A former Special Adviser on Media to immediate past governor of Rivers State, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, has said the incumbent governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is enjoying organic support in the state because of his leadership style and the policies being initiated by his administration.
Inko-Tariah stated this during a media briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital, adding that unlike the previous administration under which he served, his former principal, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was aversed to opposition and criticism.
He said Fubara has, however, displayed tolerance and maintained a peaceful disposition in the face of provocation.
Inko-Tariah, who is also a public affairs commentator, said the political crisis that engulfed the state was because Fubara realized what people of the state went through under his predecessor, and decided to usher in a breadth of fresh air through his policies.
He stated, “The former governor is yet to come to terms with the fact that while he thought he was going to do a third-term in office by proxy, the man who succeeded him, knowing too well what Rivers people went through in the last eight years, has decided to hue us out of that mountain of despair and frustration.
“I’m talking about the present governor, Sir Fubara. He was Wike’s Director of Finance and Administration, while I was in office before I resigned. Then he became the Accountant General of the state.
“You will all agree with me that he worked closely with the then governor. I want to believe his hands were a little bit fertile and so there are so many things, even if you oppose, because we had a governor who was averse to criticisms as we saw in the last general elections.”
Wike’s former media aide noted that Fubara did nothing wrong to warrant an impeachment notice by the state House of Assembly, who had yet to establish any tangible reason for their failed action, expressing happiness that the governor has continued to come up with people-oriented policies despite some distractions here and there.
He enthused, “You are all aware of what the governor is doing since coming on board. He has approved several employments into the civil service, promoted civil servants and increased salary of local government workers.
“Last December, he approved the payment of N100,000 Christmas bonus for all civil servants in the state. These are the kind of people-oriented programmes and policies the people want.”
He, however, said the support the governor is enjoying today is not necessarily because he is loved so much immediately assuming office, because many Rivers people believed he was going to continue in the way of his political godfather.
He explained, “But probably because of his (Fubara’s) new policies and so on, the love for the governor is increasing. But as at that time, a lot of Rivers’ people thought he was going to carry on like his master. So when they saw the change, it was like thank God that era has passed because people were begging for that tenure to come to an end.
“In one of the events the governor attended, looking at the turnout, he asked, ‘Are they also going to say this crowd is rented?’ It is just a referendum of the approval of a governor because of his policies and disapproval of his predecessor.
“So the love and support for this current administration is organic, it is natural because of his policies and leadership style.”
Inko-Tariah commended Governor Fubara for his developmental strides so far, especially his move to revive the moribund Songhai Farm in Tai Local Government Area, the banana plantation in Khana Local Government Area of the state and other agriculture projects that will create employment.
He urged the governor to also prioritize human capital development that will empower the teeming unemployed youths with skills, pointing out that such ventures would have lasting benefits for self-reliance and the attendant multiplier effect.
