‘Go and do what is right’ – Gov Fubara tells new surveyor-general, a tested hand

Peter Ogolo, a new surveyor-general, has been sworn in, and Gov Sim Fubara has urged him to go straight into office and do what he deems right.

The governor poured encomiums on Ogolo, saying his appointment was not for coming from same Opobo but for being a tested man, the most senior and the most qualified.

Fubara said the appointment carries some history, hinting that Ogolo had been the one who interviewed the man who eventually became his boss.

The governor, who is a seasoned civil servant (Accountant-General of the state before he became governor), disclosed that Ogolo’s imprimatur (signature) is found on almost every important survey document of the state including the N800Bn Greater Port Harcourt City.

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Gov Fubara thus urged the Surveyor-General of the State to work differently with professionalism, diligence, and integrity, and ensure that every tenable and pragmatic module is deployed to enhance effective delivery of his duties and responsibilities.

Gov Fubara gave the charge shortly after swearing in Ogolo as the Rivers State Surveyor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Survey Department at Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

The governor described Ogolo as a long-serving public officer who ranks high among his peers, and has contributed immensely to the establishment of most development roadmaps for the State, stressing that his appointment was based purely on merit.

He said, “If you go into the history of how the then Greater Port Harcourt Development Authority was established, if you go into the history of other developments in this State, if you check the survey plans, you will see that Ogolo was the one who signed virtually all those things.

“This appointment is not because he is from Opobo. He is the most senior, most qualified, and even the one who interviewed the person he is succeeding now. The records are there with the Civil Service Commission.”

Gov Fubara stated: “So, I don’t need to give you any charge. You are already there. You know what the office entails. You just read your oath of office: do what is right. It is not about the faces you are going to see, do what is right. Be professional, defend and protect the interest of the State. I wish you all the best. God will guide you.”

Gov Fubara recalled the challenges that Ogolo encountered that would have ended his career quite early but quickly added that because he listened to wise counsel, he is now celebrating being the Surveyor-General of the State.

He explained, “But something happened in the course of his service. He was between losing his job or fighting for his life. He came to me, and I advised him: why don’t you leave, maybe, wait to fight another day.

“And that is why today he is alive to be the Surveyor-General. If he had stood to fight, that he is the most senior, that he is the most qualified, he wouldn’t have been here today,” he stated.

He advised the new Surveyor-General to serve the State selflessly and honestly, with abiding integrity, so that posterity will remember his legacies forever.