Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has cautioned his newly appointed Chief of Staff and commissioners not to use their new positions to harass or provoke their perceived political rivals.

He said he had surrendered all the challenges facing his administration to God, trusting that He would intervene in a way that would astonish the world.

Fubara made these remarks shortly after swearing in the Chief of Staff, Government House, and five Special Advisers at the Executive Chambers of Government House in Port Harcourt on Monday.

A Call to Duty

The governor urged the appointees to see their appointment as a call to duty, and to rise to the occasion of adding value to governance and demonstrating that they were truly credible men of the state.

He said, “Let me add, don’t use this position to antagonize anybody, even in your localities. I want to speak to you and I will continue to say it, what God cannot do does not exist.

“That you succeeded in battle is not because of your power. It is the grace of God. When God says it will not happen again, whoever you are, it ceases from that moment. I am not appointing you today because I want you to go to your areas and start fighting, no.

“We have surrendered our situation to God and God is going to solve it in a way that will shock the world for everybody to know that God is always God.

“Please, I don’t want this position to be a platform for you to start stalking anyone. Do what you know is right.”

Fubara warned that there would be consequences if the commissioners who were sworn in last week attempted to work against his administration to destroy it, while also urging the newly sworn-in appointees to support the government in a way that would promote its image.

A Birthday Gift

“Let me also use this medium to direct the Secretary to the State Government to assign the commissioners that were sworn in last week with their responsibilities. I would like this to be part of my birthday gift to you.”

“But let me also say this, coming and taking back your position is not for you to use it to destroy my government. Whatever it is that you’re doing, it is not about me.

“It is about the things that you can stand to defend and be proud of many years after.”

The intervention of President Bola Tinubu in the feud between Fubara and his estranged political godfather and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which eventually culminated in an eight-point resolution that included the reinstatement of pro-Wike’s appointees.

No fewer than nine commissioners resigned their appointments while the impasse between both Wike and Fubara lasted.

The state and the nation view the political reconciliation between the two leaders as a sign of hope and maturity.

Source: Punch