According to the holy book, there is a time for everything and a purpose for every activity under heaven. This includes a time to begin and a time to end.
As in Nigeria, more in Rivers State, today, May 29, 2023, marks the end of a remarkably eventful political era and the beginning of a new one. The atmosphere is therefore full of an admixture of excitement, hope and trepidation.
For indigenes and residents of Rivers State especially, today marks the end of an eight-year run of breathtakingly impact full transformational activities anchored by a phenomenal leadership masterfully driven by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
In the same breadth, today, the people stand at the threshold of a new beginning as Governor Wike passes on the baton of helmsmanship to Sir Siminialayi Joseph Fubara to continue the arduous race of actualising the dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of Rivers State.
While Governor Nyesom Wike represents a promise kept, Sir Sim Fubara is a symbol of hope that is founded on a tried, tested, proven and established vision code-named New Rivers Vision (NEW).
To this end, a cross section of Rivers people and other stakeholders who spoke with The Tide have expressed deep satisfaction with the stellar performance of Governor Nyesom Wike in the realisation of envisaged people oriented development projects with expectations of further transformation and quality governance that will provide enhanced dividends of democracy from the incoming administration headed by Sir Siminialayi Fubara.
The respondents lauded the Wike’s government’s worthy performance in the areas of roads construction and maintenance; provision of education and healthcare infrastructure; rural and urban transformation; restoration of peace and security; empowerment and human capital development; job creation and sustainable economic development; youth development via viable economic ventures; huge investment in agriculture; water and sanitation; improvement in power supply; housing and urban renewal; investment in transportation and construction of flyovers to decongest traffic in the state, amongst others.
The National Coordinator of pan-Ijaw group, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eastern Zone, Opobo/ Ibani Clan, Hon. Ibitamuno CookeyGam lauded Governor Nyesom Wike for providing the catalyst for the economic emancipation of the state through his administration’s achievements in the areas of road infrastructure, construction of flyovers, opening of canals and drainages, land reclamation; and the provision of adequate security of lives and property.
CookeyGam noted that the Governor’s massive investment in security was responsible for not only the relative peace experienced across the state, but also accounts for the prevailing socio-economic development witnessed in the state, describing it as a great departure from the past.
He urged the incoming administration of Sir Siminialayi Fubara to ensure that the quality of leadership provided by Governor Wike is replicated for the betterment of the citizens despite the odds on the way.
Also speaking, a pharmacy technician, Mrs. Ngozi Toby, said that apart from the remarkable improvements in the areas of security under the administration of Chief Nyesom Wike, there is more to be achieved by Siminialayi Fubara as Governor of Rivers State in such areas as creation of gainful employment opportunities and general workers’ welfare, including the promotion and settlement of backlogs of gratuity and pensions overhangs.
According to her, in spite of the fact that people now have a conducive atmosphere to freely engage in and grow their legitimate businesses in the state, there is a lot more to be done to consolidate on the gains of the exiting administration with a view to moving the state to its destination envisioned by the founding fathers but imperiled by previous leaders some years back.
She, therefore, admonished the incoming Fubara-led administration to give adequate attention to the things that will ensure a sufficiently competent, empowered, motivated and rightly equipped work force to support and assist his government to achieve overall success in attaining set goals and meeting the people’s hope of a new lease of life.
On his part, a frontline traditional ruler in Oyigbo LGA, Eze Isaac Ekeke Nwogbo, noted that the robust economic development and the overall improvement in quality of life of Rivers people experienced in the past eight years was attributable to the security architecture built and sustained by the sheer determination, commitment and political will of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
The monarch commended the doggedness of Governor Nyesom Wike, noting that his unique leadership style has not only positioned Rivers State as one of the most progressive states in Nigeria, but also given Rivers people a strong voice in the Nigerian ecosystem.
He, therefore, called on Sir Siminialayi Joseph Fubara to do everything within his power to live up to the confidence reposed in him by his predecessor and the high expectations of Rivers people in terms of even distribution of development projects to all the nooks and crannies of the state, further enhance the security architecture and the welfare of its operatives in order to strengthen existing relative peace being enjoyed currently in the state.
A renowned educationist and retiree, Mrs. Georginia Hart, emphasised the need for the incoming administration to work for a sustainable, harmonious and peaceful co-existence of all interest groups in the state.
“I want to use this medium to demand that the incoming Rivers State Governor, Dr. Siminialayi Fubara, should do more for the good of the people. We expect quality governance, especially in the areas of infrastructural development, this time in the rural communities of the state. I must say that the out-gone administration had gaps in performance in some sectors, especially in human capacity building.
“Let Sim Fubara channel his government policy thrust on those areas Wike could not actualise and ensure that such is considered. Security and public safety, health, education, welfare of workers and retirees, infrastructure development and rural transformation should be given a facelift. Other areas of importance are agriculture and youth development,” Hart said.
Similarly, Mrs. Felicia Abulokwe, a senior civil servant urged Fubara to ensure that he revisits the case of Rivers workers and ensure that he implements  the promotion of those who are due for promotion as well as clear all indebtedness to workers and retirees.
Abulokwe stressed that playing the ostrich when it comes to serious matters could ruin reputation, noting that unemployment was on the increase partly due to government’s inability to replenish its stock of staff over the years.
She said it had become embarrassing to the state to see a lot of graduates wallowing in abject poverty, without gainful employment, roaming the streets and some engaging in criminal activities.
“Governor Nyesom Wike has done well in most sectors, but not all the areas. The earlier the new governor swings into action in doing the needful, the better for us all”, she said.
Also speaking on the subject matter, an industrialist, Mrs. Mercy Pepple, said “Wike has done excellently well. Wike has tried to achieve good results in the areas of stabilising the dwindling economy, health infrastructure development. He was able to provide quality educational facilities, road infrastructure, and empowerment programmes for the youths.
“For me, Wike has performed well in some areas. I strongly believe that Dr Siminialayi Fubara as the new anchorman in the saddle of Rivers leadership will do more than expected.”
Mr. Okudiri Chukwuma, a businessman, lauded the efforts of Governor Wike in developmental projects in the state but regretted that he could not cater adequately for the well-being of the business sector so as to encourage them.
“For the new administration, I admonish him (Sim Fubara) to perform well as all eyes are on him to ascertain his readiness to carve a rewarding development niche for himself for posterity”, he said.

By: Opaka Dokubo & Bethel Toby