Residents of Rivers State have expressed divergent opinion on Governor Siminilayi Fubara’s reappointment of commissioners, who served under former Governor Nyesom Wike. While some residents feared that Wike, who played vital role to Fubara’s emergence, appears to be still in full control of the affairs of the state, others reasoned that it is within Fubara’s right to choose whoever he feels has the capacity to deliver on his vision. So far, nine commissioners have been screened and approved by the State House of Assembly. Out of the nine, only two are new commissioners while seven others served under Wike’s administration. One of the two new persons is former Governor Peter Odili’s daughter, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, while the other, Dr. Roseline Adawari Uranta, hails from Fubara’s clan, Opopo-Nkoro Council, of the state. The Guardian also gathered that the appointment of the Chief of Staff and Secretary to the State Government are being delayed sequel to alleged undue influence on the governor and considerations of some ethnic nationalities in the state. Fubara had recently explained that he was reappointing former commissioners to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor, Wike, but some residents argue that the state government does not need to recycle former commissioners to consolidate on the achievements of the previous administration. They said doing so would amount to constricting the political space of the state and discourage novelty. A public affairs analyst and a lawyer, Annan Wakama, said: “The truth is that the governor can continue and consolidate with new persons, who have fresh and new ideas that can move the state forward. “He does not necessarily need to recycle commissioners. There are millions of people in the state and there are people that are innovative, who have better ideas than the old persons the governor is recycling.” Similarly, another resident, Tonye Pepple, said it was wrong to keep rotating positions among few individuals, stressing that the state belongs to everyone, maintaining that Fubara should realise that he is the governor of the state and not for few individuals. In contrast, Angus Chukwuka, a lawyer, said, the governor has the right to choose whoever he wants as commissioner as long as the person will be useful in driving his visions. “It is his choice, if he feels that the commissioner under his predecessor (Wike) did well and were useful to him in his emergence, it is within his right to retain them, so we are yet to ascertain if there were undue influence on Fybara by Wike.” Chukwuka further argued that the new people are important, but stressed that the most essential thing is the governor’s focus on the development of the state, adding that his strategy to developing the state is critical. Matins Amadi said: “The major concern is when he chooses only old people, but there is nothing wrong in including old cabinet members in his admiration.”
Related
