The newly inaugurated Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara has pledged, among other things, to run an all inclusive government.
Governor Fubara gave the solemn pledge in his inaugural address shortly after taking oath of office at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, Port Harcourt on Monday, 29 May, 2023.
Sir Siminalayi Fubara used the occasion to thank His predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike, elders of the state and the people of Rivers State for their support and promised not to let them down.
“What an extreme privilege to have been groomed, nurtured and mentored by one of the most outstanding leaders of our country, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
Thank you, my boss, leader and benefactor, and your lovely wife and former First Lady, Her Excellency Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, for believing in me. God may have willed it, but you were the actualizer of this glorious dawn. You were the battle axe God used to secure resounding victories for all our party’s candidates in the 2023 general elections.
We salute our father, leader and pathfinder, His Excellency Dr. Peter Otunaya Odili and his amiable jurist wife and former First Lady, Her Excellency Justice Mary Odili. I welcome you both in a spirit of most humble gratitude.
Fellow Rivers people, today, you have given me a great responsibility to preside over our state as your Governor for the next four years. I am genuinely touched by the spotlight and humbled by the honour. And this I will be: the Governor of all Rivers people.
You have invested your trust in us, and the question is how we can provide effective good governance to meet your hopes and expectations.
Our response is simple and majestic. By today’s mandate, you have asked for continuity in leadership and like a strong relay team, we have accepted the baton to continue the race.
Together, we embody our collective aspirations for a greater and prosperous Rivers State, a State that provides equal opportunities for all, a strong, compassionate and progressive State that protects and enables everyone to live in security, comfort, and prosperity.
We will provide that strong, determined, focused, purposeful and responsible leadership. Though enormous, we assure you we are equal to the tasks and responsibilities ahead,” he added.
On the capabilities of his team to deliver, Governor Fubara maintained that he and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu are equal to the task ahead because they have been in the system long enough.
“My Deputy and I were born, bred and educated in this State. We are Christians and believe in the core values of prayer, hard work, service and sacrifice.
We worked in the Rivers State Civil Service for decades and have practically served every government since 1999. Our knowledge is extensively enriched by our lifelong interactions, connections and service to the State and our people in public and private capacities.
We know Rivers State as well as anyone. We know your hopes and expectations. We know our terrain and development challenges. We see our progress and what more to do to take us higher,” the Governor said.
Sir Fubara reiterated that Rivers State is a Christian state; he promised to govern with the fear of God as a true Christian.
“Rivers State is a Christian State, and God is our foundation. We shall govern with the fear of God and stay strong to our Christian values of trust, faith, love, care and sacrifice.
We shall deepen the inseparable ties between the Church and the State government for the benefit of our people. We assure the Christian Association of Nigeria and other spiritual leaders of our sincere friendship, support and solidarity,” he added.
Governor Fubara pledged to grow the economy with the right policies and programmes, create jobs, and empower young citizens of Rivers State.
“Fellow citizens, we know that most of our citizens are affected by the prevailing difficulties orchestrated by the poor state of the national economy.
While some of these economic challenges are beyond us, we understand our responsibility to take relevant measures to diversify our economy and insulate it from the headwinds.
We will improve the ease of doing business and sustain a congenial fiscal regime to attract local and foreign direct investments to stimulate greater economic activities, create wealth and improve citizens’ livelihoods.
We will adopt a re-industrialization policy master plan and partner with the private sector to revive or establish viable industries to create jobs and empower our people.
We witnessed unprecedented growth in infrastructure in the last eight years, but there’s still more to do. Therefore, we will follow in our leader’s footsteps to invest in capital projects, including roads, bridges, electricity, supply, and social housing.
With its interconnecting road network, the need for affordable, conducive and safe public transportation cannot be over-emphasized as Rivers State continues to grow and expand by leaps and bounds.
We will, therefore, partner with the private sector to develop an integrated multimodal public transportation system to advance mass mobility and access to socio-economic opportunities across the State. We will also construct the Port Harcourt Ring Road to enhance the mobility of goods and services across the State.
We are proud of the State’s achievements in the healthcare sector, particularly the construction of new primary healthcare centres, the Mother and Child Hospital, the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, the Dr. Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases Diagnostic and Treatment Centre and the contributory Healthcare Insurance Law.
With what is on ground, it is evident that the primary challenges with our healthcare system are more with inadequate manpower, corruption, indiscipline and ineffective management.
I assure you that apart from completing all ongoing healthcare infrastructure projects, we will deal with all identified challenges and ensure that the healthcare system functions optimally to deliver affordable and efficient healthcare to citizens.
We are equally proud of the state’s unprecedented educational advancement, especially in the last four years. Our public schools at all levels, irrespective of location, are some of the lovely and best-resourced in the country.
We will consolidate this progress by introducing smart schools and classrooms across the State to empower our children with world-class learning experiences and make Rivers State a knowledge hub.
We will not abandon our youth to their fate. We will continue prioritizing education at all levels and empower our youth with the relevant skills and opportunities to become economically active, productive and prosperous.
We believe in the job creation capacity of small and medium enterprises. And so, we shall facilitate targeted access to low-interest funds for youth entrepreneurs to start or improve their businesses, earn decent incomes and generate employment for themselves and others,” he stated.
The governor maintained that his administration will fight crime and other social vices head-on and make Rivers State safer.
“We do not promise we have all the solutions to all our challenges. But, we promise not to compromise on the quality of governance, the services we can provide, and the interest of our State. Rivers State will remain the centre of our focus and actions. With your support, we will provide that quality leadership.
We are all equal stakeholders with shared responsibility for the security of our State. We will spare no effort to keep Rivers State secure and robust.
We will be hard on crime and criminality. We will swiftly and firmly deal with anyone, regardless of status or position, rich or poor, who breaks our laws or dares to violate our environment, peace and security.
We will continue to support and motivate the security agencies to maintain law and order and keep our communities, roads, neighbourhoods and waterways protected, safe and secure for businesses, residents, and visitors,” he added.
