Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has appealed to the new Oba of Ogbaland His Eminence, Nwachukwu Obuoha Nnam-Obi, III, to follow the footsteps of his predecessor and late father.
The governor, who spoke when the Ogba traditional council and stakeholders formally introduced their new monarch to him in Government House at the weekend recalled that the late Oba consulted with government regularly, carried his traditional office with dignity and was respected across the country.
Wike also asked him to be a man of peace, exude intelligence like his late father and ensure the peaceful coexistence of Ogba people.
He said: “I hope you will continue that way. Your business is the interest of your people and make sure that your communities are in peace.”
The governor directed the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaus Adangor and the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Soni Ejekwu to issue certificate of recognition and staff of office to the new Oba as a first-class traditional ruler.
Wike warned communities across the state to stop disrupting the operations of oil companies within their domains.
He said: “It is not when you go and blowup oil pipelines or gas pipelines that you get what you want to get. No community can do it alone.
Read Also: Wike and political asylum seekers in Edo
“There is nothing wrong with you liaising with government to make sure companies fulfil their promises and whatever is provided in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). You need government to give you support.
“Because if you recongnise the government, the first thing you will do is to let government know that these are your grievances against the companies operating in your domain.
“It shouldn’t be to just go and take the action and say government will come. I will not come. But you get the support if you don’t take the laws in your hands.”
Expressing the gratitude of the Ogba people, the Oba of Ogbaland, Nwachukwu Nnam- Obi III thanked Wike for the recognition he accorded his throne.
The Oba thanked Wike for the various developmental projects executed in Ogbaland and for thr restoration of peace particularly in Omoku.
He said: “We want to thank you for the peace we enjoy in our area. We will recall that a while ago it was turbulent, it was difficult for people to lie down and sleep. But today, peace has returned and the very essence of the place has returned. We are not unmindful of the effort you made, the architecture you put in place. Indeed, we don’t know how to say thank you properly.”