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Tag: Governor of Rivers State

  • AAC governorship candidate’s allegations baseless, lacking merit – Wike

    The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the allegations leveled against him by the governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers, Biokpomabo Awara, are baseless and lacking in merit.

    Wike spoke on Monday through Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, who doubles as the Director of Information and Communications of the Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    He told Awara that governorship position is for mature people, tested and experienced persons and not for school boys with no record of public service.

    Rivers governor said: “I have seen and read a copy of the press conference and our conclusion is that the entire content is as worthless as the piece of paper bearing the speech and it would be worthless to offer him (Awara) a response.

    “However, allegations of wrongdoing against Governor Wike and the PDP in the press conference are false, baseless and lacking in merit.”

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers state, Mr. Obo Effanga, also denied the allegation by the governorship candidate of AAC that Wike bought a house for him in Maitama, Abuja to support the governor’s re-election.

    Effanga said through the telephone last night: “It is laughable. I do not know anything about it.”

    Awara also alleged that Wike induced the Rivers Administrative Secretary of INEC, Elder Etim John, with N300 million, to deploy ad hoc staff that would support PDP during the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections, but John’s mobile line was not available as at press time, for his reaction.

  • Union Bank hosts customers, stakeholders in Port Harcourt

    Union Bank hosts customers, stakeholders in Port Harcourt

    Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, at the weekend, hosted its customers and other stakeholders in Rivers State to a classy dinner at the Novotel Hotel, Stadium Road, Port Harcourt. The event was part of activities lined up to celebrate its centenary anniversary this year.

    The dinner which was witnessed by government dignitaries and customers of the bank saw speakers spotlighting Union Bank’s commitment to the development of its customers and Nigeria over the past 100 years.

    Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer, Union Bank, Emeka Emuwa appreciated the bank’s loyal customers and reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to providing a simpler and smarter banking experience for them.

    “We are proud of our relationship with our customers as this is very important to us. As a bank, we have been able to achieve this height because we have customers who didn’t stop believing in our services, and because of them we promise to do more,” Emuwa said.

    “We believe the best way to celebrate this milestone is with our customers, and over this year we have a number of activities outlined across the country to celebrate them including this celebration in Port Harcourt. While here we are also launching three upgraded branches to ensure our customers enjoy improved service delivery,” he concluded.

    Emeka Woke, the Chief of Staff of the Government House, commended the Bank on the celebration of its centenary anniversary and for its commitment to its customers and the people of Rivers State. Woke who represented the Governor of Rivers State, H.E Governor Nyesom Wike, emphasized that Union Bank has played a fundamental role in the development of the Nigerian banking system.

    According to him: “Union Bank has been in existence for a century helping Nigerians and has contributed immensely to the development of the economy and the country in general. A lot of us have been customers for many years and enjoyed their services. The people of Rivers State have also directly benefited from the financial institution through job creation and other initiatives in the state. We celebrate them and congratulate them on the good work they are doing.”

    One of the highlights of the event was a grand performance by Port Harcourt’s finest artiste, Duncan Mighty, who thrilled the audience with his music. The evening ended with several testimonials from satisfied customers.

     

  • Ex-Rivers commissioners, LG chairmen defend Amaechi’s wife on Wike’s corruption allegation

    Ex-Rivers commissioners, LG chairmen defend Amaechi’s wife on Wike’s corruption allegation

    All the commissioners and local government chairmen that served when the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, was the Governor of Rivers State, have declared that his wife, Dame Judith, never asked them for money.

    The former commissioners spoke Thursday in Port Harcourt, through Fred Mbombo-Igwe, ex-Rivers Commissioner of Sports, while a former Chairman of Asari-Toru LG Council, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, spoke on behalf of the council chairmen.

    Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, had earlier said: “When I was Chief of Staff to Amaechi (between 2007 and 2011), all LGA Chairmen and Commissioners were paying N3 million and N2 million respectively to Amaechi’s wife monthly.”

    The transportation minister, in his response, however, described Wike as a liar, who should not be taken seriously.

    Amaechi said: “By accident of Goodluck Jonathan, I do not want to attribute it to God, but by the accident of Jonathan, the man (Wike) takes office and talks rubbish. My wife and family, including my younger brothers and sisters, no one had access to government when I was governor (of Rivers State). Even as minister, nobody will have such, because it is not a family business. It is government business. My wife will never do such. We do not do family business. I care about transparency. My wife is a trader. She buys and sells and Wike knows that.

    “If he (Wike) does not shut up his mouth and do his work, I will bring his wife (Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, appointed by Amaechi as a Judge of Rivers State Judiciary, when he was governor) to the focus. I have been very mature not to talk about his (Wike’s) wife. Do you believe Nyesom Wike is well? He (Wike) does not know how to speak English. He is poorly dressed. He is a thug.”

    The former Rivers commissioners and LG chairmen noted that the state’s governor, since his assumption of office, had a major agendum to tarnish the sterling reputation of the transportation minister, his erstwhile benefactor.

    The ex-office holders in Rivers said: “He (Wike) is bereft of ideas and unprepared for the task of governing a heterogeneous state like Rivers.

    “Wike, while serving as the Chief of Staff to Governor Amaechi, interfaced regularly with council chairmen. With this rare privilege, his avarice and his corrupt tendencies, he elected to commit a lot of fraudulent and sharp practices, including massive looting and various degree of financial extortion on the council chairmen and commissioners, who felt hapless due to his perceived closeness to the governor, as the chief of staff.

    “On many occasions, Wike, hiding under the subterfuge of his office as intermediary between the then Rivers governor and other elected or appointed public officials, made financial demands and extorted money from council chairmen, including armtwisting them to award contracts to him.

    “It is on record that many LGA projects then, including the new secretariat of Port Harcourt City Council and Etche Council, were done by Wike. Council chairmen and state officials were forced to contribute many millions of naira to Wike, under the pretext of fighting his legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), when he was arrested and tried for corruption. For the most flimsy excuses, Wike, as Chief of Staff, placed hefty levies on council chairmen. Failure to pay was usually met with stiff sanctions.

    “Wike is indeed morally bankrupt and cannot point accusing fingers at the wife of former governor Amaechi. In fact the then Chief of Staff to Rt. Hon. Amaechi gave stern directives to council chairmen never to support the activities of the wife of the governor.”

    Amaechi’s allies also stated that no commissioner or council chairman, either individually or as a group, was told, coerced, intimidated or persuaded to pay any money to the wife of the former Rivers governor, maintaining that no money was given to Dame Judith.

    They said: “Wike lacks moral rectitude. He is bereft of ideas and has no respect for his wife. Hence his shameful attempt to drag the name and reputation of the wife of his former boss into disrepute.

    “Wike is too economical with the truth and he is in fact a pathological liar, who should be ignored. His allegation is baseless, untrue and a figment of his warped imagination.”

    The former commissioners and LG chairmen who served in Amaechi’s administration also warned the Rivers governor against the “disgraceful and disgusting mischief” against the wife of the ex-governor, asking him to immediately tender an unreserved apology to Dame Judith or be ready to face the consequences.

     

  • Wike sacks his SSA on Protocol

    Wike sacks his SSA on Protocol

    The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has sacked his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Protocol, Sir Joe Akpa.

    Wike, through his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, Friday in Port Harcourt, wished Akpa well in his future endeavours.

    No reason was given for the sack of the top aide by Wike, a lawyer and former Minister of State for Education, but investigation revealed that Akpa was suddenly relieved of his appointment in view of a minor breach of protocol.

    It was also gathered that the Rivers governor, who is a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), capitalised on the breach of protocol to remove the SSA, mainly for fraternising with some leaders of the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, ahead of the December 10 legislative rerun by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Elections in the Niger Delta state had been a battle between the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers governor, backed by APC’s governorship candidate in the state, during last year’s election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who is also the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Wike, ex-Chief of Staff to Amaechi and Director-General of Amaechi Re-election Campaign Organisation in 2011, before the former governor recommended him (Wike) to former President Goodluck Jonathan for ministerial appointment.

  • Wike berates Police for being partisan

    Wike berates Police for being partisan

    • Calls on NBA to serve as the conscience of the nation

    The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has berated the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) for being partisan and taking sides in an internal party squabble by deciding to execute an interim injunction on the PDP National Convention when there was a judgment directing the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to provide security for the August 17, PDP National Convention.

    The Governor made this known at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference on Sunday Night, observing that there was no reason for the police to have resolved to execute the interim order of Justice Okon Abang in a suit where it was not a party, neither was it served with the order delivered late in the evening of Tuesday, 16th August, 2016.

    He described the action of the police as scandalous and undemocratic, saying that there is no explanation for what they did to the PDP because they were allegedly obeying orders from above.

    In a statement signed by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, the governor said:  “The Honorable Justice Okon Abang sat until about 1700 hours, took a short break, and delivered his controversial judgment at about 1800 hours. At which time the Convention venue had already been sealed by a large contingent of security personnel personally led by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police (CP) and the State Director of the Department of State Security (SDDSS).  The question is: when was the enrolled order prepared, vetted, signed, served and or transmitted to the Police in Port Harcourt for enforcement in a matter in which they were never sued or joined as parties?

    “And because a PDP convention must be prevented from holding, the lives and property of Rivers people became inconsequential in the reckoning of the CP and the SDDSS.

    “That was why in their desperation to enforce an insidious “order from above” they threw caution to the wind, and against every sense of rationality, mobilized the entire fleet of Armored Personnel Carriers and other operational vehicles from other parts of the State to the Port Harcourt Civic Centre just to prevent a harmless party meeting from holding, and in the process left an entire State literally exposed and vulnerable to the mercy of criminals. For us, there is nothing surprising about the treacherous actions of the CP, the SDDSS and their collaborators.”

    Governor Wike said that as far as Rivers State is concerned, the Federal authorities only consider partisan interests when issues of security are on the table. He said that as such, Federal Security Agencies regularly transfer senior security officers with partisan consideration in mind.

    According to Governor Wike, “in Rivers State, politics and partisan considerations now determine the posting of senior security officers to the State. In particular, having signed-in onto the unholy conspiracy to undermine our administration, the Security High Command in Abuja prefers to make deployments that are intended to shore up the political fortunes of a degraded political opposition at the expense of providing effective security cover to the State and its people.”

  • Wike launches urban water sector reform in Rivers

    Wike launches urban water sector reform in Rivers

    The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has launched the state’s urban water sector reform, the Port Harcourt water supply scheme and the sanitation  project.

    Performing the  launch in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike said the project would create women entrepreneurs, youth employment and provide safe drinking water for the inhabitants of the state.

    The Rivers governor, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Onimim Jacks, stated that the project was key to the development of the state.

    Wike said: “The project is in line with our promises to the people of the state, as clearly spelt put in our blueprint, that we shall provide safe drinking water for the inhabitants of the state.”

    The Rivers governor also stated that within the first 100 days of his administration, the potable water scheme was launched in Abonnema, the headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state.

    He laudded the Federal Government for selecting Rivers as one of the pilot states for the scheme, noting that the state government would pay its counterpart funds as and when due.

    Wike maintained that his administration would always collaborate with the Federal Government in areas that would benefit the populace.

    The Rivers Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Chief Ibibia Walter, earlier in his remarks, pointed out that the project was part of a wide sector institutional reform embarked upon by the state government, as coordinated by the National Urban Sector Water Reform Office of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    Walter revealed that funding for the project would be sourced from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB), stressing that the ADB would contribute $200 million, World Bank to provide $80 million Dollars, while Rivers government would provide $48 million as counterpart fund.

    The Port Harcourt water supply and sanitation project is targeted at addressing the poor water infrastructure in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor LGAs, as well as addressing the sanitation challenge in the two urban areas.