PICTORIAL: Gov Fubara Storms Rivers Assembly Quarters, Mulls Renovation

Barely 24 hours after the emergence of a factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday, stormed the House of Assembly quarters located off Aba Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The development is also coming barely 72 hours after the governor described the Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led House as non-existent.

The Amaewhule-led House has been using the multi-purpose hall of the quarters as their temporary sitting venue following the demolition of a section of the House of Assembly complex, located along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt late last year.

Speaking to journalists after the visit, Governor Fubara explained that his visit to the residential quarters of the State House of Assembly was to undertake on-the-spot assessment of condition of the structures for a possible rehabilitation work to restore its status and make it liveable.

The governor said: “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?

“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for my myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”

Fubara, who took a walk around the facility, said that he decided to visit the place to get better appreciation of what needed to be done to make the quarters conducive for lawmakers.

The governor had earlier paid an inspection visit to the ongoing Emohua-Kalabari Road project, which is one of the projects earmarked for commissioning to mark his administration’s first year anniversary.

Commenting on the road project, he said he was assessing the extent of job that had been done to know what else was needed in preparing the road for commissioning during his one year anniversary.

Fubara said, “As a matter of fact, we added this section of the road as one of the projects we will be commissioning. So, I needed to see it myself, and what is remaining is just the lighting. By the grace of God, we will commission it.”

The governor stated that the road project was inherited from the immediate-past administration but a greater chunk of the cost was borne by his administration.

He said: “We feel justified to add it as our project and to commission it for the good of our people here. Governance is all about the people. When the people are out of the centre of governance, then it is no longer governance.

“So, this road, as we all now know, was in a very bad state. A lot of criminal activities were being carried out here: kidnapping and all sorts of things. So, putting this road in order is appropriate.

“You can see the little manhour we spent coming here. Before, it takes you 30 to 45 minutes to drive from Emohua to this place. But look at it, less than 15 minutes we are here.

“So, it is about the people, the good of the people, making life easy for the people. That is the way I see governance. Anything outside that has nothing to do with me.

“It is not about me. It is not about glory to me as a person. I am just a vessel that God is using to provide succour to the good people of Rivers State, and more especially, our dear people of Kalabari extraction.”

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