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Why They Can’t Forgive Their Son
More than 3 years after Sir Siminalayi Fubara was sworn in as governor on May 29, 2023, some residents and community leaders in his hometown say the kingdom has little to show for producing the state’s chief executive.
City People investigation reveals that a section of voices in Opobo have longed expressed dissatisfaction. The unhappiness is not monolithic — Opobo people are not one voice — but several recurring concerns have come up in community meetings,market places and on the streets of Opoboland. Manybof the reasons include:
APPOINTMENTS & INCLUSION
This is the most sensitive point. After the 2023 elections and the political crisis in Rivers State, many communities began asking: “Who is representing us at the state level?”
Some stakeholders in Opobo felt the kingdom was not getting enough visible appointments in key boards, commissions, and political positions compared to its historical weight and voting strength. Chiefs and youth groups wrote open letters asking for more inclusion in Fubara’s government, especially in ministries that affect riverine areas: Works, Power, NDDC liaison, and Education
Like the rest of Nigeria, Opobo is facing harsh economic realities: high cost of food, fuel, and fishing equipment.
Youth groups in Opobo have complained that empowerment programs, NDDC projects, and state grants are not reaching them directly. With fishing and trading being the main livelihoods, they wanted targeted interventions
They also point to the absence of electricity from the national grid, the poor state of public institutions, the threat of erosion, the lack of major public projects and what they describe as a government that has not brought development home.
For a kingdom associated with the famous King Jaja of Opobo, the grievance is both political and deeply emotional. Residents had expected that Fubara’s rise would bring long-delayed attention to Opobo, a historic Ijaw community in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area. Instead, critics say the most visible project linked to the governor in the town is his private residence.That is not all,anger in the community has reportedly intensified since Fubara’s recent public declaration of support for the Rainbow Coalition in Port Harcourt.
The coalition, made up of political allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, from the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, is being positioned to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Kingsley Chinda, ahead of the 2027 elections.
For some in Opobo, that declaration was not merely another political alignment. It was seen as a final confirmation that the governor had returned to the political family of Wike without first settling the development expectations of the kingdom that produced him. Another urgent grievance, City People gathered ,is electricity.
The burial of the late king Jaja of Opoboland which took place months back reportedly happened without Opobo being connected to the national grid, a situation that angered residents who said it was embarrassing that the hometown of a sitting governor has remained in darkness for years.
The anger is not limited to power supply. Residents also cite the condition of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Opobo, where dilapidated buildings have become a visible symbol of neglect.
The concern is especially sensitive because Fubara is an alumnus of the school. Community voices have complained over its condition for years without meaningful intervention they expected from an administration led by one of its former students.
Other demands include soft loans for petty traders, support for small and medium-sized businesses, scholarships for students in Tertiary institutions, erosion control and embankment work to protect the island from ocean surge. In a riverine kingdom threatened by water and weakened infrastructure, residents say these are not luxuries but basic requirements for survival.
Perhaps the question people are asking is how can a governor spend almost 4 years in office without delivering a major government project that the people of his own hometown can attest to and be proud of. Many in the town say the most visible project connected to the governor in Opobo is hos personal residence.
The discontent in Opobo comes at a politically delicate moment for the governor because of his public return to the Wike-backed political family which has already unsettled some supporters who stood by him during the long power struggle that defined much of his administration. But in Opobo, the issue is more intimate than factional politics. It is about what a community believes it is owed by a son who reached the highest office in the state.
That belief is strengthened by the rarity of the moment. Residents say Opobo may not produce another governor of Rivers State for a long time, making Fubara’s tenure a historic opportunity that should not be wasted. To them, the question is not whether the governor has faced political battles. It is whether those battles should excuse the absence of a visible legacy in his hometown.
Gov. Fubara still has about 9 months before the end of his term to respond to those concerns and attempt to rebuild confidence among his kinsmen,if he so wishes.
Wole Alakija
08055001823
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