Rivers State Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), has appealed to political actors in the state to put aside their differences and place the progress and prosperity of the state above personal or partisan interests.
Ibas made the call on Sunday during an interdenominational thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt, held to mark the conclusion of transitional activities ahead of the return to democratic governance in the state.
The administrator, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on March 18 following the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, said his administration had “planted the seeds of reconciliation” but stressed that it was up to the people to nurture them.
“Our collective sacrifices and commitment to peace are what we must all strive to guide at this time,” he said. “Rivers people must rise above bitterness, rivalry, and self-interest to pursue the greater good of our state.”
He warned that politics should never be used as an excuse to destroy the very state leaders are called to serve, noting that Rivers “cannot afford another season of division and acrimony.”
Quoting from scripture, Ibas described thanksgiving as a testimony to God’s faithfulness, recalling that the state had survived storms, political, social, and economic, during his six-month tenure. He expressed gratitude for the successful conduct of local government elections and the restoration of relative peace.
The Thanksgiving service, however, was marked by the absence of some key political figures, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and several traditional rulers.
Those in attendance included permanent secretaries, local government chairmen, heads of boards and parastatals, and security service commanders.
Ibas also urged Rivers youths not to allow themselves to be used as tools for violence, but to channel their energy into building and sustaining peace. “Your future, our collective future, depends on it,” he said.
Thanking President Tinubu for his leadership and Rivers people for their patience and support, Ibas concluded: “May Rivers State remain a shining light of hope, stability, and progress in Nigeria.”
