kalu praised Fubara and his administration for fostering a peaceful environment conducive to economic growth.
“I want to thank you because you look like a very peaceful man. Your face shows a peaceful man. Your laugh shows a peaceful man. So, I want you to continue in that manner of peace.
“There is nothing like peace. Let people who are eating from this problem stop eating from it.
“We want to plead with you; continue to hold your people back because if your people demonstrate like the other people, we will have a state of anarchy, and it is not good to have anarchy.
“I want to plead with you to abide by the rules of the land. I plead with you to abide by what the Constitution says. I plead with you to also abide by the decisions of the Judiciary.
“Wait for every judicial interpretation and act on judicial interpretation,” he added.
Kalu pledged the committee’s support in collaborating with the state government to achieve mutually beneficial goals that would advance the interests of all Nigerians.
