By Cross Udo, Abuja
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, yesterday pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to fix the East-West Road, which runs from Delta State via Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and terminates in Cross River.
Fubara said this when he led other stakeholders from the oil-rich state to the Presidential Villa in Abuja , on a courtesy visit to Tinubu.
The meeting was also attended by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is also the immediate past governor of Rivers State.
Fubara, who Governor Fubara made a case for the rehabilitation of the East-West Road, told the President that the delegation, which included leaders of political parties, and past and present members of the State and National Assemblies across parties, was on a solidarity and thank you visit.
“The people of Rivers State voted for you in the last general elections based on their belief in fairness, equity, and justice. This is the first time that Rivers State is truly feeling the impact of the federal government since the inception of democracy in 1999,” he said.
The Governor noted that the delegation greatly appreciated the President for appointing capable sons and daughters of the state into highly strategic positions within his administration.
The Governor particularly thanked the President for the appointments of the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity and Official Spokesperson of the President, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, as well as other sons and daughters of Rivers State into the Boards and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other institutions.”
The Governor applauded the President for attracting a $14bn investment approval for projects nationwide during the G-20 Summit, including the expansion of Indorama Petrochemicals in Eleme, Rivers State, adding that the State had just allocated 209 hectares of land in support of the new investment.
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), OCJ Okocha (SAN), said, “We have come, first to show solidarity with the President and to express our gratitude for his recent developmental strides, particularly for approving that very valuable investment, $14bn, by Indorama Petrochemicals Company in Rivers State.
“He promised to revamp the Port Harcourt Refinery and indeed for the appointment of eminent Rivers sons that have been made into the federal government, led by Nyesom Wike, our former governor who is now the Minister of the FCT; Ajuri Ngelale, the President’s spokesman and members of the Niger Delta Development Commission Board and the South-East Development Commission Board.
“So we’re grateful to the President and also have come to assure him of our total loyalty and support.”
Asked whether they brought any issue for consideration, the former NBA President said, “This was just, as I said, solidarity and thank you visit. The only issue we raised in our speech was the state of the East-West Road, leading to the refinery and we did mention that that will enhance the movement of petroleum products when the Port Harcourt Refinery comes on stream.”
On what the President told them, he said, ” Oh the President said he’ll attend to them and he has noted them and he made a joke there, which we have taken with seriousness, that our former governor is one of his closest advisers and things that we cannot get direct to him can be routed through the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.”
On his reaction to protests by APC members in the state against the appointment of Wike, saying that it ought to have been given to APC members, Okocha said, “As you said, it was protest and protest is s right and as a lawyer, I recognize that. The minority will have their protest and the majority will have its say, it’s normal, we’re in a democratic society, but let Nigeria and the federal capital see.
“The President has the prerogative to make an appointment and he has exercised that prerogative and all I say is ‘let Nigerians see whether the President’s appointment was justified and I can assure you, with the performance, which we expect from Minister Nyesom Wike from the Federal Capital, Nigerians will be happy that the President made that choice.”
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Responding to the delegation, President Tinubu told Rivers State stakeholders that he has heard their cries on infrastructure development especially on the dilapidated Eleme junction-Onne axis of the East-West Road linking the Port Harcourt Refinery.
Tinubu also told the stakeholders made up of political leaders across different political parties and religious leaders that the former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, is not only the FCT Minister but his Adviser.
The President said that neither Rivers State nor Nigeria has any business being associated with poverty, insecurity, or under-development, assuring that under his leadership, the narrative will be permanently and positively changed.
Tinubu, who stated this when he welcomed the high-powered 62-man delegation, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said Wike has left big shoes to fill for Fubara, adding that as one of his most trusted allies, Rivers State will always have direct access to him in their joint march toward sustainable development.
The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale was quoted to have said, “We are not meant to be in a position to be poor. We will turn the tide! Somewhere, somehow in this storm, there’s a quiet and peaceful place for us. We will locate it!
“We are not lazy people. We are richly endowed. We just need to be our brother’s keeper, and good neighbours to one another. I am not a President that will give excuses. I will work hard for our nation with purpose, determination, and dedication to create wealth for all Nigerians. We have no reason to be poor! We will not look back, we will run aggressively forward.
“Today, we may be swimming against the tide. But the waves will soon propel us forward from behind. We will achieve the goals and dreams of our forefathers. I am inspired by the nation of people I now lead,” the President thundered.
According to the statement, “President Tinubu noted that concerning infrastructure development in Rivers State, he had heard the cries of prominent Rivers sons, with particular reference to the Eleme Junction-Onne axis of the East-West Road, linking the Port Harcourt Refinery. On this, the President said the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is a strong adviser and would follow up on the issue for prompt action.
“The Honourable Minister, Wike, is not just the Minister of FCT, he is also my adviser and an admirer of mine. He has hit the ground running and he should be encouraged by the State,” the President affirmed.
Advising the younger generation to be more patient with the processes of government, the President said, “I am the Captain and Chief Salesman of the country. We have to reverse the trend and achieve possibilities within a short period. Our people have high expectations for us. I pledge to work hard, and I pray to God to put me on the right path, not to disappoint Nigerians,” the President added.
