The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Chief Festus Keyamo (SAN), has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) caught an elephant in the south-south following the decision of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to join the party.

Keyamo spoke in Rivers State while inaugurating the Igwuruta-Airport Road constructed by Fubara and flagging off the bypass to the Airport and Tollgate initiated by the governor.

Keyamo said, “I won’t conclude without warmly welcoming the latest catch in APC. We set a trap to catch a frog, but we caught an elephant in the person of Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

While welcoming the governor to the party, he described it as a big family and the largest in Africa. Keyamo said he was on the ground to witness the presentation of the APC membership card to the governor.

Keyamo hailed President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s strategic leadership that had made the APC attractive to the South-South.

He said, “As a true son of the South-south, may I say that we want to thank Mr President. I cannot leave here without thanking Mr President for all he has done for the people of Rivers State and the people of South-south.

“It has never been this good for the South-south. We started from zero in 2015, now we are six over six in the South-south for the ruling party. Traditionally, Rivers State has never been in opposition, so what we have from 2015 to this time was even an aberration.

“From time to time, Rivers State has always aligned with the centre for the progress and good of the people of Rivers State. I want to thank Mr President for the bold reforms he has made that have attracted many people to the ruling party.”

Keyamo said with the flag off and inauguration of roads, Governor Fubara had solved one of the biggest headaches in the aviation industry.

He said, “It has always been first our headache that the road leading to the Port Harcourt Airport once branch off the highway, that road has been in a deplorable condition and we had always wanted to give that road a facelift so that those who arrived Port Harcourt which is one of our oldest International Airports will have a good view of the city and a good impression when they are driving into the city.

“But it looks like Rivers State has more money than us. We have been pleading with the governor to help us pave the road. When we leave here, the world will see that you have done it for us. That is the first problem you solved for us.

“The second problem is our dear brothers and sisters from this community. I apologize most profusely for any perceived wrongs that we, as the Federal Airport Authority and the Aviation Ministry, have done to them.

“Any perceived neglect, we apologize. We know you are our host here, and we should pay more attention to you. We have done some, but we can always do more, and the governor has come to our rescue

“We take note of all the protests you have sent to us, and we have always asked ourselves what we can do more for this community. So when I cried to the governor, he responded with swiftness.

“The response of the governor and the passion he has for the people of this community is unmatched. I remembered the day they protested here last year, and I got a call from the governor. I called the MD, FAAN, and he said the community is protesting one thing or the other.

“As we were thinking of how to solve the problem, the governor, on his own, called the community and doused the tension for us. We thank you, sir, for that act of statemanship that you displayed. Before I knew it, he started providing some of the succour for this community on our behalf.

“Today, we thank God that we are received here with warmth by the community. We have been received with love and friendliness, and I assure you that we will reciprocate.”

Keyamo said the road, when completed, would open up a whole new corridor to the airport and to the community, adding that the gesture would lead to more commercial activities and buildings in the area.

In his remarks, Fubara said he was happy to receive the APC membership card, declaring himself the 001 of the party in the state.

He said, “I am not just a member of the All Progressive Congress, I am the number 1. I have collected my membership Card, and it is 001. From this moment, it is no longer an issue of to be or not, I am there with all my heart. What is the message?

“The message is clear. We are going to do everything to make sure that the 2027 election for Mr. President would be a smooth ride in Rivers State. It is with all of you here and your support that we can do it.

“The only way we can continue to tell Mr President thank you is to support him. So take note that as you are leaving here, we have started our work and we are not relenting. We will join forces with every group that is in support of the cause of Mr. President.

“I thank you again and the community and assure you that no matter what it is, we will continue to do what will uplift the face of Rivers State. We won’t join anything that will bring negative news to Rivers State. That should be the message to all of you, that is, my supporters. Continue with those things that will bring pride and honour to our dear State.”

Commenting on the projects, the governor said about a year ago, the community went on a protest and blocked the Airport entrance, adding that his government had been looking for a way to resolve the challenges.

Fubara desceibed the last year’s protest by the community as embarrassing, especially as it coincided with the period the state was undergoing political turbulence.

On how his government resolved the problems, he said: “You can imagine blocking the airport, the interpretation was the government was not doing anything. So we moved in and invited the community.

“They demanded employment, which wasn’t within our powers, but we promised to talk with the Aviation authorities. They also demanded healthcare, and I immediately directed that the Health Center in the community be activated, and today it is working. They also demanded electricity, and we also did that for the community.

‘On our return, we looked for a way to solve this problem. Business activities were shut down in Rivers State that day. It wasn’t a good thing. How would people coming to invest in Rivers State feel? At the slightest of provocation, my people will block the way to the airport. I said we need to look for a permanent solution to this problem

“So, what we are doing here today is to create a bypass through which the community can access their place without interfering with the airport. It is not even healthy to be passing through the airport to your communities. So we have resolved this issue for you today. This road will lead to your communities and bring development.”

Fubara said his government was happy that the community and the Minister of Aviation, including the airport authority, gave him the necessary support.

He said the road would bring a lot of development to this community, make life easy, and improve commercial activities as he thanked the people for supporting his government.

The governor emphasised on the need to assist President Tinubu in resolving federal issues in the states.

He said, “We can’t leave all those responsibilities in the hands of the Minister and Mr. President. It is a joint thing, so we took it upon ourselves to give a facelift to the driveways around the airport.

“I can proudly say that anyone who comes into Port Harcourt today feels that sense of seriousness and sees the beauty of the State, which reflects from its entrance. I am happy it wasn’t just conceived for personal purposes but for the good of Rivers State. That particular project within the airport, Igwuruta to the roundabout, is 12.2km, and happy to say that we delivered it.

“This particular one we are starting today is 7.1km. So you can imagine what we are doing within this axis, which is over 19.3km of road as our investment in the lives of the people of Ipo and Igwuruta communities.”

Promising that the project would be delivered within eight months, he said, “As soon as this road is completed and put to use, you no longer have any business with the old road. The old road will be tolled.

“There will be a toll-gate at the entrance of the old road to the Airport. I believe if you don’t have any serious business in the Airport, you won’t go there. If you are coming to the village, you use the bypass.