In spite of the lingering political tension in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu on Monday hosted the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged predecessor and Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to an Iftar at the State House, Abuja.
Other governors, ministers, and heads of paramilitary agencies were also present at what was the first of such gatherings in the 2025 Ramadan season.
The presence of Fubara and Wike came following ongoing political tensions in Rivers, where the Supreme Court last week ruled in favour of the faction led by the State Assembly Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, a Wike ally.
The ruling reinstated 27 pro-Wike lawmakers who had previously defected from the state assembly, challenging Fubara’s authority.
In response, the governor had invited the legislators for a meeting to discuss the court’s decision in Port Harcourt yesterday which the lawmakers turned down.
The dinner was however attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and several cabinet members.
Governors present at the event included Alex Otti (Abia), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), and Muhammad Yahaya (Gombe),
Others were Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi).
But Tinubu’s home state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, was conspicuously absent, due perhaps, to the lingering political crisis in the president’s backyard.
Yet, other equally prominent heads of key government agencies in attendance were Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad; Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa; Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Jaji Abdulganiyu; and Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi.
There were also the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Farouk Ahmed, and his counterpart in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari.
In a separate statement from the event, signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu called on political leaders in the country to channel more resources and policies toward catering to the needs of the poor and vulnerable.
He noted that political leaders’ efforts were crucial in meeting citizens’ expectations, commending the people-oriented policies that have started yielding positive results in improved human development indexes and economic indicators.
The president attributed the success of economic reforms to the collective effort of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the collaboration of leaders at the subnational levels.
“I recall in our first FEC meeting, I said we were going to work hard to fetch water from a dry well. We are still working hard to ensure that there is water to drink and that we spend money, not the people. You, the leaders at the subnational levels, are also doing all you can to spend money, not the people,” he noted.
Tinubu urged political leaders to work for posterity so that history will remember them for good.
“Look at yourselves as navigators that will bring the country to the promised land. Standing here as president is a great honour, and you can’t trade it. Continue doing what you are doing. And do more for the people,” he added.
Tinubu said leaders must see the entire country as one big family in a house where people live in different rooms.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, thanked the president for the ‘bold and decisive’ reform of the Nigerian economy.
The governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, who led the Christian prayers, said, “It is no coincidence that Muslims and Christians are fasting at the same time.”
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, noted that the prices of goods and foodstuffs were steadily dropping, stressing that the reforms had also improved livelihood.
