Governor of Rivers State Siminalayi Fubara has issued a warning to the state’s local government chairmen, stating that those who disobey him in his capacity as governor have already built a ditch for themselves and will shortly fall into it.
Fubara made the declaration on Thursday while speaking at the commissioning of Comprehensive Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Ndoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state, which was built and donated to the state government by former Governor Peter Odili.
The governor specifically berated some local government chairmen in the state for refusing to participate in state government activities because their loyalty lies elsewhere.
He said: “I am surprised that I saw the local government chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni here. I am very surprised because I know that for a very long time, any event that has to do with the state government, all the local government chairmen, as it were, do not participate. I hope when he leaves leave here, they are not going to sack him.
“I know you are not loyal to me. Are they not going to sack you? Or when you leave here, you will grant a press interview that it was not you. That it was your shadow.
“Let me say it here; every one of you who thinks he is disrespecting me, you have already dug your pit, you will fall inside it. Siminalayi Fubara, like a river, will flow in a direction that there is no resistance. One way or the other, we will get to our destination and we will go with our people.
“They say we are clueless. If providing quality education to our people is being clueless, I agree with them; I accept it. They say we are clueless. If providing quality healthcare services to our dear people, is being clueless, then we agree with that. It is the truth; they say we are clueless.
“If targeting critical projects, like this road we have awarded, the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku road; if they say is being clueless, then, we agree. But, we will no go and do road to our farm because we want to please somebody politically.
“We will do those things that our people want and will benefit from. If that one means being clueless, then, we are clueless. In fact, I will change my name to ‘clueless’.”