A member of the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Council and pioneer spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum , Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has described Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s recent visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a sacrifice made in the interest of peace in Rivers State.
Speaking in reaction to the meeting, Sara-Igbe said the suspended governor had consistently shown a desire for peace, contrary to what he described as Wike’s combative stance.
“That discussion is not for public consumption, except the FCT Minister wants to make it public,” Sara-Igbe stated. “At the end of the day, we’ll hear the result.”
He lauded Governor Fubara’s move, emphasising that peace often requires personal sacrifices.
“Of course, the governor wants peace all through. The governor is looking for peace — it is Wike who doesn’t want peace. And if somebody is looking for peace, you must make sacrifices. You can’t get any peace without sacrifice,” he said.
“The governor is a governor of everybody. It’s not about pride. With humility, he went there to discuss, and they discussed,” he added.
Confirming the meeting, Wike said during a live media chat on Monday that Governor Fubara had visited him at his residence in Port Harcourt, accompanied by two governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress and another unnamed individual.
“Yes, he came. He came with two governors and one other person. Unfortunately, the two governors are APC governors, so I will not pursue them. And he said he wants peace — fine. I want peace,” Wike said.
The former Rivers governor, however, blamed Fubara’s current political travails on what he termed “self-inflicted injury,” stating that the embattled governor had previously failed to heed the advice of political leaders and allies.
“When this thing started, I called him. Seyi Makinde was there, Ortom was there, Ikpeazu was there, Ugwuanyi was there. We sat him down and said: ‘This thing is not good for you. God has given you this office; why not be humble and not allow people to push you?’” Wike said.
“They kept telling him to act like a governor. We know. Nobody is taking that away — he is a governor. But all I am saying is, don’t abandon people who laboured for you day and night.”
Meanwhile, speaking on challenges in the Federal Capital Territory, particularly with regard to open grazing, Wike said efforts were ongoing to address the situation.
“The truth is that nobody is happy about it. Governance is not like running a private business — you have to tread carefully,” the minister noted.
He disclosed that a 100-hectare land was earlier designated for grazing reserves in the FCT, but that encroachment by land grabbers had complicated the situation.
“We are doing everything we can, but we must tread cautiously,” he said.