Olusegun Ariyo
The governor of Rivers State, Similanayi Fubara, has responded to some of the allegations made by President Bola Tinubu in his nationwide broadcast on Tuesday night.
During the broadcast, Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in the state.
The President also suspended Fubara and members of the Rivers House of Assembly for six months, even though it has been in the court of public opinion in determining whether it is right not to suspend a political office holder
Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator of the state.
Fubara, in a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, denied some of the allegations made in the broadcast.
According to him, the Rivers State House of Assembly complex was not abandoned after it was demolished but was under 80% completion.
The statement read in part, “First, it is important to clarify that Governor Fubara has nothing to do with the threats by militants and also did not in any way “telegraph” the reported attacks on any oil facility in the State.”
Fubara also claimed that some developments in Rivers State were due to a controversial remark by Nyesom Wike, FCT Minister, about the Ijaws.
“It is on record that the reaction of stakeholders in the Niger Delta, especially elders, chiefs, women, Ijaw National Congress, its youth wing, IYC, as well as militants, among others, was triggered by remarks by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, in a live media chat, during which he dismissed Ijaws as a minority of the minorities and powerless in the Nigerian polity, saying that Ijaws are not the only ones that are militants and can blow up pipelines; that Ogonis, Ikwerres, and others are also militants and can as well blow up pipelines.
“Most of the Ijaw groups and leaders even demanded an apology from the FCT Minister, which he rebuffed,” he said.
Fubara “made it clear that his administration was committed to the peace, security, and safety of oil facilities in the State.
“He often recalled his pivotal role as a member of the Presidential Committee on the Protection of Oil Installations in the Region, and repeatedly emphasized the need to protect oil pipelines and other facilities in the State, urging his supporters and the people of the State to avoid acts capable of destabilizing the State or sabotaging the nation’s economy.”
