Barikui Felix
The suspended Commissioner for Health in Rivers State, Dr Adaeze Oreh, has denied any involvement in the disruption of the Renewed Hope Initiative Empowerment (RHIE) programme held on Friday in Port Harcourt.
The programme, which is a project of the First Lady, Mrs Remi Tinubu, was disrupted on Friday by some Rivers women who protested that the wife of the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Mrs Theresa Ibas, should not address them as the First Lady of the state.
The women had insisted that Mrs Tinubu or Mrs Valerie Fubara, wife of suspended governor Siminalayi Fubara, address them.
However, there have been allegations in some quarters linking disruption of the programme to Dr Oreh.
But in a statement she personally signed, Dr Oreh said she described the allegations as unfounded and an imagination of conflict entrepreneurs.
She insisted that she has never sponsored or taken part in activity aimed at embarrassing President Bola Tinubu or the emergency administration in the state.
“I have neither sponsored nor will sponsor any activities aimed at embarrassing or disrupting the activities of the administration appointed by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to oversee the affairs of Rivers State following his declaration of a state of emergency on Tuesday 18th March 2025, and have rather spent the time of my suspension from office focused on other endeavours and my doctoral studies,” she stated.
Dr Oreh reaffirmed her commitment to working for the progress of the state, urging all stakeholders to promote a culture of truth, integrity, and respect in public discourse especially with respect to the current crisis rocking the state.
“Unsubstantiated wild claims undermine trust and hinder constructive engagement, and this is not what the state needs at this difficult and delicate time. I urge everyone to focus on issues that unite us and foster a positive, solution-driven dialogue for the betterment of our state, and urge everyone to work together to build a brighter future for Rivers State, grounded in truth, transparency, and collective effort,” she added.
