I Will Defend Every Decision As Governor – Fubara Vows

Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara has expressed his unwavering commitment to upholding every decision he has made since assuming office.

He emphasized the importance of maintaining accurate records of activities, urging the newly sworn-in commissioners to adopt this practice in their respective ministries.

Fubara emphasized that such a culture is crucial for the efficient functioning of any organized system, particularly the civil service, as it provides a valuable history of events, decisions, actions, and productivity indicators.

The Governor made these remarks during the inauguration of the eight commissioners at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday evening.

The newly appointed commissioners are Prince Charles Bekee, Barrister Collins Onunwo, Prince Solomon Abel Eke, Dr. Peter Medee, Elloka Tasie Amadi, Basoene Joshua Benibo, Mr Tambari Sydney Gbara, and Dr. Ovy Orluideye Chinendum Chukwuma.

The Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, conveyed the Governor’s message, emphasizing that it is unfortunate that certain commissioners disregarded the importance of proper documentation and neglected their responsibilities within the administration, resulting in a lack of records for their ministries.

He said:

 “I know what I am saying. Some of them who left here as commissioners, there are no records in their ministries. We’ve had a few meetings with people. We were looking for records which we could not find, but that is for them and their gods, I am not bothered about that.

“But, you that are coming in now, please, do this work as seasoned administrators. Work with your Permanent Secretaries, the things that you don’t know, ask questions from them, they will tell you, they will teach you too. It doesn’t reduce you as not being the head. But it helps you to succeed as a good administrator.”

The governor emphasized the importance of discipline in his administration, a work ethic he developed while advancing in the civil service.

He stated that discipline should be a defining characteristic of anyone affiliated with his government.

He said:

 “Let me say this: this government is a government that is birthed by high level discipline.

“I don’t know about other people that are working with me, but as a person, from the time that I started working as civil servant, from the time I worked in the Office of the Accountant General with my boss, we didn’t play with keeping good records.

Recall that Rivers State was plunged into crisis in 2023 following a confrontation between Fubara and the state’s immediate past governor, Nyesom Wike.

President Tinubu’s intervention helped to calm the situation in the state. While many appreciated the presidential intervention, others claimed it was intended only to appease Wike rather than to uphold the state governor’s authority.