…As Council commends gov on peace in Rivers
By: Felix Ikpotor
Traditional rulers in Rivers State have been charged to take full control of their domain and end all forms of criminality currently ravaging their localities.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara stated this while declaring open the 117&118 combined Quarterly Meeting of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, RSTRC, in Port Harcourt.
He said only when there is peace, that development can thrive and the economy of the country can blossom.
“The Federal Government is doing everything to see that our production level increases, yet everyday we are having issues of bunkering, pipeline vandalisation and all those problems. These people that are carrying out this evil acts live in our communities, we know them. I’m charging this council as a first step, take charge in your communities,” Fubara stated.
While noting that only when there is peace in the localities that the state and country would progress, Governor Fubara assured of providing necessary assistance to the traditional rulers to support their security architecture.
“If there is any information that you need to share with us, share with us because at the overall end, we need our country to progress, we need our country to be stable, we need our country to grow economically and it is only through one means, our oil production, so I’m telling you to please go back and take charge of your communities and I assure you of my support and I mean it.
“If there is anything that we need to do, if it means sending you some little financial support to create your own little vigilante and all those, we’ll do it.
Let me charge you ones again as leaders of our communities to know that this appointment that you have is not a mistake, make good use of it, continue to make peace the most important agenda. It is only on that it would now reflect on our state. We need total peace in our state, we cannot develop in the face of crisis,” Fubara insists.
While charging the newly appointed chairman of the Council, HM, Eze Chike Amadi Worlu-Wodo, Eze Oha Apara IV of Apara Kingdom, the go error urged him to lead the council with the fear of God and to tolerate all members.
“This is the first time after his appointment that I’m addressing the council. So I charge you, you understand our situation; I want you to lead this council with the fear of God. I want you to lead this Council with the understanding that you are dealing with people that are independent; so you need to have a spirit and heart of accommodation, tolerate them but make your point very straight and I strongly believe that they are matured enough to give you their support. I want to see a different society from this Council,” the governor said.
On the issue of working vehicles for the Council members, Governor Fubara promised to tackle it in phases, beginning with the first class chiefs.
Earlier in his address, Chairman of the Council, HM, Eze Chike Amadi Worlu-Wodo in his welcome address appreciated the governor for the opportunity to serve and for his support towards the council.
“Your Excellency, may I, with profound respect, appreciate you for appointing me Chairman of this Council, to contribute my own little quota to the development of the Council and by extension, our dear State, Rivers State.
“Council records have shown that this is the second time, since you became Governor on May 29, 2023, that you have approved and released funds for two sets of combined Quarterly Meetings of this Council. This means that your administration is not indebted to us in terms of payment of our meeting sitting allowances. It takes someone who is both law-abiding and generous to be able to do this. On behalf of all of us, I thank you, our Governor” Eze Worlu-Wodo said.
He added: “Let me also use this opportunity to thank Your Excellency for maintaining peace in the State in the face of the unwarranted political crisis orchestrated by selfish and overzealous politicians. You must not, Your Excellency, fall into their traps by going the violent way. All of us know that those who are over-heating the polity have one aim: to make this state ungovernable so as to make it fit for a declaration of State of Emergency. Please, advise your supporters to avoid every invitation to violence”.
The Royal Father also charged those fanning the embers of crisis in the state to put the interest of the state before theirs.
He equally advised members of Council to be avoid over partisanship to be able to reprimand those causing problems in the state.
“May I also appeal to all our people on all sides of the political divide, to remember that we have nowhere else to call home apart from Rivers State? So, we must not allow our personal interests to destroy the peace, stability, and growth of our state.
“As traditional rulers, we owe our state the duty of making it peaceful by cautioning our children against violent acts. We therefore, cannot caution anybody if we allow ourselves to become overly partisan; we will then lose the moral authority to reprimand those causing trouble when we take sides. So, I say, let us all work assiduously to maintain peace in Rivers State,” the Royal Father said.
