...Shows how FCT Minister triggered the attacks
…Says request to rebuild the Rivers State of Assembly was on the table for some time
Gov Sim Fubara has no hands in the attacks targeted at oil facilities, so says Nelson Chukwudi, the governor’s spokesperson.
Instead, the imagemaker showed how he thinks the FCT Minister triggered the threats from Ijaws.
He also says it is not correct to say that the demolished Rivers State House of Assembly auditorium was left un-rebuilt, saying the project is 80% completed.
The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) rather says: “It is clearly untrue that somebody who has all the while preached peace and non-violence even in the face of extreme provocations, would be ‘telegraphing attacks on oil pipelines’ and would be breaching the peace he has worked so hard to promote and sustain for the good of the people of the State.”
In a statement Thursday evening, March 20, 2025, the CPS said their attention has been drawn to what he called a number of allegations claiming that Gov Fubara did nothing to dissuade criminal groups and militants from making good their threats to attack oil installations in the State.
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“There was also another claim that after demolishing the Hallowed Chambers of the State House of Assembly on Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, the Governor did nothing to rebuild the facility.”
He said it appeared the Presidency did not have adequate information and blamed it on those tasked with the responsibility of providing same to guide decision-making. He said it has become imperative to set the records straight and correct the erroneous impression such narratives were creating in the minds of the Nigerian people.
He stated that the reaction of stakeholders in the Niger Delta, especially elders, chiefs, women, Ijaw National Congress, its youth wing, IYC, as well as militants, among others, was triggered by remarks by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in a live media chat, during which he dismissed Ijaws as a minority of the minorities and powerless in the Nigerian polity, saying that Ijaws were not the only ones that were militants and can blow up pipelines; that Ogonis, Ikwerres, and others were also militants and could as well blow up pipelines.
“Most of the Ijaw groups and leaders even demanded an apology from the FCT Minister, which he rebuffed.”
He said available public records showed that Gov Fubara, on several occasions and at every forum, including all the project commissioning events as well as the handover of the AW139 Helicopter to the Nigerian Air Force, between March 3 and 13, 2025, made it clear that his administration was committed to the peace, security, and safety of oil facilities in the State.
“He often recalled his pivotal role as a member of the Presidential Committee on the Protection of Oil Installations in the Region, and repeatedly emphasized the need to protect oil pipelines and other facilities in the State, urging his supporters and the people of the State to avoid acts capable of destabilizing the State or sabotaging the nation’s economy.
“Since inception as the Chief Executive of Rivers State, Gov Fubara has prioritized investment in upscaling the welfare and operational equipment of all personnel and arms of the Armed Forces and security agencies in the State by building livable office and residential accommodation for officers and men and donating vehicles, gunboats, helicopters, and other critical needs of the formations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the performance of their duties.”
The statement said the governor’s commitment to total peace and good governance in the State contributed significantly to increased oil production and revenues for the country since May 29, 2023, as the continuous rise in the accruable revenue from the State into the Federation Account has shown over the months.
On the claim that the governor acted with impunity to demolish the Hallowed Chambers of the State House of Assembly and did nothing to rebuild the Chambers 14 months after, the CPS said it is on record that Gov Fubara acted based on professional advice and guidance.
“Let it be clarified that the former Governor and now FCT Minister repeatedly criticized the dilapidated and leaking Assembly Complex, and during the commissioning of the Assembly Quarters in August 2022, he challenged the lawmakers to take responsibility for the poor state of the edifice. He rejected requests to rebuild it to ensure a conducive legislative environment for the lawmakers.
“It must be noted that immediately after the incident of October 29, 2023, and experts’ reports, the Government decided to heed the age-old demands of the lawmakers to rebuild the facility and promptly demolished the dilapidated structure to give way to a state-of-the-art Assembly Complex, which is now nearly 80 percent completed.”
He recalled that in the wake of the most peaceful and violence-free Local Government election in the State on the 5th October, 2024, the supporters of the FCT Minister violently attacked and razed facilities in some local government council secretariats without any reprisals from Gov Fubara’s supporters.
“It is also pertinent to draw the attention of security agencies to the fact that LGAs where those attacks were unleashed are the same places that have repeatedly witnessed violence perpetrated by detractors of the Gov Fubara-led administration.”
The governor’s spokesman called security agencies to focus on the real purveyors of violence, and to critically evaluate these incidents, and diligently undertake investigations to unravel the elements behind the crimes and bring them to justice without let or hindrance.
