Fubara Must Match Words With Action On Schools’ Recovery

Nearly three months after their reinstatement to office following President Bola Tinubu’s lifting of the state of emergency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly appear to have finally found their voice.
Since returning to their posts on September 18, the executive and legislative arms of the Rivers State Government had maintained an unusual silence, seemingly taking time to recover from the shock of their abrupt removal on March 18, 2025. But last week, at one of its plenaries, the House of Assembly broke that silence with a sobering revelation: the deplorable state of public school infrastructure, especially in rural communities.
Speaker Martins Amaewhule expressed dismay that such decay could exist in a state with substantial financial resources. He urged the executive to take immediate steps to address the rot in the educational sector.
In what appeared to be a direct response, Governor Fubara, while addressing the Council of Traditional Rulers on Monday, announced that education would receive top priority in the 2026 budget. He further disclosed that the planned recruitment of civil servants would focus on teachers and medical personnel to fill the yawning manpower gaps in schools and hospitals.
These gestures from both arms of government are welcome, especially after more than two years of bitter political wrangling that crippled governance and left critical sectors particularly education and healthcare gasping for survival.
Governance must never be sacrificed on the altar of politics. The fundamental duty of government is to provide welfare and security for its citizens. During the prolonged political bickering, the futures of young students and the health of millions were jeopardized.
With about 18 months left in its tenure months that will include an election year with its inevitable distractions the Fubara administration cannot afford to waste time. Political considerations should not become an excuse for failure to recover lost ground.
If the governor’s intentions for the education sector are sincere, then they must be backed with concrete action. Public schools and hospitals urgently need a revival. Adequate funding, infrastructure renewal, and the recruitment of qualified young professionals are essential to restoring confidence in these vital institutions.
It bears repeating: there can be no genuine welfare without sound education and reliable healthcare. These are the pillars upon which any society builds its future.
Governor Fubara must now move beyond promises. He must act rebuild the schools, strengthen the hospitals, and ensure that merit-driven recruitment fills classrooms and clinics with competent hands. Rivers people deserve nothing less.