By Opuda, Alabo Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Inikeiroari VI of Kalabari Kingdom, Paramount Ruler, Opuda Oruwari War Canoe Houses of Abonnema, Chairman, Platform Petroleum Limited.
Yes, we are great.
Great as a people whose voices refused to be silenced even in the dark hours of suspended democracy. Great because our resilience, though tested, never broke. Great because Rivers State has emerged from six months of bruising emergency rule, yet still stands, ready to rebuild.
On the 18th of March 2025, a pronouncement from the Presidency stripped us, the people of Rivers State, of our elected Governor, our Deputy, and our House of Assembly, effectively silencing our mandate and placing a Sole Administrator over our destiny.
As Rivers people, we felt the weight of this imposition, and many of us within and beyond the state raised our voices against what was clearly an aberration: unconstitutional, unprecedented, and injurious to the spirit of federalism.
For six months, Rivers State was held in political uncertainty. What were the results?
• Job opportunities lost, livelihoods shattered, and households thrown into hardship.
• Investments suspended, as uncertainty scared away capital and choked the small businesses that fuel our local economy.
• Development projects stalled, as budget paralysis and political confusion froze much-needed infrastructure work.
• Our social capital eroded, with communities disenfranchised, trust in institutions weakened, and the people forced to watch the silencing of their elected representatives.
Yet, as in the story of Nigeria herself, we are beaten but unbowed. On September 18th, the chains of emergency rule fell, and democracy returned to Rivers State.
Today, our Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, our Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and our legislators are back to their duties. This return is not just administrative, it is symbolic proof that the will of Rivers’ people cannot be permanently subverted.
But let us be clear: the true test begins now. The dividends of democracy must no longer be a slogan, but a lived reality. This moment calls us to higher responsibility.
What must follow?
1. Economic Recovery: Urgent steps to restore the lost jobs opportunities, stimulate enterprise, and re-attract investors who turned away in fear.
2. Infrastructure Renewal: Resume the roads, schools, hospitals, and public works halted by political stagnation. Six months of silence must be redeemed with years of visible progress.
3. Healing of Social Capital: Leaders must rebuild trust with the people, strengthen civic engagement, and make institutions work again for communities who felt abandoned.
4. Political Reconciliation: The peace accord, controversial as it may be, must be honoured. Executive and Legislature must learn from the hard lessons of their suspension, and place Rivers above self.
5. Governance Reform: Never again should personal disputes escalate into state paralysis. Stronger democratic safeguards and conflict resolution mechanisms are non-negotiable.
Fellow Rivers people, this is not a time for recrimination, but for renewal. Hatred and animosity have cost us too much. It is time to heal. It is time to build. It is time to rise.
Our struggles of these past months must not be in vain. Like Nigeria at 65, whose scars have become the rhythm of her unity, Rivers State must turn its pains into purpose and its losses into lessons. We must preserve what is ours, nurture what is budding, and invest in what can blossom.
At this critical juncture, I lend my voice, not as one above the people, but as one among the people, to appeal to all political actors, leaders, and citizens alike: let us embrace peace, however fragile, as the platform for growth. Let us pursue service with humility, governance with integrity, and politics with conscience.
Rivers State is ripe for transformation. And I believe, with unity of purpose, the sacrifices of our civil servants, the ingenuity of our business community, and the indomitable energy of our youths, we shall yet see a Rivers State that commands national admiration and global respect.
Let history record that at this turning point, we chose wisdom over war, progress over pettiness, and people over politics.
Indeed, Rivers State shall rise again.
Ceaselessly Yours,
Opuda Barr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Inikeiroari VI, Paramount Ruler, Opuda Oruwari War Canoe Houses of Abonnema
