Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has defended his administration’s approval and implementation of a comprehensive staff payroll verification exercise across the state’s 23 local government areas, saying the initiative is aimed at eliminating irregularities, addressing the longstanding problem of alleged “ghost workers” and strengthening fiscal discipline in the public service.
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Fubara spoke on Monday during the commissioning of the Omademe Internal Roads Project in Ikwerre Local Government Area, where he said the problem of bloated local government salary payrolls existed before he assumed office and required decisive intervention.
According to the governor, the former Local Government Service Commission had already begun looking into the matter before the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State.
He said that following his return from what he described as his “sabbatical leave” and the constitution of a new commission, his administration remained determined to conclude the exercise and address whatever irregularities were identified.
Fubara, who recalled his previous experience as a Treasury Officer before entering politics, said he brought that background to bear in designing the verification process.
He disclosed that ICT personnel were deployed to assist the committee handling the assignment, with a view to ensuring accuracy, transparency, objectivity and integrity.
The governor insisted that the exercise was not politically motivated and should not be interpreted as an attempt to victimise supporters of any political tendency.
“It doesn’t matter whether the people are my supporters. It doesn’t matter whether they are people from the other side. Now there is no other side. We are all Rivers people,” Fubara said.
He maintained that his concern was to ensure that employment into the local government system followed proper procedures.
“I want to ensure that the right thing is done. I’m not against you being employed. But the issue is that if you have to be employed, you have to be employed through the proper channel,” he said.
Fubara cautioned against attempts to reduce the payroll verification exercise to political rivalry.
“So anybody who is writing anything, saying that it has something to do politically, please desist from it.
“Everything about this state mustn’t be tied to politics. It mustn’t be tied to myself and because of this and that. No. Please, at times, let’s be very objective and look beyond the issue of politics and look at facts,” he said.
The governor consequently reaffirmed his approval of the recommendations arising from the verification exercise.
“I want to say here that I approved the implementation of that recommendation and I stand by it,” Fubara declared.
He also used the commissioning ceremony to restate his administration’s commitment to infrastructure development, particularly projects designed to open up rural communities and improve connectivity.
Fubara described the Omademe Internal Roads Project as part of a broader effort to connect rural settlements, ease the movement of residents and goods and stimulate economic activities within communities.
He said the value delivered by an administration was more important than the number of days it spent in office and assured residents that his government would continue implementing development projects until its final day.
“We want to say it publicly here that it’s not about the number of days, but what matters in the life of every administration is the value that is added. So, please, nobody should lose any hope. We will continue to add value till the last day,” he said.
Fubara added: “And who knows? God might have another different thing for us. So, please, I want everybody to cheer up. We are working as one now. Let us sustain that tempo for the good of Rivers State. That is where I stand, and I am not shifting grounds on that.”
The governor also appealed to political leaders across Rivers State to work with his administration to preserve peace and move beyond the political crisis that had engulfed the state.
He said he had no interest in returning to the disputes of the past and wanted political actors to concentrate instead on the future of Rivers State.
“Just think of where we are coming from. Think of what has happened before. For me, I am not interested in going down that road anymore. What is behind me is behind me. What I am looking at is what is ahead of me,” he said.
Fubara urged political leaders and residents to begin thinking collectively as a state and as part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“So, please, let’s look at what is ahead of all of us as a team, as a state, as part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.
Earlier, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Prof. Temple Nwofor, provided details of the Omademe road project.
Nwofor said the contract was awarded to Setraco Construction Limited in February 2024, while construction commenced in November 2024.
According to him, the project consists of 10 separate internal roads covering approximately 8.6 kilometres.
The roads are complemented by side drains and outfall drainage systems intended to improve water evacuation and reduce the risk of localised flooding.
The commissioner said the project features a 100mm asphaltic layer, approximately 8.7 kilometres of concrete side drains and a three-kilometre outfall drainage system.
Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Charles Wobodo, thanked the governor for delivering the infrastructure project but appealed for additional road construction within the council area.
Wobodo said more roads were required to expand the local government’s road network and improve connectivity for communities.
Fubara’s remarks on the payroll verification exercise came amid concerns and political commentary surrounding the ongoing review of staffing and salary records at the local government level.
The governor, however, insisted that the process was an administrative and fiscal reform rather than a political exercise, maintaining that anyone legitimately employed through the proper channels had nothing to fear.
He said his administration would continue to pursue both fiscal discipline and infrastructure development, while urging political leaders to put past divisions behind them and work collectively for the interests of Rivers State.
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