By Euclid Myke
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has counselled politicians to bury their differences and join hands to advance the general welfare and development needs of the people against satisfying private or sectional interests.
The Governor gave the advice during the inauguration of Okocha and Spurs in Rumuolumeni Community, which took place at Okocha Road Junction, Nkpor Road, Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday.
He explained that the coming together of all the politicians will speedily address the needs of the people.
“My advice is: politics is not all about who is supporting you or who is against you. Politics should also include attending to the needs of the people. At this time, if I were an evil person, I would say, ‘I wouldn’t come here’, considering the nature and the location of this place.
“But, because it is our duty in government to provide services and protect lives and property, we have to come to make sure that our people here are happy. It is not about me. It is about the government. The government should be caring. The purpose of government is to put smiles on the faces of our people,” Governor Fubara stated.
Providing a background to the project, he explained that after the presidential election in 2023, there was a need to assuage the heightened anxiety among supporters in the area in order to secure favourable votes for his governorship election.
Gov. Fubara added, “We needed to do everything to make sure that we were very comfortable in my own election. The people of this community are mostly visitors, and this community has a very big voting strength.
“Our supporters, at that time, approached them, spoke to them, and they saw reasons to support us in our election. So, what I am doing here today is to say ‘thank you’ for believing in us.
“Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for also standing by us. The little we can do is to make your lives better, which is why this road is very significant to us because it removes tears from the faces of the people living here.
“It was a terrible road. The living conditions here were unimaginable, but to the glory of God today, those things are now history. You can see joy on the faces of the people here. Moreover, the residents who are majorly non-indigenes are also happy.”
He assured that his administration would address the other requests made on behalf of the community by the Chairman of the Local Government Council, stressing that immediate action would be taken to attend to the other adjoining streets in deplorable conditions to make them motorable.
He also directed the Commissioner for Education to immediately visit the community secondary school in the area and take the necessary steps to ensure a reconstruction that will accommodate more students.
While assuring the people that his administration would continue to work for the betterment of Rivers people, Governor Fubara urged them to be peaceful, obey the laws, and stay out of trouble while doing the right thing always.
He stated that the people of Obio/Akpor will in a few days see the inauguration of the very important Okania/Ogbogoro Road project, saying, “We are not ending there. We are already at the roofing stage of what will be the first general hospital in Obio/Akpor Local Government.
“You also have a modern psychiatric hospital to address issues of mental illness and drug abuse and provide other services that will be available there. So, you can see that our projects are not limited to roads but to other things that will bring better life to our people,” he added.
Performing the inauguration, former lawmaker representing Rivers East Senatorial District, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, stated that Governor Fubara is the king in the hearts of Rivers people that he has incubated with his humane leadership, saying, “Our people gravitate towards you effortlessly. Despite the vicissitudes and the vagaries of the politics of our state, you have continued to perform your duty and do your job.
“You have continued to implement projects. You have refused to be distracted by all the legal and political unjustness. The government of Rivers State, under your able leadership, has proven once more that you are committed and that you are dedicated to doing all that is within your power to ensure that the welfare and security of our people are guaranteed.”
Providing the project description, Commissioner for Works, Barrister Elloka Tasie-Amadi, said the 1.55 km Okocha Road and 405 meters Spurs are 7 meters wide with 2.7 km of drains, adding that the road, strategically located between Nkpor and Aker Roads, leads to the Trans-Kalabari Road now under construction.
In his welcome address, Chairman, Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo thanked Governor Fubara for reconstructing the once impassable road, which has ended the nightmare experienced by the people, and appealed to the Governor to consider reconstructing some dilapidated adjoining roads and the community secondary school to accommodate more students.
