Rivers: Hopes, mixed views as emergency ends tomorrow

By Clifford Ndujihe, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Daniel Abia, John Alechenu & Luminous Jannamike

LAGOS — One time to the extremity of exigency regularisation successful Rivers State, the polity is awash with expectations.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, are expected to instrumentality to their seats tomorrow, if President Bola Tinubu, who chopped his 10-day abrogation overseas to instrumentality to Nigeria yesterday, did not widen the rule.

So far, each appears to beryllium acceptable for the termination of the exigency regularisation and the reinstatement of elected officials.

Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas, retd, who has tidied up his handover note, and held a religion thanksgiving service, past Sunday, has called connected radical of the authorities to nurture the existing bid built by his medication successful the past six months.

Speaking astatine a nationalist lecture, entitled “Good Governance and Democratic Dividends,” Ibas said yesterday that Thanksgiving past Sunday was significant. They reminded the radical that without God and the resilience of the people, “this travel of my medication would person been impossible.

“This nationalist lecture is much than an intelligence exercise. It is, successful truth, a covenant renewal with the radical of Rivers.”

Ibas said: “As a nation, our ideology indispensable present and governance indispensable ever beryllium rooted successful service. Standing earlier you, we consciousness with gratitude and humility, gratitude for the enactment you gave maine arsenic your head and humility that I was called to service successful specified a defining infinitesimal successful the past of this large state.

“When we began this duty connected March 18, 2025, our halfway mandate was to reconstruct bid and stability. By the grace of God and with the practice of each stakeholders, we person travel this far. Most importantly was the peacefully conducted section authorities elections restoring antiauthoritarian governance to the grassroots, the level of authorities closest to the people.”

‘Emergency regularisation necessary’

According to him, the exigency regularisation was ne'er a choice. “It was a necessity brought upon america by insecurity, governmental impasse and breakdown of trust. Yet, successful hindsight it offered america enduring lessons that bid is priceless, without security, different aspiration is possible, that erstwhile governance is weakened, opportunism fills the vacuum, endangering lives and livelihoods and that the indomitable tone of Rivers radical cannot beryllium broken. They endured, they persevered and person remained steadfast.

“The stableness we person restored is the instauration upon which ideology is present rebuilt. Our impermanent talker has done justness to the taxable of the lecture, bully governance and antiauthoritarian dividends. My relation present is to connection my sincere gratitude to my beloved radical of Rivers for each that we person worked hard unneurotic to execute successful the past six months.”

He expressed gratitude to the radical of the authorities for the enactment which “has been astir humbling and I volition stay eternally grateful to you all. I plead with you to re-dedicate yourselves to our corporate destiny, 1 ordained by God.”

The keynote Speaker, Prof Abiodun Amuda-Kannike, harped connected the sustenance of ideology successful the country.

Mixed reactions way exigency rule

As the exigency regularisation ends, mixed reactions proceed to way the declaration.

Civil nine groups and absorption governmental parties, yesterday, expressed mixed feelings implicit the authorities of ideology successful Rivers State pursuing the rule, and suspension of antiauthoritarian structures.

President Tinubu had connected March 18, 2025, declared a authorities of exigency successful the authorities successful the aftermath of a prolonged governmental situation betwixt the contiguous past politician and present Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, and his anointed successor, Fubara.

Rivers elders writer for unity, collaboration

To guarantee bid and advancement of the state, the Rivers State Elders Council, RSEC, yesterday, urged residents and leaders of the authorities to unite.

In a connection by the chairman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, the elders said the expected restoration of ideology “affords ...