The executive governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday, said that he did not start governing the state fully until February 2024.
Fubara stated that even though he assumed office in May, he didn’t begin making decisions until February of this year, or eight months later.
He made this statement during the state’s Emohua Local Government Area’s internal road opening for Egbeda.
He said that he had performed incredibly well and won the people’s praise since he began completely taking over governance in February.
Fubara has been involved in a political dispute with his predecessor and estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, but he has not provided an explanation for why he did not begin completely governing during his first eight months in office.
Last October, he survived an impeachment plot by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike.
On two occasions, members of his cabinet loyal to Wike had resigned while the state Assembly has also been factionalised fuelling crisis in the state.
Speaking on Tuesday, he assured the people of the state of quality projects.
Fubara said: “We are just starting but I assure you more attention. If in four months we can do this, and we are getting this level of applause, you can imagine what will happen when we do one year of our record time, two years of our own record time. Rivers State would have experienced something different from the regular governance.
“I know why I said four months. We started full governance in February 2024. That was when we started taking decisions, when we started confronting governance. And I am proud to say that our people are happy with what we have done.
“What we want to do is to bring governance to our people, service delivery at record time, and in a cost-effective way.”
Fubara said he was operating a government of transparency, adding that there was a record of all his activities.
He said, “Everything that we are doing is in my white paper. I carry it along, so, there is no issue of any manipulation. Call me any day, anytime, it is there. Even the ones I did before this time, I still have all the records.
“If you call me any day, I will bring the records of all my activities in government, because I know that as a civil servant, what is most important is record-keeping so that if you are not there, and something happens, it is just for somebody to pick up the file and he will see the history.
“That is how I am trained, and I have that in my mind before I do anything. So, I am not scared of anything. Anybody who calls me any day, anytime, I have my records to show. I have all the approvals to show that I acted based on approval and not personal decision,” he said.
