Nollywood actress and filmmaker Hilda Dokubo has weighed on the ongoing crisis in Rivers State, Nigeria.
Speaking on Wednesday on News Central TV’s programme Jasiri, she dismissed the idea that the ongoing situation was solely about Governor Siminalayi Fubara. She recalled similar crises before 2003, where many, including small-time criminals, were labelled militants, leading to economic decline and the exodus of businesses from Rivers State. She claimed this pattern repeated under past governors, driven by political ambitions.
According to Dokubo, Fubara’s administration marked a shift as riverine communities saw development, civil servants received regular salaries, and the state experienced two peaceful Christmas seasons.
However, she alleged that recent events, including a deadly incident in Amadiama and a disrupted meeting in Abalama, were part of a larger scheme.
She pointed to a minister’s statement about pipeline sabotage, noting that no such incidents had occurred in two years, and suggested that the current crisis followed a familiar, scripted pattern.
“And Fubara came and suddenly we all realized that the riverine communities were not so bad for development any longer because people, places were getting disconnected by road.
“We realized that you can actually pay civil servants their money and then that you can even give them a 13-month salary for two years running. I’ve been in Port Harcourt. I probably just travelled, went on holiday and came back, but I’ve been here. For the first time, we had Christmas, two Christmases, no gunshots, nothing. The whole place was at peace.”
The Nollywood actress suggested that hidden motives might be influencing the ongoing crisis in Rivers State. She questioned the deputy governor’s involvement and raised concerns about the legality of Fubara’s suspension.
“So why are you tagging the governor and the deputy? What has the deputy done wrong in all of this? So there’s a plot, there’s somebody’s dream that must come true because perhaps he thinks he’s bigger than the rest of the world.
“So what has the president been listening to? Who has he been talking to? Because it looks as if, you know, everything is wrong with Fubara, but nothing is wrong with his minister. Before Daddy EK clerk died, he called him, and said, call your minister to order. He was governor when he was fighting Chibuike Rotimi and Rivers people stood by him.”
Watch the full clip below.
