By Daniel Abia, P/Harcourt
The sole administrator of Rivers state, Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas, Retired, has called on the people of the state to nurture the existing peace built by his administration in the past six months of emergency rule in the state.
Ibas said that the Thanksgiving last Sunday was significant and reminded us that without God and the resilience of our people, “this journey of my administration would have been impossible. This public lecture is more than an intellectual exercise. It is in truth a covenant renewal with the people of Rivers”.
Speaking at a public. lecture titled Good Governance and Democratic Dividends, Ibas said “As a nation, our democracy must deliver, and that governance must always be rooted in service. Standing before you, we feel with gratitude and humility; gratitude for the support you gave me as your administrator and humility that I was called to serve in such a defining moment in the history of this great state.
“When we began this assignment on March 18, 2025, our core mandate was to restore peace and stability. By the grace of God and with the cooperation of all stakeholders, we have come this far. Most significantly was the peacefully conducted local government council elections restoring democratic governance to the grassroots, the level of government closest to the people”.
According him, the emergency rule was never a choice, “it was a necessity brought upon us by insecurity, political impasse and breakdown of trust. Yet, in hindsight, it offered us enduring lessons that peace is priceless, without security, another aspiration is possible; that when governance is weakened, opportunism fills the vacuum, endangering lives and livelihoods and that the indomitable spirit of Rivers people cannot be broken. They endured. They persevered and have remained steadfast.
“The stability we have restored is the foundation upon which democracy is now rebuilt. Our guest speaker has done justice to the theme of the lecture, good governance and democratic dividends. My role here is to offer my sincere gratitude to my dear people of Rivers for all that we have worked hard together to achieve in the last six months”.
He expressed gratitude to the people of the state for the support which “phas been most humbling and I will remain eternally grateful to you all. I plead with you to re-educate yourselves to our collective destiny, one ordained by God. I charge all of us to poace Rivers above personal ambiti0n; to commit to tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation to consciously work at building trust among each other and to ensure that the dividends of democracy reach household. Rivers State has been stabilised under extraordinary circumstances, much remains to be done. The foundations have been laid. Let’s build on it. Let us prove to the world that Rivers, the Treasure Base of rhe Nation can also be the model of good governance in Nigeria”.
The keynote Speaker, Prof Abiodun Amuda_Kannike who spoke on the topic : Good Governance and Democratic Dividends, Rivers State Example, harped on the to entrance democracy in the country.
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