Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that all the efforts of his detractors to frustrate his achievements and first anniversary in office failed woefully.
The governor expressed gratitude.to God for the grace to pull through the troubling political crisis and steadied governance.
Fubara also thanked all Rivers people for their trust, support and various levels of contributions that strengthened the capacity of government to commit to the successes that had been recorded.
The governor spoke on Sunday at a Special Thanksgiving Service to mark his First Year in Office Anniversary, which held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Garrison Junction in Port Harcourt.
Fubara in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, said he was baffled to have survived everything and to be celebrating his first anniversary.
“I still don’t believe that this administration is truly marking one year in office,” he declared.
Fubara recalled that some few months ago, nobody had believed that it was going to be possible for him to come to church in gratitude to return thanks to God over how he was able to navigate through the troubled waters.
He said: “You won’t understand. I can tell you in good authority that even before we started this programme, there was every plan to frustrate us. But to the glory of God, we are all gathered here to say ‘God, thank you, that you have carried us and led us to this point’.
“Now, if we have God by our side, do we have any problem? I want to thank everyone of you that are here to support us.
“I want to thank you specially, on behalf of my family and the government, you have given us honour, and you have made us proud. Without you, there wouldn’t have been any record of success. So, I want to thank you.
“I want to also assure you that this trust you have reposed in us, we are not going to betray it. We might not have gotten it completely right but we believe that as we move on, it will get better and better. And it is only with your support.
“What the devil thought it was evil they were going to inflict on us, God turned it to blessing and good.
“I will not give this day to anybody, I will not talk about anybody, I will only say God Almighty thank you.”
Delivering the sermon at the service, Bishop of Diocese of Niger Delta North, Right Reverend Wisdom Ihunwo, preached on the importance of people having grateful hearts when coming to God for thanksgiving.
He said: “It is not by what we are doing. We have peace, and we didn’t work for it. What we are also seeing today in our country is because God is showing us mercy. But for the grace of God, this country would have been burning like fire.
“Look at what is going on, the economic situation in this country, the level of suffering and hunger. Sometimes, I wonder what Nigeria has done for God that He loves this nation so much.
“But we need to also work to make sure we are doing things that are right so that God will not be angry with us. And always attribute your successes to God because, on your own, there is nothing you can do.”