OUR IGR HAS INCREASED, WE WILL NOW WORK MORE FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF RIVERS STATE ~ GOV. FUBARA

OUR IGR HAS INCREASED, WE WILL NOW WORK MORE FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF RIVERS STATE ~ GOV. FUBARA 

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara says the Internally Generated Revenue of the state has been increased from about 13 billion to 27 billion.

This, he said, is because the business climate is more conducive for investors and financial leakages plugged. 

Governor Fubara spoke when he played host to the leadership and members of the Nigerian House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee on courtesy visit to Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.

Sir Fubara said: "When I was informed of this event, I did not hesitate to give my approval because as an accountant I know what it means to have an interactive session with public accounts committee. 

"Let me do a little background. When I was appointed as the Accountant General of the state, from the moment I assumed that position, on the 1st January 2020, the position of our State changed.

"We started recording the best reporting of accounting report in Nigeria. Hope you're aware? You can go and check. 

"Our records improved. We have nothing to hide because we understand the numbers and the presentations were very clear to everybody.

"So, what does it reflect? It means that you're not afraid, transparency is there, accountability speaks when you are reportings are in order. 

"It shows judicious use of resources without fear, honestly. When you are reporting it shows that, look, your records are in order and those were the services we rendered to the immediate past administration. 

"So, when we came on board, on our own, knowing fully well that this is what we know how to do best, it is proper for us  to have a better relationship, a closer ties with this committee. 

"So, I said please, protocol do everything you need to do to give them the best and if they're coming no matter how tight my schedule would be, I will still have want to have, even if it is 5 minutes with them.

So, I'm happy to see you this afternoon, to say thank you to you. The news about Rivers State has always been, from the other side,  negative stories. 

"In fact, some people would tell you that the people who stay in government house now are militants. 

"But I'm happy that when you got in here you saw how decent this place is. Yes, that the truth and we need to encourage more of this visitation so that when you go back, you will now tell the people the true story of Rivers.

"No matter the challenges we are facing today, our eyes will still be on the ball. We will not lose focus. 

"We have promised our people that our government will be government of the people. We care for the people. 

"The people are the most important aspect to us. When you have the people, you have everything. It doesn't matter the high and mighty, the number of policemen that you carry around. 

"The people are most important. Because the people are the ones who in their subunits control people who are the end control other people and at the end make the decision when the time comes. 

"It is not the policemen. It is not the army. It is not the escort. It is the people. So, our concern is the people. 

So, our target, I'm also happy that you did mention most of the things we have done within the short period. 

"As an organised government, when we came on board, we have a very big challenge. For 11 years, there was no promotion in this State. 

"So, imagine a government that inherited about 52 thousand civil servants, and you want to pay them because what we were paying before I came in was an average of 5.3billion, let us even do 25 percent of it, it can't be anything less than 8 point something. 

"That was what we started paying. How much is our allocation? So, we needed to think outside the box. That was where we now did a rejig of our internally generated revenue and I can tell you today that all the projects we are doing, we don't borrow. 

"We are very transparent, we are not hiding anything. That is why I, boldly, would say it. The least we do this period is 26/27 billion. The highest they were doing before was 12 and 13 billion. It is for the people and we will make sure that we deploy this fund to the people.

"We will make sure that we apply this fund in areas that will bring positive change in education, healthcare and agriculture. We will also do a few roads  but the most important things are these three items(areas). 

"That is the only way we can save ourselves from this present situation of hardship. Save ourselves from this issue of societal ill; you call it cultism and others. 

"Education is the only instrument we can use to fight it. And we need the healthcare. You need to be alive to even drive a good car on the road. You can imagine how much we spend in medical tourism. 

"So, those are the targets of this government and we assure you, just like our brother had said, I didn't pray alone, the entire state is praying for us and that is why we are achieving it without noise , without doing any media hype.

"God is with us. For our people, let me say, we are on a crossroad in our country. We all need to stand on the side of truth. It doesn't matter  the number. I have been saying it. 

"What is important is, any decision you make, weigh it. What matters in life is, not coming on radio to talk about integrity. No. 

"There are things that matter that are evidences, public signs on your body and around you, that show if you have integrity.

"That's the truth. And I can say without fear, no body can take it away from me and if there is anything of me that had won this position in the heart of even those that are fighting me, it is because I was upright. 

"So, if I was upright at that time, and it helped me to be who I am now, through God, why will I not be million times upright now. I assure you, that aspect of my life, no matter the challenges that I am facing, I will not throw it to the dustbin."