Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has advised people not to always fight but to remain focused and diligent in doing the right thing.

The governor stated that by doing so, elevation will come, and posterity will remember their legacies forever.

Fubara gave the charge shortly after swearing in the State Surveyor-General, Peter Ogolo, and the Permanent Secretary of the Survey Department at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara recalled the challenges that Ogolo faced, which could have ended his career early. However, due to wise counsel, Ogolo is now celebrating his role as Surveyor-General of the State.

Fubara explained, “But something happened in the course of his service. He was between losing his job or fighting for his life. He came to me, and I advised him: why don’t you leave, maybe, wait to fight another day? And that is why today he is alive to be the Surveyor-General. If he had stood to fight, saying he was the most senior, he wouldn’t have been here today.”

The governor urged the new Surveyor-General to work with professionalism, diligence, and integrity, ensuring that every pragmatic module is deployed to enhance the effective delivery of his duties and responsibilities.

He advised Ogolo to serve the State selflessly and honestly, with abiding integrity, so that posterity will remember his legacies forever.

Fubara described Surveyor Ogolo as a long-serving public officer who ranks high among his peers, contributing significantly to the establishment of development roadmaps for the State. He stressed that Ogolo’s appointment was based purely on merit.

He said, “If you go into the history of how the then Greater Port Harcourt Development Authority was established; if you go into the history of other developments in this state, if you check the survey plans, you will see that Ogolo was the one who signed virtually all those things.

“This appointment is not because he is from Opobo. He is the most senior, most qualified, and even the one who interviewed the person he is succeeding now. The records are there with the Civil Service Commission.

“So, I don’t need to give you any charge. You are already there. You know what the office entails. You just read your oath of office: do what is right. It is not about the faces you are going to see, do what is right. Be professional, defend and protect the interest of the State. I wish you all the best. God will guide you.”