December 3, 2024
BY Idris Buba
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday assured the seven members panel of inquiry set up to investigate the immediate and remote causes of killings, wanton destruction of property and arson in the aftermath of October 5, local government election in the state, of implementation of their report and recommendations.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance when he received the four volumes of reports of their investigation and recommendations by the seven-member commission, led by the Chairman, Justice Roseline Minakiri, in government house, Port Harcourt.
The Governor declared that his administration would not tolerate any level of violence in the State were human lives and valuable government property are destroyed
“We are not going to be part of any system that would encourage any destruction in this State. And for that reason, we had to inaugurate this commission, so that this commission should look into the remote and immediate causes of this problem.
“And I believe that the recommendations of this commission, with the help of God and the support of everyone, we will make sure that we implement the recommendations.”
The Governor, stated: “We are going to take it to the next stage. The report will be presented to the Executive Council, and there, we will surely come out with the White paper and with the White Paper. I can assure you, we are going to follow it to the end.
“Nobody is above the law, including me. So, provided what we are doing is within the confines of the law, we will do it with the help of every one.”
Governor Fubara wondered why somebody will spend so much money to build a structure intended to stand as legacy of an administration but would turn around to be part of its destruction in the name of politics.
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Governor Fubara said: “I make bold to say it, I have never been and will never be a party to anything that will bring shame, disgrace, destruction to our dear State.
“It is our State. If it is well with us, it will be well with everybody. As a matter of fact, why should I encourage destruction, when I know that when you finish spoiling things, you still need money to rebuild them.
“I am an accountant, I know the importance of how we can manage money. Rather than spoil, you should use that money to do a new thing for the State.”
He maintained that such incident would not be allowed to reoccur again in the state : “So, I am going to ensure that we put a stop to that level of violence or such unreasonable violence. I call it unreasonable violence because it doesn’t mean anything in politics.
READ MORE; Rivers state government inaugurates judicial panel on killings, arson
“Politics is a business of interest. There is no permanent friend, no permanent enemy. Some persons who were not even in our support, today, they are here following us because their interest is the most important thing.
“Likewise tomorrow, if the interest changes, they will also go their different ways. So, why burn down the house?”
Governor Fubara commended committee members for being bold, focused and accomplishing their task in the face of physical and legal threats.
Presenting the report, Chairman of the seven-member Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Justice Roseline Minakiri, said they had put their findings and recommendation into four volumes.
Justice Minakiri, said: “We have here four volumes of the report. We have the memoranda, which is the memoranda we got after we made our publications.
“We also have the exhibits that came with the memoranda. We have the proceedings and the records. At the end of the day, we came up with the main report.”
Justice Minakiri advised that the recommendations of the report should be studied and implemented so that people could be deterred from such callous and barbaric acts but work towards attaining peace for the betterment of the Rivers state.
