Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State, says, by
politicising insecurity, the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal
Government plunged the security troubled states into an unimaginable scale of
banditry that may not end soon.
The governor was speaking when he received the Board of
Editors of Independent Newspapers Limited, led by the company’s Managing
Director and Editor- in -chief, Steve Omanufeme, at Government House, Port
Harcourt, on Thursday.
Governor Wike said when Rivers experienced issues of
insecurity in 2015, he ran to the Federal Government but rather than offering
support, they dismissed it as politics out of hatred for the State and desire
to see the remain ungovernable.
“They didn’t send special forces to Rivers as they’re sending to other states now. They refused to support me because they didn’t want the State to be governable.
“Crime knows no boundary. It can be you tomorrow. If they
have brought out zeal to fight crime, with seriousness, and collaboration
irrespective of the party you belong to, a good result will be achieved.
He further added: “Banditry will never end since they’ve
politicised the issue of security. I told them don’t politicise issues of
security. They’re paying the price. Whatever you sow, you will reap. If you sow
peace you’ll reap peace, if you sow trouble, trouble will always be with you.”
The Rivers State Governor said it is difficult to fight
crime in situations when cultists are arrested, people go to Abuja to tell the
Inspector General of Police(IG) and the Chief of Army Staff that those arrested
are their boys just to secure their release and let them off the law.
Governor Wike commented on the denials trailing the
$1billion Dollar withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account and said it is
shameful that a government that is fighting corruption will condone such,
allowing both the money and the weapons to go missing, unaccounted for.
“Now, the National Security Adviser says the $1billion
Dollar they took from our Excess Crude Account without even paying us our 13
percent derivation is gone. They said they’ve not seen the weapons.
“But this one the National Security Adviser is saying that
they misquoted him. I tell you, nobody is misquoting anything. We are aware
that there was no weapon.
“Even the Chief of Army Staff said he didn’t collect money.
So where did the money go ? This is a government fighting corruption and the
press is not talking.”
Speaking further, Governor Wike berated the Nigeria press
for losing their strength of voice to speak truth to authority with vehemence
as they did during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“As regards this country, we are where we are because of you
(journalists). In 2014, you were bought over to pull down the government of
President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I had told the Trade Union Congress (TUC) the other day,
and asked then where are you that you see things in Nigeria getting worse;
insecurity, increase in price of everything and you say nothing.
“Now, you’ll not pull down Nigeria again because it is not a
minority man that is in power. Where is the voice of the people? Where is the
voice of the journalists? Have your mouth be sealed up, dumped and you can’t
talk again?
“Is it because you’ve seen power greater than you? When
Jonathan was in power, he respected fundamental human rights. He allowed
freedom of speech.
“Nobody would be arrested but now, you can’t talk because of
fear that you’ll be arrested. That’s the situation we found ourselves. So, when
I see journalists these days, I’m just shy. But you owe this country a lot.”
Governor Wike said if Nigeria was truly a country, the
former GOC of the 6 Division of the Nigeria Army in Port Harcourt would have
been dismissed because of his political involvement during the 2019 general
elections. According to him, even the former Chief of Army Staff was so exposed
when he lobbied the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and
attempted to rig the 2019 General Election.
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