He spoke at a second term inauguration banquet at the Government
House Port Harcourt on Wednesday. In attendance at the inauguration
banquet were prominent Rivers Leaders, Traditional Rulers, National and
State Assembly
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the State is
safe for productive economic activities for the empowerment of the
people.
He described as unfortunate failed attempt by the Former
Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to de-market the
State on NTA Tuesday live, where the Former Rivers State Governor
claimed that the Buhari administration could not extend railway to
Rivers due to alleged insecurity.
He spoke at a second term
inauguration banquet at the Government House Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
In attendance at the inauguration banquet were prominent Rivers
Leaders, Traditional Rulers, National and State Assembly Members and
Local Government Chairmen.
He said: “Amaechi claimed on NTA Tuesday
live that he did not bring the railway to Rivers State because of
insecurity, what about Kaduna and Daura with very high level of
insecurity, yet they took railway there.“Just this week, the President
met with the governors of 19 northern states and they discussed how to
stem the tide of insecurity in the region. Yet they were not denied
projects.
“For how long will Amaechi continue to de-market Rivers State. Was it
insecurity that made him not to give the President 25percent during the
last elections? You claim Rivers State is insecure, but you came to the
state to hold your birthday. Every Rivers indigene owes it a duty to
protect the state”. He said contrary to the false propaganda about
insecurity, Rivers State has continued to grow her internally generated
Revenue since 2015.
“When I came on board as Governor in 2015, we met
an Internally Generated Revenue of N4.5billion. But now, it has grown
to N8-9billion . If the state is not safe, our Internally Generated
Revenue will not be on the increase.
“Let nobody de-market Rivers
State. This ugly politics will not work. We have not benefited anything
from the APC Federal Government since 2015. They are refunding money for
Federal projects, but they delisted Rivers State. But I will not bow to
anyone, I will only continue to respect constituted authority “, he
said.
Governor Wike announced that competence and loyalty would drive
the setting up of his second term cabinet. He said only persons with
100 percent loyalty will make the list.
The Governor assured that he will pay more attention to the masses through empowerment programmes.
Former
Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili said Governor Wike has surpassed
all Former Governors in terms of performance in the last four years.
He called on the governor to use his second term to promote the unity of Rivers people for the development of the State.
“Every
inch of the journey from now on must be devoted to thanking God
ceaselessly for what he did for our State. You have done so much, but
there is still work to be done”, he said.