By Peter Omopo
Abuja/Port Harcourt, September 23, 2025 — Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Monday declared that political peace had returned to the state, months after a bitter feud with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, plunged the oil-rich state into crisis and prompted the Federal Government to impose emergency rule in March.
Speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Fubara said he had resumed his duties in an atmosphere of cooperation.
“As far as I’m concerned, we have made peace. Fubara and his principal are working together,” the governor said, referring to Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The governor explained that his visit to the Villa was a courtesy call following the expiration of the six-month emergency rule, lifted by Tinubu on September 17. “It’s proper for me to see Mr. President and tell him that I’m back. It was more of a father-son discussion to thank him and seek guidance to avoid a relapse into crisis,” he said.
The emergency proclamation, backed by the Supreme Court, had suspended the governor, deputy governor and House of Assembly after a violent political impasse crippled governance and exposed oil facilities to sabotage.
Meanwhile, Fubara also used the occasion to lament the underutilisation of Rivers’ two seaports, warning that the state and the nation risk losing vast economic opportunities if their capacities are not fully harnessed.
Receiving the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Board and Management in Port Harcourt, led by Chairman Senator Adeyeye Adedayo Clement, Fubara said: “Imagine if Onne Port was working at full capacity—the activities around Eleme, Tai and surrounding areas would transform our state’s economy. It would generate jobs, boost manufacturing, and expand clearing and forwarding operations.”
He stressed that world-class ports drive prosperity globally, adding that maximising the Port Harcourt and Onne seaports would cut logistics costs, attract industries, and raise investor confidence.
On infrastructure, the governor decried the state of federal access roads to the ports, describing them as a major hindrance. He pledged state support in traffic management and discipline of trailer drivers while urging the Federal Government to accelerate repairs.
Fubara also promised to establish a police station within the port precincts to address insecurity, linking crime to unemployment. “If activities pick up at the ports, nobody will want to be a criminal when there are genuine opportunities,” he noted.
He further cautioned against encroachment on port lands and assured the NPA of collaboration on drainage and remedial works to mitigate flooding.
Commending the Board for engaging with the state government before interventions, Fubara pledged full support for efforts to transform the seaports into “engines of growth rather than monuments of neglect.”
In response, NPA Chairman Senator Adeyeye Clement described marine resources in Nigeria’s littoral states as catalysts for national growth and pledged the agency’s commitment to reviving operations at the Rivers ports. He sought the state’s support in road rehabilitation, environmental management, truck regulation and security enhancement.
