A professor of Monetary Economics at the University of Port Harcourt, Peter Medee, has applauded President Bola Tinubu for returning democratic structures to Rivers State, but he stated that the emergency regime took Rivers State 60 years backward.
According to Medee, who lectures at the Department of Economics and served as former State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, the opportunities the State would have harvested in the last six months of the emergency rule are huge.

He said, “Rivers State has been taken backwards; the opportunity cost, or what is called the ‘forgone alternatives,’ that would have been achieved in this past six months is wasted.”
“In all, Rivers people are grateful for life; anything could have happened, but there was no human casualty. There was only causality in terms of development, peace, and process, but we will recover with the efforts of the Governor and support from everyone.”
Similarly, the former Commissioner for Environment, Sydney Gbara, expressed confidence in accelerated progress and development across the State, especially in the areas of completing abandoned projects and ensuring human capital development.

The former Commissioner urged all and sundry to work together and support the governor to achieve quick progress and recover the opportunities and periods that have been lost.
Gbara said, “We are grateful for the return of the Governor. Before the emergency rule was declared, there were lots of projects ongoing; some were flagged off but were stopped. Joyfully, there will be speed in completing those projects now, like the renovation of primary health centers that was awarded before the emergency regime, and also we will see deliberate actions by the governor on human capital development. The State already has a partnership with the Bank of Industry to empower the people and many others.”

Also speaking, former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Orji Ngofa, called for total support for Governor Fubara, stressing that the emergency rule reduced Rivers State to ridicule and stunted development.
He said, “It will take concerted efforts to recover the lost grounds.
“You will agree with me that the last six months have been terrible in terms of development of the State. We witnessed setbacks. So, it will require a whole lot to recover the period that has been lost.
“At the State where we are, the interest of the State should supersede everything else. We have been dishonored, ridiculed through this declaration of emergency rule. It is time we all rally behind the governor to ensure we move the State forward,” he added.

Meanwhile, the governor has been urged to get competent men and women with expertise to navigate the challenges ahead and ensure the remaining time he has left is properly utilized for the benefit and gains of the people.
A human rights advocate and Programme Manager of Social Action, Peter Mazi, criticized the overwhelming celebration of Fubara’s return to office, saying it was unnecessary. He emphasized that priority attention should be given to things that add value, not jamborees, urging the Governor to be focused on recovering the lost months by delivering value to the people and not be distracted by the welcome-back parties.

He said, “We have a culture in this part of the world of celebrating ordinary events in ways that are often unnecessary. A road is constructed, and instead of quietly putting it to use, we call dancers, lay red carpets, and spend more public money on inauguration. The president plans to travel, and political office holders line up just to bid him farewell. These practices add no value.”
Mazi also called for a probe of the administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the ex-Sole Administrator.

He said, “Those who have controlled the resources of the state for the past six months – we need to establish clearly how state funds were spent, rather than glorifying actions that undermine constitutional governance.”
Meanwhile, a Conflict Resolution Specialist, Ndamzi Ekwulo, has urged the three lawmakers who supported Governor Fubara during the crisis period to resume sitting alongside others.
Recall that during the plenary on Thursday, the Victor Oko-Jumbo camp was absent at the sitting, and keen political watchers in the State have expressed concern about the development, considering the assurance that all parties said they had reconciled.

Ekwulo said, “The three lawmakers who supported the governor in the political crisis were absent at the plenary. It is expected that all legislators return to their legislative duties to ensure proper representation of their constituents.”
He added, “The issues behind the political crisis have already been resolved. They were not appointed; they were elected. Therefore, both parties should sheath their swords, everyone should resume to join hands with the governor to move the State forward, and we appeal to the Speaker, Martins Amaehule, to ensure there is cohesion among the legislators.”