Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, inspected the state assembly quarters on Thursday, ostensibly for possible rehabilitation.
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This visit followed the election on Wednesday of a new Speaker and other principal officers by the 3-member pro-Fubara faction of the assembly.
A press statement by Nelson Chukwudi, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Fubara, explained that Fubara’s visit to the residential quarters was to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the condition of the structures for possible rehabilitation work to restore their status and make them livable.
According to the statement, the governor gave the indication after he inspected the 15.24-kilometre-long Emohua-AAbalama-Tema Junction dual carriageway road project.
The governor was quoted as saying, “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong with going to check how things are going on there?
“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”
The governor, who took a walk around the facility, said that he decided to visit the place to get a better appreciation of what needs to be done to make the quarters conducive for lawmakers.
The Rivers State Assembly Quarters are the residence of the assembly members, and after the demolition of the assembly complex in December 2023, the assembly took its plenary sessions to the quarters.
But with the escalation of the disagreement between Governor Fubara and the 27 pro-Wike members of the House and the rise of the pro-Fubara faction, it is feared that the quarters might face the same fate as the assembly complex, which was demolished for the same touted purpose of rehabilitation.
Commenting on the road project, Gov. Fubara said he was assessing the extent of the work that had been done to know what else was needed in preparing the road for commissioning during his one-year anniversary.
He said, “As a matter of fact, we added this section of the road as one of the projects we will be commissioning. So, I needed to see it myself, and what is remaining is just the lighting. By the grace of God, we will commission it.”
Governor Fubara pointed out that the road project was inherited from the immediate past administration, but a greater chunk of the cost was borne by his administration.
He said, “We feel justified adding it to our project and commissioning it for the good of our people here.
“Governance is all about the people. When the people are out of the centre of governance, then it is no longer governance.
“So, this road, as we all now know, was in a very bad state. A lot of criminal activities were being carried out here, including kidnapping and all sorts of other things. So, putting this road in order is appropriate.”
The governor added, “You can see the little manhour we spent coming here. Before, it took you 30 to 45 minutes to drive from Emohua to this place. But look at it: in less than 15 minutes, we are here.
“So, it is about the people, the good of the people, and making life easy for the people. That is the way I see governance. Anything outside that has nothing to do with me.
“It is not about me. It is not about glory for me as a person. I am just a vessel that God is using to provide succour to the good people of Rivers State, and more especially, our dear people of Kalabari extraction.”
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