Who Will Save Amaopu-Senibo (Sir) Siminalayi Joseph Fubara GSSRS

By S. Long Williams Esq.

Even the sweetest thing on earth will be tasteless, even bitter in your mouth if you lose your peace of mind.

Sir Amaopu-senibo Siminalayi Joseph Fubara GSSRS the Governor of Rivers State is the second of five children and the first son of Late Joseph Fubara, a former soldier and Late Love Fubara, a civil servant. He is a knight of St. Christopher (KSC) Order of Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion. He holds the traditional chieftaincy title of Amaopu-senibo of Opobo Kingdom in Rivers State. He is married to Valerie Fubara and they have three children.

Sim as he is fondly called started his career in 2003 as a principal accountant with the Rivers State Senior Secondary Schools Board. He rose to the position of director of finance and accounts at the State’s government house in 2015 and rose to the position of permanent secretary in March 2020. He was appointed the accountant general of Rivers State on December 23, 2020. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Fellow of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria.

Sim’s sojourn into the murky dark waters of politics came as a shock to many. From the records he was not a member of any political party and was apolitical. He carried out his duties with utmost dedication as a civil servant that he was. It came as a shock to many when in May, 2022 he won the People’s Democratic Party governorship primaries for the 2023 general elections with 721 votes against PDP heavy weights in the likes of Bro. Felix Obua, former PDP State Chairman, George Kelly, Commissioner for Works, Tammy Danagogo, former Minister and Secretary to the state government, David Briggs and Chief West Morgan amongst others. With the PDP gubernatorial ticket in his kitty, Sir Amaopu-senibo Siminalayi Joseph Fubara GSSRS murdered sleep.

So soon after he clinched the ticket,the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared him and 58 others wanted for N435 billion fraud.

The Commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, called on the general public to assist in apprehending him and other suspects. Thus began his odyssey.

An attempt was made by operatives of the EFCC to effect the arrest of SIM at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa but they were resisted by some non state actors alledgly loyal to the immediate past Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON, GSSRS, POS Africa and Life Bencher. It then became a game of wits between the former Governor and the EFCC over the arrest and prosecution of SIM as he was protected by a tight security network under the cover of the former Governor, using state apparatus like the SSS , the Police and other non state actors. This at the time brought to question the loyalty of state institutions like the Police and the SSS who swore to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at all times and in all circumstances. Why were they giving protection to a man declared wanted by another state institution, why didn’t they arrest SIM and hand him over to the EFCC. This will be a topic for another day.

Sim enjoyed this protective cover until he won the general elections and was sworn in as Governor of Rivers State on May 29, 2023. With his status as the sworn in elected Governor of Rivers State, he assumed full immunity from arrest and prosecution. However, his travails did not end there, thus began the second phase of his odyssey for as Mitch Albom, the American author, journalist and musician mused “All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time”

In July, 2023, the Governor hit the ground running with the flag off of the ring road project at a whopping cost of N200b. Tongues wagged as to the proprietary of the project in view of the hyper unemployment, poverty and want bedeviling residents and indigenes of the state, coupled with the fact that the contract process was shrouded in mystery as there was no due process followed, neither was any EIA report published. Peace reigned thereafter as almost all the political gladiators seemed to be in bed with the Governor on this project for reasons best known to them.

His next stop was the visit to Abua where he assured the people of completing the abandoned 240-metre link bridge between Abua community in Abua-Odual local government area and Agba-Ndele community in Emohua local government area of the state.

The clouds started gathering for Sim when on October 7, 2023 he paid an unscheduled visit to the multi billion naira Songhai Farms, Rivers State’s most expensive agric project, said to be the biggest Songhai Farms model in Africa built by Rt. Hon. Chubuike Rotimi Amaechi but tragically abandoned for eight years by the Nyesom Ezenwo Wike administration. At the visit, he promised to revamp the farm to create employment, generate revenue and improve food production in the state. This was later followed by the appointment of nine commissioners and Pastor Jonathan Tobins as the Managing Director of the Rivers State Micro Finance Agency. All these happened within a space of three weeks in October and then the hawks gathered.

On October 30th, 2023, the world woke up to the news of the burning of the chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Before the flames were put out, the Assembly led by Sir Hon. Martins Amaewhule as Speaker of the Assembly promptly suspended the House Majority

Leader Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie and others. The House thereafter issued an impeachment notice on Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Not deterred, the Governor as the Chief Security Officer of the state embarked on a visit to the burnt Assembly and in the process, he was water cannoned, shot at and teargassed by the Police led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations. With the support of some members of the House of Assembly, his security details and other non state actors, he eventually gained access into the Assembly where he addressed the press. As this was going on , hundreds of Rivers youths impoverished over the years by lack of employment and financial support gathered at the gates of the government house chanting war songs and pledging their loyalty to the Governor. The Governor again addressed the youths led by Rivers State Youth Council Chairman, Chijoke Ihunwo.

A flurry of events followed thereafter. Edison Ihie was then elected by another faction of members of the House Assembly as the new speaker, they proceeded to suspend Rt. Hon. Sir, Martins Amaewhule and other principal officers. The Chief of Staff, Chief Security Officer and the Camp Commandant, Government House were reportedly relieved of their positions. At that point hell has been let loose, the dogs of war were unfettered and the chicken came home to roost.

In a swift move to ward off further damage, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR called a meeting of the Governor and the Minister of the FCT who is alledged to be behind the conundrum to a peace meeting in Abuja. After the meeting, it was reported that peace has been restored between the warring parties.The Governor has been busy telling all who care to listen that the peace has been achieved and restored but the former Governor has been spitting venom indicative that he has not giving up the fight.

Curiously, as the crises simmered, in a deft move that sent chills down the spine of keen observers, the Nigeria Police Force deployed Promise Wosu the sacked CSO and a former Chief Security Officer to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike as the new commander of Special Protection Unit in Rivers State. Other security aids loyal to the former Governor and sacked by Siminalayi Joseph Fubara now appointed to head other tactical unit of the Police include Irikefe London Owen now heads the Counter Terrorism Unit while Emmanuel Nwakanme now heads Operation Sting. So soon thereafter a new Commissioner of Police in the person of Olatunji Disu was posted to the state.

As the war raged, the Governor promptly went to a Rivers State High Court and secured an interim injunction restraining the Rt. Hon Martins Amaewhule’s faction of the House of Assembly from impeaching him while Rt. Hon Edison Ehie went to the Federal High and obtained an interim injunction restraining the Rt. Hon Martins Amaewhule faction from carrying out any legislative duties in the Assembly pending the determination of the substantive matters.

Keen political observers have mused that the semblance of peace that appears to reign now is the peace of the grave yard as war looms. The Minister of the FCT is not one known to take prisoners. He never forgives nor forgets. We all recall the debacles that befell the Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party in the run up to the last general elections. It is generally believed that he was instrumental to the appointment of Adamu Mu’azu who was National Chairman of the PDP from 2011-2015. Dissatisfied with him, he plotted his removal and got Senator Ali Modu Sherrif as the new Chairman who held sway as Chairman from 2015-2016. Senator Ali Modu Sheriff tenure became so turbulent for the party and he was replaced by Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi as Party Chairman. Not satisfied with Makarfi style of leadership, he caused a replacement with Uche Secondus as Chairman in 2017. The going was rosy until the run up to the 2023 elections when due to political differences, Secondus was edged out and was replaced by Senator Iyorchia Ayu who successfully ran PDP aground in the 2023 elections.

The question now is Who will save Amaopu- Senibo (Sir) Siminalayi Joseph Fubara GSSRS?

However, the Governor should recall the words of Themistocles in the Rise of an Empire when he said ” it’s better to die on our feet than to live on our knees”

Time will tell!!!