By Charles Igbo
An uncharacteristically roaring Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has sounded a note of strong warning to those who mock him as weak, call him clueless, and disrespect him.
The Governor said he has no problem with their disrespect, or his being called clueless by them. But he sent a strong message to them. They disrespect him at their own peril, he told them, but by doing so, he reminded them they have already dug their political graves.
Fubara, who has suddenly, in the past couple of weeks found a lot of courage to stamp his feet as the Governor of Rivers State, instead of cowering behind the back of his predecessor, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike spoke on Thursday at the commissioning of a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Area built and donated to the Community by a former Governor of Rivers State Dr. Peter Odili.
Fubara’s remarks came when he noticed the presence of the Chairman of the Local Government Area at the occasion.
Almost all the Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State hold Governor Fubara in contempt because they are loyal to Wike, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State who propped Fubara into office but with whom he now has a bitter misunderstanding because Fubara was getting frustrated with Wike’s alleged total control of him and his Government. For that, the LGA Chairmen so disrespect the Governor that they neither acknowledge him as the Governor nor attend State functions where he would be present.
Fubara was, therefore, surprised to see the Chairman of the Local Government Area present at the function. Nobody could explain why he was present. Many people felt that he came to honour Odili. Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni is Odili’s LGA.
On noticing the presence of the LGA Chairman, Governor Fubara mocked: “I am surprised that I saw the Local Government Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni here. I am very surprised because I know that for a very long time, any event that has to do with the State Government, all the Local Government Chairmen, as it were, do not participate. I hope when he leaves here, they are not going to sack him.
“I know you are not loyal to me. Are they not going to sack you? Or, when you leave here, you will grant a press interview that it was not you. That it was your shadow.”
Fubara then tackled him and his LGA Chairmen- colleagues.”Let me say it here, everyone of you who thinks he is disrespecting me, you have already dug your pit. You will fall inside it. Siminalayi Fubara, like a river, will flow in a direction that there is no resistance. One way or the other, we will get to our destination, and we will go with our people.
“They say we are clueless. If providing quality education to our people is being clueless, I agree with them. I accept it. They say we are clueless. If providing quality health care services to our dear people is being clueless, then we agree with that. It is the truth. They say we are clueless.
“If targeting critical projects, like this road we have awarded, the Elele-Egbeda- Omoku road, we agree. But, we will not go and construct roads to our farm because we want to please somebody politically.
“We will do those things that our people want and will benefit from. If that one means being clueless, then, we are clueless. In fact, I will my name to “clueless”.
A now sure-footed Governor Fubara says his mission as the Governor is to develop Rivers State and give it absolute peace.
