Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has warned that he will surprise those who consider his decision to implement the presidential peace pact as a sign of weakness.
The governor said he had been inundated with several comments in the media about the implementation of the peace initiative, and had chosen to be silent out of maturity and wisdom.
He, however, said it was important to put the records straight for clarity, and explained that when President Bola Tinubu intervened in the political crisis that engulfed the State on October 30, 2023, the agreement that was accepted was a political solution.
Fubara spoke yesterday when he received members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) from the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State on a solidarity rally at Government House Gate, Port Harcourt.
The governor said he had since then commenced implementation of the agreement, solely because of his respect for President Tinubu, but cautioned that it appears that other political actors had taken his humility and compliance as a sign of weakness.
He said: “Let me say it here for record purposes: What is happening here in our dear State is somebody who has respect for an elder.
“Mr. President invited all the parties to Abuja, and came out with a resolution that we should go and implement. That resolution, I am implementing it. It is not a constitutional implementation. It is a political solution to a problem.
“And I am doing it because of the respect I have for Mr President. But, let me say it here, if that action that I have accepted to take would be seen as a weakness, I will surprise them. I want this message to go to them.”
He said the large number of NULGE members further goes to prove the nature of the organic support his administration has continued to enjoy from the people of the state.
The governor stated that he was mindful of the legacy he would bequeath after his tenure, saying: “It should also be about the lives that have been touched genuinely, and about the policies implemented without any inducement to better the lives of the people and the society.”
He urged the people to continue to support his administration, show understanding over actions taken, and obey the rules in a peaceful manner.
Fubara said: “When you are doing what is right, I will stand by you. Nobody, whether full or half is going to intimidate you. Brace up, I say brace up, because the next step, it will be fire for fire in Rivers State. Everything will be implemented.”
The governor stated that already, local government workers had started receiving N30,000.00 minimum wage with promotion to be implemented beginning from April’s salary payment.
Secretary of NULGE, Comrade Ajewole Ayedele, who represented his national president, said they were delighted with the pro-people policies of the governor, particularly for ending the stagnancy and frustration workers suffered.
Ayedele assured Fubara of the continued support of the union both at the state and national levels to his administration.
