Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has lamented that he inherited debts running into billions from projects inaugurated by his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Describing the development as a problem, Fubara said many contractors were coming to him for the balance of their payments.
The governor, who spoke during the inauguration the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road, also known as Old Bori Road in Eleme Local Government Area of the state, said he would be appearing on project inaugurations with the white papers specifying their cost.
Fubara said he never wanted to speak about such issues but that he had been pushed to say them so that the buttocks of the fowl would be exposed.
He said the project was awarded to CCCC on 14th of August 2023 by his administration to act as a bypass against bad sections of the Eleme axis of the East-West Road.
The governor said he embarked on the project to demonstrate his support for the Federal Government insisting that his administration would always put the people’s interest first.
He said: “As we are going we will be going with the white paper to show the records and the amount of the projects. It was awarded at the cost of N6.7bn. I can say that we have paid the contractor completely.
“The purpose of this is to let the world know that if there is one problem this administration has is debt. Most of the projects that are commissioned they are coming for their balanced payment running into billions.
“I said I don’t want to talk because I am part of the system. But when you continue to push me I will say it so that they will see the nyash of the fowl.
“Aleto is a bypass that if you cannot assess the East-West road, it can take you away from the bad section to the good section of the East-West road. Is what we are doing today not a help to the Federal Government and a show that this government has interest and the support and is doing everything to make the Federal government succeed?
“So when people come and say funny things, I start laughing. It is not social media, we are talking about actions. We are taking actions that make positive impacts in the lives of out people”.
The governor thanked the Eleme people for their support during the project execution and promised he would site more infrastructures in the area.
He said: ” I want to thank the good people of Eleme for their support in the cause of this project. The contractor never complained because of the cooperation. What we have done today is a sign that if we come back here to take any other project, you are protected.
I can assure you that we are going to come back and do more project for the good people of Eleme”.
Fubara explained that he invited Governor Alex Otti of Abia State to inaugurate the project because he was a man with real and not fake integrity.
He said: “Why did I invite the governor of Abia State? I invited him because he is not an artificial integrity man. He is an action integrity man. He is not the one that they will gather because they just want to talk. He is a man who came in the face of difficulties and challenges just like we have here and is making impact in the lives of Abians”.
On the comment of Wike that his administration fought the then federal government, Fubara said the scenarios were different as his government was dealing with the house rat.
He said: “I heard someone saying when we came onboard we were fighting Federal Government, Federal Government did not use any instrument in your State to frustrate you. Our scenarios are quite different.
“If we are fighting Federal government it is a different matter. We are talking of the Federal government that is giving us support but the rat in the House is eating the bag of garri. So you can imagine such situation. So I will continue to identify with good governance.”
