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Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has said the security of his state is inseparable from the security of Nigeria, as he commissioned a rehabilitated runway and a rebuilt psychiatric hospital in the state.
Fubara made the remarks on Thursday while commissioning the projects, acknowledging President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
“As the Commander-in-Chief, the President has remained firm in his commitment to equip and reposition our security institutions in the clear understanding that national security is not merely one item in the list of national priorities. It is the foundation upon which every other item rests,” Fubara said.
The governor said Rivers State occupies a strategic position in the economic life of the nation as the heart of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
“The security of Rivers State is, therefore, inseparable from the security of Nigeria itself. It follows as a matter of duty, rather than a favour, that the responsible and patriotic government in this state must support the institution mandated to safeguard these assets,” he said.
“There can be no striving economy without security. There can be no confident investment without security. There can be no sustainable development without security.”
Governor Siminalayi Fubara says the rehabilitation of the Air Force base runway in Port Harcourt demonstrates… pic.twitter.com/t91KrRHU3o
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) August 27, 2026
He said the rehabilitated runway was a demonstration of his administration’s conviction that meaningful progress is built on genuine collaboration between the national government and sub-national governments.
“Security is a collective responsibility. No single tier of government can secure this nation alone, and no government can deliver sustainable development in an insecure environment,” Fubara said.
Fubara also commissioned a rebuilt psychiatric hospital, noting that the facility was originally conceived in 1970 and commissioned in 1977 with a capacity of about 50 beds.
He said the premises had become a drug trafficking centre, with people selling drugs to inmates, and that the rebuilt facility would reduce such activities.
“We have gone further to build a 100-bed space for the rehabilitation of our mental health patients. Not like the one we had before, but a standard one,” Fubara said.
He said circumstances such as unemployment and depression often drive people into addiction and that the facility would help address the challenges of the time.
“Circumstances drive most of our people into it. Unemployment, maybe other psychological issues. You might be depressed, and you believe that when you take alcohol, it gradually becomes part of your life. And that is what we call addiction,” he said.
