The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha has stated that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is not his enemy.
Okocha made this clarification during a quiz and essay competition he sponsored for schools in the state.
He explained that as the leader of the main opposition party, he must speak out to warn the Governor against making costly mistakes, but this does not make him an enemy of the governor.
Okocha emphasised that he desires the best for the state and has been outspoken to prevent things from going wrong.
He said: “People call us troublemakers because we are talking. If something is not good, it’s not good.
“People misconstrue us to be enemies of the state. Some say we hate the governor. I do not hate the governor. We are his best friends. The man who tells you when you are wrong that Sir, why not you do it this way instead of this way and seeing what the implication of this would be, and then juxtapose with the other side, that’s your friend.
“But the person whose business is when he sees you even when you are wrong, he hails you and do not have the courage to tell you let’s see how we can change it because he doesn’t want to line his pocket, he agrees with you and tells you it’s good and at the end of the day, it leads you to a bottomless pit. So who is your friend?”
Chief Okocha who is also the Rivers State representative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Governing Board, reiterated that education remained the best tool to utilise in fighting criminality in the society.
“It is right to say education is a very potent tool to fight criminality in our society . This is what we expect. It’s better that we fight criminality through education as education assembles the minds of the individual not to go into social vices. So I’m very grateful that I’m part of what is happening here today.
“This event is an opportunity to reach out to the society and again it affords us the opportunity to show ourselves as not only people who are causing problems but people who can give to the society,” he stated.
He also highlighted the importance of education in fighting criminality in society and announced his donation of 200 JAMB registration forms for indigent students.
He said as part of his educational support drive, he had already bought 200 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration forms for indigent students in the state, assuring that the just concluded competition would be expanded and improved upon in subsequent editions.
Earlier, Professor Edward Adiele, in his keynote address, titled, “Local Government Autonomy, Bedrock For Rural Community Development,” emphasised the need for local governments to be granted full autonomy in galvanising development at the grassroots.
He argued that intimidation from state governors had hampered local government chairmen from effectively exercising their responsibilities of developing their domains.
On his part, the facilitator of the competition, Comrade Endwell Otonnah described the sponsor as a lover of the students community in Rivers State, urging other political leaders in the state to emulate him in impacting the younger generation positively.
Meanwhile, Praise Okirie from University of Port Harcourt who emerged winner in the essay writing competition won a prize of N200,000 and a laptop while Blessed Children Academy won in the quiz category, receiving the prize of N200,000 and a laptop