Rivers State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara, has called on religious bodies particularly the Anglican churches to stop allowing politicians including himself from using their pulpits to abuse others.
Fubara said: “Let me also appeal to all the religious bodies in this state, please your pulpit should be a place to talk about progress and the unity of the people of Rivers State.
“It should not be yielded to people to cast aspersions or abuse others and say all sorts of things. And it is worrisome in the house of God. I appeal to you. I can say that it is not experienced in the Catholic Church, but worse in my own church the Anglican Church with due respect. You need to stop it including myself or any other person”.
Fubara spoke on Sunday at the Interdenominational Thanksgiving Mass in commemoration of the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day,
The governor said his administration would no longer dissipate its energy remembering only fallen heroes and their dependants, but would lay emphasis on the living, who continued to survive because of deliberate government policies and efforts of good people in the state.
He said: “It is unfortunate, the purpose of this programme is remembrance. But I want to say that our government will not be a government that will put its energy only remembering the fallen heroes and heroines, those who died in the cause of defending this country and their widows, but to also support strongly those people that they left behind.
“So that the remembering after this time will not be for just those who lost their lives, but those who are also living will be remembered because of what the government and the good people of Rivers State did for them.
“So, I want to change the narrative a bit, let it not just be for those widows and those, who are casualties of the survival of Nigeria but let it also be people that should be remembered that government took the right decision for them and they grew, develop to be something great in our country”.
The governor thanked God that his administration was marking another year of Armed Forces Remembrance Day better and stronger than it did last year because of crisis.
He assured the legionnaires and the Armed Forces that his government would continue to do its best to protect the lives of the people and to take their welfare seriously.
The governor promised to fulfill all the promises he made to the group insisting that they should not just be remembered after their deaths.
Fubara said: “This year is a special one, special because God has been with us. He has kept us in several ways and promised us that there will be total peace in our state. And our projection for the year will be as declared inclusive growth and development especially on human capital development.
“We can only achieve this in an environment of peace, law and order. That is exactly where the security agencies come in. We want to appeal to you, we do not care what means of your appointment, we are not bothered about your ethnic group.
“What we request from you is to consider the interest of this state, which is more important. Ensure that if anything goes wrong in this state it affects Nigeria. So, work as a professional to support us to make sure that those things that we ought to do and do rightly are done for the interest of the good people of Rivers State and Nigeria at large”.
Fubara observed that the wreath laying would be on January 15 and promised that his government would do its part to leave another good memory for members of the legionnaire.
On why his government still remained strong, he said: “Let me on this note thank everyone of you for your prayers especially our religious fathers. It is only God, I keep saying.
“Though some people say God doesn’t work but while we pray, we also watch. And if you don’t pray, your watch is in vain. So, we thank you for all your prayers and your prayers have directed us to watch aright that is why we are still standing strong”.
In his homily, Reverend Pius Kii, emphasised the importance of remembering people for their deeds noting that the fallen heroes sacrificed their lives to keep the nation one and peaceful.
“Today, we remember the veterans who gave their lives to keep us safe and secure. Some of them were injured and suffer from post traumatic disorder. At this prayerful celebration we remember their families”, he said.
He said Fubara would be remembered for all his good work in Rivers especially in restoring hope to the people through his welfare packages to the civil servants.
