‘You’ll All Know When I Am Fighting’

The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that he was not in a fight with anyone, stating that it will be evident to the people when he engages anyone in a fight.

Fubara expressed concern about the fact that it seems the law is either not being enforced or is not moving forward against wrongdoers, especially in Rivers State.

According to him, it seems like there are powerful forces at play in the protests in the state, stressing that there was no state where the terms of former local government chairmen became a problem.

Governor Fubara explained that his actions are not directed against anyone in particular, but rather aimed at protecting the state from threats and standing up for the rights of Rivers State’s citizens against those who believe they have the right to control others’ lives.

The state leader further highlighted that no other governor in Nigeria has faced as much criticism from former local government council chairmen as he has.

Governor Fubara mentioned that he has not let these insults and threats deter him, choosing instead to ignore the attackers, as their goal is to divert his attention.

He emphasized his commitment to providing effective governance and benefits to the people of Rivers.

Speaking on the recent explosion in Port Harcourt, the governor said the man who detonated the explosive intended to blow up the Presidential Hotel, a highly-rated hospitality facility in the state.

Naija News reports that Governor Fubara explained this during a visit by the Senate Committee on Privatization led by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu to the government house in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

Fubara said the failed attacker targeted the facility that was accommodating high-profile individuals including the members of the Senate committee to justify the call for the imposition of a state of emergency in the state.

His statement read: “The idea was that as you heard the state of emergency, it will be so that by the time they finish when you return to have your sitting tomorrow (Thursday), the debate will be from somebody from this state who called you people to tell you not to come. He will now raise the issue of a state of emergency, and say, after all, distinguished colleagues saw it happen while you were in Rivers State, that you saw what happened.

“But you see, when you are with God, even your child who is planning evil, will go and tell somebody that God is with this man because he is clean, this is what my father is planning. That is what is keeping us in this State”.

He added: “Where on earth can the tenure of local government chairmen be elongated? You were a former governor, was it tried in your time? Even those of you who are Senators here, even in your states, have anyone tried this before?

“Is it that the Constitution that governs Nigeria is different from the one that operates in Rivers State? These are the very pertinent questions we should ask.

“Why should it be that when it comes to the case of Rivers State, 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.”

Governor Fubara added, “I tell you, we know everything that is happening, and you know it, everybody knows it. We should be bold enough to look at the faces of people and tell them the truth.

“I am not fighting anybody. If I am fighting, people will know that I am fighting; my pattern will change. What we are doing is to defend ourselves, we can’t just fold our hands. Only a tree will be standing and somebody will come and cut it off.

“It doesn’t happen as a human being. If you know that danger is coming, you shift. What we are doing is just to protect ourselves. So, distinguished Senators, I am not fighting anybody.”

Governor Fubara further said, “Somebody thinks or some people feel they own life. I don’t own life. The person who owns life is God. What we are doing here is to serve the people of Rivers State because God has given us this opportunity.

“It doesn’t matter the channel the opportunity came from. But the most important thing is God, and nobody takes the place of God in anything.”

The governor instructed committee members to consider the interests of Rivers State while suggesting the privatization and commercialization of public entities.

He mentioned that by purchasing shares in these companies, the state can ensure their protection and oversight, making them sustainable.

“I will also appeal to you that in this process of privatisation, anything that has to do with our state here that needs to be privatised, the Rivers State government will be interested.

“Because you can’t come here and own our property when we have the resources to have shares or to acquire some portion of it.

“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 noted.

During his speech, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, mentioned that their visit to Rivers State was to conduct oversight activities on various projects falling under their jurisdiction.

Senator Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District, praised Governor Fubara for his dedication to promoting peace, delivering effective governance, and creating a conducive environment for economic development for all residents in the state.

Sheath Your Sword

Furthermore, the Senate committee chairman appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to prioritize peace by calming his supporters and prioritizing the state’s interests above all else.

He said, “I want to admire Your Excellency, your Deputy and your team for the good things you are doing in the state, but it is good to have peace.

“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 with this problem stop eating from it.

“We know that politics has taken its shape. We commend you for what you are doing for the people of your state. I will continue to ask you to focus on the job.

“Leadership is a very big burden. It is not a sweet potato. It is not anywhere where you can see rice and beans. On the street of Rivers, everyone is saying that the governor and the former governor are quarrelling.”

“We want to plead with you, continue to be holding 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,” Kalu added.

He pledged the readiness of the committee to work with the state government to achieve mutually beneficial goals that will advance the interest of all Nigerians.