Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has disclosed the underlying reason for his strained relationship with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
“There is a reason for this crisis, and that reason is the control of the resources of Rivers State,” Mr Fubara said on Sunday, ending the notion that the former allies are fighting over the control of the political structure in the oil-rich state.
“Rivers State resources belong to you, and we will make sure that the resources are applied judiciously for the betterment of Rivers State,” Mr Fubara remarked at the 51st birthday ceremony of the founder of Omega Power Ministry, Chibuzor Chinyere in Port Harcourt.
“What you owe us is just one thing – continue to pray for us. Let us not lose focus because we know the devil is always at war to derail people in governance,” Governor Fubara told the congregants, which included Nigeria’s former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, and former Senate President and chairperson of PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara.
Mr Fubara’s remark is contained in a statement by his spokesperson, Nelson Chukwudi.
The oil-rich Rivers State has been enmeshed in a political crisis for over a year after some lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike attempted to impeach the governor just five months after assuming office.
Although the governor did not mention Mr Wike’s name, it is apparent that he was referring to the minister.
Six months ago, the governor’s chief of staff, Edison Ehie, made a similar remark about the Rivers crisis.
Mr Ehie had, at a thanksgiving service in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state for Mr Fubara’s victory at the Supreme Court victory, said the problem of the state began when a few political leaders sought exclusive control of the state’s resources, Channels Television reported.
The oil-rich Rivers is Nigeria’s second richest state after Lagos, regarding Gross Domestic Product.
According to BudgIT, a non-profit promoting accountability and transparency in budget, Rivers is the second state after Lagos that can sustain itself without federal allocation, indicating that the state has much money in its coffers from the internally generated revenue.
Mr Ehie had warned that Governor Fubara was “capable of teaching his opponents a political lesson”.
“The problem we have in the state is that 11 persons said they will control the resources of Rivers State. These 11 persons called 20 others to allocate resources to themselves,” Mr Ehie had said without disclosing the identities of the persons..
Mr Fubara last Wednesday blamed the collapse of the peace deal on the refusal of pro-Wike lawmakers to honour the pact and withdraw their suits, a situation he said was “ambushed” by his opponents.
