Rivers State governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara has said that everybody, especially traditional rulers, has a duty to work together to ensure stability and unfettered progress in Nigeria.
He has also advised traditional rulers to take charge of their domains and ensure that they make life difficult for ill-guided youths involved in acts of economic sabotage in their various communities.
Fubara gave the charge yesterday while declaring open the 117th/118th combined quarterly general meeting of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt.
The governor maintained that it should be everybody’s concern to support and see Nigeria progress as a stable country while advancing economically, adding that this is possible only when there is a high production of crude oil, which is the mainstay of the national economy.
He said: “I want to see a different society from this hour. The Federal Government is doing everything to ensure our crude oil production level increases. But every day, we have issues of illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalisation, and all the associated problems.
“All these people carrying out these evil acts, they’re not coming from the moon, they live in our communities, we know them. As a first step, I am charging this council to take charge of your communities.
“If there is any information that you need to share with us, share with us. The overall, we need our country to progress. We need our country to be stable. We need our country to grow economically. It is through only one means: our oil production.
“We are charging you to please return and take charge of your communities. I assure you of our support. If there is anything we need to do, if it means the government sending you some financial support to create your own vigilante to help, we will do it.”
Fubara expressed delight and gratitude to God that the council still exists despite the protracted political travail confronting the state and his administration.
The governor explained that his actions are devoid of politics but a performance of the government’s statutory duty, especially in appointing a new chairman to steer the affairs of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.
