Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has declared that his administration is not running the government like the Biblical Babylonians but with the fear of God.
Fubara made this assertion on Tuesday while responding to an appreciation letter from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which also sought to recognize him with an award.
“It is not because we are meeting all their needs but because we are putting a human face to governance. We are not running it like Nebuchadnezzar’s time,” Fubara said at the inauguration of the one-storey Twin Labour Building constructed by the administration of Governor Douye Diri in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
“We are not running it like the Babylonians. We are running it with the Jesus style where love takes the lead over everything. Where love is what should be in front and behind.”
Governance with a ‘Jesus Style’
Fubara, who has faced political turbulence since taking office, emphasized that his administration prioritizes workers’ welfare. He recalled that even amid the 2023 political crisis, he remained committed to improving the well-being of Rivers State workers to foster productivity and loyalty.
According to him, while traveling to Abuja for a political reconciliation meeting, he reflected on ways to support workers and decided to pay a N100,000 Christmas bonus to every civil servant in December 2023—a gesture he later extended to retirees in 2024.
He praised the Bayelsa State Government’s commitment to labour relations and urged organized labour in the state to view the administration’s goodwill as a privilege rather than a right, ensuring that no external forces cause division between them and the government.
Honouring Edwin Clark
During his speech, Fubara also paid tribute to the late Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark, whose death he described as a significant loss.
“We just observed a minute of silence for our hero, Pa Edwin Clark. What is he remembered for? For his courage, truthfulness, doggedness, and the survival of this region,” he said.
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Encouraging Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri to uphold integrity, Fubara stressed the importance of being remembered for the right reasons.
“History will not remember anyone for any destructive thing, don’t deceive yourself. Money and material things cannot be taken for a good name. So, please continue to do what is right. History and the good people of Bayelsa will forever remember you.”
The governor further assured that his administration would continue to foster a strong relationship between Rivers and Bayelsa states for the collective good of the region.