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Tag: Nyesom Wike

  • Wike to investors: our administration will not joke with tax

    Wike to investors: our administration will not joke with tax

    The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has advised investors to pay their taxes as and when due.

    Wike said the taxes paid are used for the development of the nation’s capital.

    The minister said he will in March, commission what has been described as “Africa’s biggest Waterpark”, in Abuja.

    This was made known on Wednesday, February 28, when a delegation of the Sunrise Estate Developers, and the Nadeem Group, paid a courtesy call to the minister’s office, and to present an official invite to the commissioning event, slated for March.

    In his address, Wike appreciated the developers for investing in Abuja, noting that the Sunrise Waterpark would serve the FCT’s commercial and economic needs, as well as provide employment for the youth.

    Read Also: Reps set to probe non-compliance to safety standards, failed digital switchover

    He further appealed to the Group to ensure the payment of their taxes, adding that the administration relied on the payment of taxes to carry out developmental projects, unlike other Ministries, Departments and Agencies that got allocations from the Federal Government.

    He said: “Let me sincerely thank you for what you are doing in Abuja, as your own contribution to the development of the city. It is very glaring to hear that you have built the biggest waterpark, like you said, the biggest in Africa, with the latest technology. That of course, will create a lot of commercial and economic activities that of course will generate employment.

    “Our own is to make sure that we produce a conducive environment for investors to come in. I am happy that the members of your team, and your subsidiary companies, have shown interest in other areas like construction. We have also seen that they are involved in most of the jobs that are going on in Abuja. If we see that they are committed and willing to do their best, we are also willing to partner with all those who want to put in their best.

    “So, we commend you for believing in Abuja, we commend you and we will make sure our relationship grows. But you must also make sure that you have paid your taxes. It is important because without the taxes being paid, we will not be able to construct roads, we will not be able to construct public buildings. So, when I praise you for investing, I will also encourage you to make sure you pay your taxes.”

    Speaking earlier, the head of the delegation, and Special Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer of Sunrise Estate Developers, George Tolofari, who stated that the purpose of the visit was to inform him of the commissioning of the Waterpark, congratulated Wike on his appointment as minister, adding that with the administration’s support, Abuja could become a federal capital city to be proud of.

    He said: “The major reason why we are here is because of the Waterpark we are showcasing. We know that you are an investor-friendly Minister, and we know that with your continued support, we will continue to bring our experience to bear so that at the end of the day, Abuja will indeed be that Federal Capital Territory that we are all going to be proud of, that will compete with other capitals worldwide.”

  • I will demolish any illegal building in FCT, Wike declares

    I will demolish any illegal building in FCT, Wike declares

    The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has vowed to restore the city’s master plan.

    Wike who was in high spirits on Monday, August 21, said President Bola Tinubu expects positive changes in FCT.

    He expressed displeasure over what he described as a high level of insecurity in the nation’s capital.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Tinubu swears in Wike, Keyamo, 43 others as ministers

    The minister who spoke during a press conference at the FCTA after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, said land allottees who have been given Certificates of Occupancy but failed to develop would also lose their lands to give way to those ready to build.

    He said: “If you know you have built where you are not supposed to build, it will go down. It will never be business as usual.”

  • PDP crisis deepens over Elumelu, 2023

    HIGH level consultations have been launched by some influential members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  to stop the crisis of confidence between the party hierarchy and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State from exploding.

    Six governors elected on the platform of the party on Friday night were in Port Harcourt to prevail on Wike to take it easy with the PDP leadership after he openly castigated the party for its inability to make his candidate, Kingsley Chinda, minority leader of the House of Representatives.

    Although Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Seyi Makinde (Oyo),Emeka Ihedioha (Imo),Samuel Ortom (Benue), Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) claimed that their mission to Wike was to congratulate him on his achievements in the state, The Nation can confirm that the trip was to  beg him sheath his sword  and allow for the resolution of the ongoing war of words.

    Wike is regarded as one of the largest financiers of the party which has made it give him a lot of privileges  including nominating the party’s national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, hosting the 2018 national convention of the PDP and nominating Chinda as the PDP ‘s official candidate  for the minority leadership until Ndidi Elumelu emerged on the scene and claimed the title.

    Besides, the Rivers governor dared the party and congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari after the Presidential Election petitions Tribunal upheld his victory in the February election.

    The Nation gathered that no fewer than six peace meetings have been held since the outbreak of hostilities between him and some party leaders over his congratulatory message to Buhari and for saying that some PDP governors sneak into Aso Rock Villa at night to pay homage to the president.

    Sources said the Friday mission of the governors was not particularly successful.

    Wike, it was gathered, insisted that the PDP leadership must correct some perceived errors for him to be on the same page with them.

    A source said: “The Rivers state governor is not hiding his anger against some of the actions of the party. He believes that for the PDP to return to its winning ways, its leadership must shun hypocrisy and indiscipline. He is insisting that for him to be happy with the party, some errors he feels can injure the chances of the party in future, should be corrected promptly.”

    One of his demands is that the emergence of Ndudi Elumelu as   Minority Leader of the House of Representatives should be revisited.

    A source said he wants Elumelu to vacate the minority leadership of the House of Reps for Chinda and thereafter be punished by the party.

    It was gathered that all efforts by the six governors to explain why the party opted to thread softly on the matter did not succeed.

    After a prolonged argument during which Wike  accused the PDP Governors’ Forum of playing along with the BoT to treat the issue with kid’s glove, a promise was made by the visiting governors to see how the matter could  be revisited in the interest of peace and unity within the opposition party.

    The source added: “Another issue Wike allegedly raised at the meeting had to do with the 2023 elections. He is not pleased that some PDP chieftains are making inflammatory statements as regards the issue of zoning of the presidential ticket.

    “He feels the party should caution its chieftains. It is not clear what his position is as regards the 2023 PDP presidential ticket but he is concerned that the party must not spoil its chances early in the day by closing its ears to dangerous remarks being made by some prominent members on a matter as sensitive as zoning.”

    The governors promised to look into all the issues raised by their angry colleague, but it was not immediately clear how they intend to get the party to meet his demands.

    Party sources said Governor Wike is determined to regain his prominence in the party which was eroded following the emergence of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as the 2019 presidential candidate of the party.

    Another source said: “His camp and that of Atiku have been engaged in a game of wits since the presidential primary election was won and lost.

    “He may not say so, but he feels it is the Atiku camp that engineered the emergence of Elumelu as Minority Leader against his choice.

    “He is also currently displeased with Secondus for allegedly giving the Atiku camp too much chance to make things happen within the party.

    “He sees the leadership of the BoT as an arm of the Atiku camp and will never support any suggestion or position that emanates from them. And it appears the Atiku camp too understand the situation and is wary of Wike too.”

    The Nation also gathered that relationship between Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state and Wike may have become frosty on account of the ongoing crisis within their party.

    Dickson is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

    Although there has been no direct exchange between them, party sources said  Dickson’s call on PDP governors’ during the week to reject calls on them to abandon Atiku in his quest to regain the presidential mandate at the courts, is a direct condemnation of Wike’s congratulatory message to Buhari.

    And sources within the Rivers state governor’s camp told The Nation that Dickson’s position didn’t come to Wike as a surprise.

    “When we were calling on the party to ensure that the directive of the party is respected by Elumelu and co, we didn’t hear a word from the Governors’ Forum leadership. Instead, he joined those applying cosmetics on the surface of the wound while allowing it to fester beneath. That is not the kind of Forum we respect in Rivers. Hypocrisy for whatever reason is not acceptable to us.

    Read Also: Wike urged to be humble in governance

    “It is a fact that some of our governors are courting the APC leaders, especially President Buhari. Governor Wike as a man of great discipline will not see such a thing and keep quiet.

    “This is why they are fighting him. He is a two term governor already and he is not interested in any federal appointment after office.

    “Those who think they cannot win re-election without Buhari’s support and those who want   patronage  from the federal government are the ones who should tell us whether they are still in the PDP or not. These are the real issues in PDP today. It is not Wike. It is not anything other than hypocrisy,” an ally of the governor said.

    The Nation gathered that efforts are being intensified  by some PDP governors and other concerned party leaders to reconcile Wike with those he is angry with as the first step towards ending the crisis in the party.

    “This new development is more about how our leaders see things. It appears Governor Wike is seeing some things others are not seeing and there is need for these to be clarified. Where mistakes have been made, we will correct such. It is when that has been done that we can have lasting reconciliation,” a source said.

    Meanwhile, some elders of the party are said to be poised to move against the revisit of the Minority Leadership issue by the PDP.

    A member of the BoT of the party who spoke with The Nation from his base in Abuja said  the opposition party cannot afford another distraction.

    He said: “somehow, what could have been a major crisis within the party resolved itself without much rancor. Elumelu is Minority leader and the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives is not in tumult. Why on earth should that be displeasing to anybody?

    “While they are shouting about the party being supreme, they forget that the interest of the party too must be supreme to all personal interests.

    “If it is one person’s interest that we remove Elumelu and put his person, we must not forget that such a move may not be in the interest of the party.

    “We all can see that what we have now is in the interest of the party because there is no crisis. If we make the change they want and it results in crisis, is that in the interest of the party? These are the serious considerations we all need to make as we seek to resolve the current crisis,” he warned.

     

  • My public greeting to Buhari better than night visits, says Wike

    RIVERS State Governor Nyesom Wike has said he congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal confirmed his victory because it is better to offer public congratulations than visit the President at night.

    The governor said unlike some governors of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who allegedly visited the President at night, he made his declaration public because it came from his heart.

    Wike spoke yesterday at the funeral service of Madam Blessing Awuse, the mother of Onha Sergent Chidi Awuse, at the St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Emohua.

    He said: “I am sure all of you are surprised that I congratulated President Buhari. Is it not good for me to congratulate him than to go to his house in the night?

    Read Also: Why I am yet to form my cabinet -Wike

    “So many PDP governors go to see him in his house in the night. I have never gone and I will not go.

    “We are the only state that the Federal Government refused to pay the money used to execute Federal projects because I don’t go to see him in the night. I won’t go. He is not my friend; he is not doing well. But he won in court, should I say that the court did wrong? No.

    “President Buhari, congratulations and carry Nigerians along. Unify the country; the country is too divided.

    “I am saying what is right. What I will do, I will do; what I will not do, I will not do.”

    Wike said politics is a game of interest, adding that Rivers indigenes in the All Progressives Congress (APC) were under obligation to attract Federal benefits to the state.

     

     

     

  • Demolition of reality

    NEWS of the demolition of a mosque by the Rivers State government is different from reality, according to Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who visited the site to see things for himself.

    “With what I have seen here,” he told reporters on September 8, “I cannot see any evidence of any building that was demolished…From what I have seen here, I think it is a storm in a tea cup. There is nothing to warrant this kind of media hype that has been given to it.” He didn’t need to add that the media had been unprofessional in their reportage. That was implied.

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, a Muslim, had reacted reflexively to the reported demolition.  A press statement by his spokesman had said Ganduje would institute “legal action against this demolition of the Mosque as well contest it with appropriate authorities for redress.” The governor had taken a position on the matter without finding out what had happened.

    Alhaji Haroon Muhammed, the Imam of the said mosque, had claimed that, on August 20, officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning came to the site with policemen and pulled down the structure. “We want the whole world to help us beg the Governor of Rivers State to have a change of heart for us to have a place of worship, because the Trans-Amadi Central Mosque is the only mosque serving the whole of Trans-Amadi,” the Imam said in an emotional appeal.

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who was blamed for the demolition, had explained:  “They came here to erect illegal structure. There was no approval from the Rivers State government for any structure to be erected here. The people who began the foundation had already dragged the Rivers State government to court on the disputed land.  The Rivers State government won the case. What they attempted to do was to start the illegal construction, to tie the hands of the Rivers State government.”

    If government officials stopped work on the foundation of a planned building, is that the same thing as demolishing a building? Can a mosque that is yet to be constructed be demolished?

    This story, with all its negatives, started with misinformation. Those who had spread fake news on this issue, and those who unthinkingly believed the fake news, should hang their heads in shame.

  • Sorrow, tears on federal road in Rivers

    The Igbo-Etche–Eleme Road in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State, is in a terrible state crippling commercial and social activities. Commuters have appealed for urgent Federal Government’s intervention to fix the deplorable road, reports Shola O’Neil

     

    MOTORISTS and commuters who pass through the Igbo-Etche – Eleme Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State have appealed for urgent Federal Government’s intervention to fix the deplorable road.

    Residents and business owners in the area lamented to our reporter that the deplorable state of the road has crippled commercial and social activities in the area, as travellers now shun the route.

    Our reporter, who visited the road yesterday, learnt that the strategic road, which links dozens of towns in the state and nearby Imo State, has failed at more than one point.

    Angry residents and motorists decried the perceived non-chalant attitude of the federal and state governments towards the road, stressing that, “the road has been bad for months and there is no effort to repair it.”

    Motorists travelling on the busy Port Harcourt-Enugu expressway use the road to avoid the gnarling traffic occasioned by ongoing repair of the Obigbo axis of that road.

    “This road links Igbo-Etche to Eleme Junction and the East-West Road, but for months now the road has become a source of worry to motorists and passengers who use the road,” one of the aggrieved business owners in the area, who simply identified himself as Lawrence, told our reporter.

    Lawrence explained that a trip from Igbo-Etche to Eleme junction usually cost N100 – N150, but lamented that due to the failure of that portion of the road, it now costs between N200 – N300.

    “Before, from Igbo-Etche community to Eleme Junction was N100, but now from Igbo-Etche to here (bad spot) is N150, and from here to Eleme Junction is N100. We are suffering so much on this road, especially when it rains.”

    Car owners living in the communities around the bad spot now opt for a motorcycle as a means of commuting to and from their work and business places.

    “We are suffering; everybody living around here is suffering. Those who own business here can’t feed their families again, because people are avoiding this area. Any time it rains, if you see the holdup you will understand,” Mr Omoregie Henry said.

    Stressing that road users are not interested in the Federal or state government or APC/PDP politics, respondents said they merely want the government to fix the road urgently.

    “As it is now, very soon we would need canoes to cross the road because if they don’t fix it immediately, the road will get worse. Trucks are plying the road. The road leads to Ngor-Okpala (Imo State), exit to Port Harcourt-Owerri Expressways and other communities in Etche Local Government.”

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, slammed the Federal Government for the deplorable state of the road, stressing that the state was yet to get a refund for an earlier work done.

    Nwakaudu said: “The road in questions is a federal road. Only recently, it was reconstructed by the Rivers State Government.”

    “At present, the state government is working to get a refund of funds used in intervening in Federal Roads. While other states have received their refund, Rivers is the only state yet to receive the refund.”

    “Recall that on August 8, 2019 Rivers State Governor stated that Rivers is the only state of the Federation that the Federal Government has refused to refund monies used to execute Federal Projects.”

    Wike, speaking when Rivers State Traditional Rulers paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, regretted that politics have been placed above due process under the current dispensation.”

    “Of all the 36 states of the federation, it is only Rives State that they refused to refund resources used to execute Federal projects,” he said, adding that he would not join governors who sell their people to seek relevance.

    But opposition sources in Etche local government area claimed that a recent planned intervention by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to fix the road was rebuffed by the state government. This could not be independently confirmed.

     

    Significance of the road

    IGBO-ETCHE is one of the fast-growing communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. The area is connected to other parts of the state by the Igbo-Etche – Eleme Junction on the east, and Igbo-Etche-Igwuruta-Chokocho on the other end.

    The verve of this community owes mainly to its location as a nerve centre of Etche communities and Port Harcourt metropolis on the one hand, and from Eleme Junction to the major industrial and commercial hubs of Onne and other parts of Eleme.

    Over the past three years, vehicular traffic on the Igbo-Etche-Eleme Junction road has increased exponentially, because of the boom in property development, growing population and growth in commercial and social activities.

    The road is important for people who live, work or own businesses in Etche-Aba Road, Ebele 4 (Shell Location) and others, especially those who work in the Oyigbo (Obigbo) and environs. It is also an artery to communities, such as Chokocho, Eneka and Igwuruta in Rivers, to Ngor-Okpalla in Imo and Aba in Abia states.

    The Intels Logistics Company in Onne, Port Harcourt Refinery and Indorama-Eleme Petrochemical Company are major employers of labour. These companies also attract several services companies and their workforces. The members of staff of these companies are constantly in need of affordable accommodations. This class of Nigerians has over time found Igbo-Etche and environs very attractive.

    Property developers also find the area attractive because plots of land are relatively cheaper than other developed towns close to the Port Harcourt metropolis.

    The worsening state of the road is, therefore, a source of worry for these Nigerians, who now spend more money and waste longer hours to get to work every day and back home in every evening.

    Since the ongoing reconstruction of the Obigbo junction area of Port Harcourt-Aba-Enugu expressway, Igbo-Etche road has become very attractive for travellers who use it as a detour to avoid an equally very bad portion of the road around Oyigbo.

     

  • Mosque demolition: Shari’ah Council asks Wike to compensate Muslims

    FOLLOWING alleged demolition of a mosque by Rivers State Governor, Nyeson Wike, in Trans-Amadi area of Port Harcourt, the State capital, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has asked Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to compensate and rebuild the mosque his government demolished in Trans-Amadi area of Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    The council said doing this will allow peace to reign.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Kaduna, the council’s Secretary General Nafiu Baba-Ahmad said the compensation would douse likely religious and political tension across the country.

    Baba-Ahmad expressed disappointment about what he called “the complicit silence of Muslim leaders, Muslim representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives, Muslim governors – except Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the Federal Government – over the issue”.

    Read Also: Mosque Demolition: Call Wike To Order, Groups urges FG, Governors

    The council secretary also appealed to the executive and legislative arms of government to call Wike to order to avoid reprisals from “irresponsible quarters”.

    He also urged Muslims not to take the law into their hands over the governor’s action because “Islam is a religion of peace; it does not promote violence or disunity among the people”.

    Baba-Ahmad added: “While we condemn Governor Wike’s desperate wickedness, we also call on all relevant executive and legislative organs of the Federal Government to wake up to their responsibilities and nip this unnecessary and wholesome development (in the bud) before it escalates into an avoidable reciprocation, with obvious unpredictable negative consequences.

    “All that needs to be said on the issue relating to the purchase price, title to the land, building/planning approvals and court actions have been explained earlier in statements and conferences by other responsible Muslims and Islamic organisations.”

  • Mosque Demolition: Call Wike To Order, Groups urges FG, Governors

    Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has called on the Federal Government, northern governors and National Assembly members to call the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike to order over alleged demolition of mosque in the state.

    CNG in a press conference by its  spokesman, Abdulazeez Sulaiman, held in Kano on Sunday, described the demolition of the mosque and alleged declaration of Rivers State as a Christian state as a brazen disregard to the secular setup of the country by Wike.

    According to the group, the acts of the governor was a breach of the guaranteed freedom of every Nigerian to practice their faith unimpeded by any legislation or obstacle imposed by a state or community.

    CNG therefore called on the federal government, northern governor and federal lawmakers from the region to take immediate steps to reassert the rights of every Nigerian to practice the religion of his choice anywhere.

    The group also called on the federal government to draw the attention of Wike to the consequences of repudiating the nation’s secular arrangement.

    Read Also: Wike: NYSC contributes to rural development

    CNG, however condemned the act of Lagos State government by by arresting 123 men said to be from northern state of Jigawa.

    The group therefore noted that “We observed that northerners face all sorts of humiliation and rejection like the latest incident in Lagos, because they are forced to seek alternative opportunities by the bulk of opportunities meant for northerners in the North that have been inadvertently taken up by people from the South.

    “While northerners are denied the opportunity of employment to even the most menial of jobs in the South, all vacant positions available in the North as guaranteed by the local content clause of the federal character provision have been surrendered to southerners as a result of the negligence of the bankrupt elite that pose as northern political leaders,”

    CNG, therefore called on the federal government to show proof of its capacity to protect citizens in all parts of the North.

     

     

  • Shekarau slams Wike over mosque demolition in Rivers

    The Former Kano State Governor and Senator Representing Kano Central Senatorial District, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has slammed Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike for allegedly demolishing a mosque in Port Harcourt.

    He  described the action as barbaric and totally condemnable.

    Shekarau, said in a statement he personally signed on Friday that “all rationale and conscious citizens of this great country, Nigeria should join in condemning the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike for recklessly demolishing the Rainbow Town Central Mosque located at the Trans-Amadi Area of Port Harcourt and for irresponsibly declaring Rivers State a “Christian State,” and claiming to owe no apology to anyone.”

    He added: “Muslims and other right-thinking and peace-loving citizens of this country should come together to condemn, in strongest terms, this irresponsible, reckless, rabble-rousing Governor whose apparent aim is to ignite a religious conflagration, the kind of which has never been seen in recent times.

    “If a Muslim Governor were to come out openly and declare his state a “Muslim State” and proceed to demolish a church for any reason, all hell would have since broken loose in Nigeria, and sections of the Christian community would have since rushed to the “international community” and even the United Nations seeking protection against Muslims.”

    The former Minister went on: “The action of Governor Wike is a pointer to his being induced by other than rationale brain waves, as no leader in his right senses would contemplate stoking these embers of discord in a country so religiously, ethnically and regionally charged as Nigeria.”

    “We must repeat that were a Muslim Governor to be reckless to utter even half of what Governor Wike uttered, the fragile peace holding in this country would have since been jeopardized because of the intolerant nature of a section of the citizenry.

    “Yet here we are, with the added tragedy of a cohort Christian clergy lining up to bless and endorse Governor Wike’s action.”

    According to him: “Nigeria belongs to all, and no state in Nigeria could claim to be mono religious.

    “It only takes a responsible leadership to carry everybody along. When I held sway as governor of Kano State between 2003 and 2011, we encouraged and guided the people to lead their lives according to the tenets of Islamic Law (Shari’ah).

    Read Also: Rivers did not demolish any mosque, says Wike

    ”But we neither became power-drunk to demolish Churches nor disregarded the provisions of section 10 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to declare Kano an Islamic State.

    “Our fair dealings with every section of the community earned us commendation, even from Kano State Chapter and National Body of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at different occasions.”

    Shekarau further noted that, “these Christian leaders are a still alive today to attest to my claim.

    “It may interest Wike to learn that Mr. Tala Ilo from Bayelsa State and Mr. Chris Chibuzor Azuka from Anambra State, (both, born-again Christians) were special advisers in my administration.

    “Wike’s claim that Rivers is a Christian State is pathological lies. It suggests that not only are the people of Rivers State 100% Christians but Muslims and adherents of other religions from other parts of Nigeria cannot make Rivers State their home.

    ” It also insinuates that Rivers State operates a government, a constitution of its own, different from the Nigerian Nation.

    “It means Rivers State does not recognize or protect the interests of people like Alabo Mujahid Dokubo Asari, Alhaji Isa Boaima, Alhaji Sani Okiri, Alhaji Ahmed Sani Pe, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Pepple, Alhaji Sulaiman Akani, Alhaji Ibrahim Orlu, Alhaji Musa Brown, Chief Hassan Douglas and Alhaji Mustapha Wakama who are all Muslims and productive citizens of Rivers State.”

  • Wike pledges improved security for Ogoni communities

    RIVERS State Governor Nyesom Wike has assured residents of Ogoni communities that more security assistance would be extended to them to stem the rising insecurity in the communities.

    Ogoni communities of Khana and Gokana Local Government Areas of the state have been enmeshed in incessant violent attacks by hoodlums suspected to be cultists in the last one month.

    The hoodlums appearing to be taking on the communities in twos, penultimate week, were Taaba and Okwali of Khana LGA, where nine persons were reportedly killed and several other injured, as tens of houses were either touched or razed, including the house of a second class traditional ruler in the area.

    Earlier, two communities including Khana and Gokana were attacked with some casualties recorded. Sources said the attacks were cult-related, the latest reportedly took place last Thursday and Friday. Two communities of Kono-Boue and Kereken-Boue Towns in Khana LGA, with about five persons feared dead, and several houses destroyed and burnt by fire.

    Wike visited the communities yesterday in the company of service commanders for on-the-spot assessment of the level of damage and to condole with the families whose loved ones were killed in the attacks.

    Read Also: Wike felicitates with Muslims

    He assured the people of the communities that more security officials would be deployed to help curb the attacks and restore peace and sanity to the area.

    Wike said that security agencies have been mobilised  to go after the criminal cultists operating in Ogoni communities, and assured that they would be punished for the crime they committed when apprehended, and appealed for the cooperation of members of the communities in fishing out the culprits.

    He said that the State Security Council has adopted new strategies to build the security framework in communities troubled by cultists.

    He charged parents to monitor their children. He said communities must take measures to discourage youths from becoming cultists.

    Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Mr Lahteh Loolo, explained that cultists displaced some communities in the area. He commended the Rivers State governor for his sustained response which reduced the level of casualties suffered by the communities.  He said that with the new strategies introduced by the Rivers State governor, the security challenge facing the area would be resolved.

    The traditional ruler of Kono Boue, Chief Ezekiel Manson, expressed happiness with the intervention of the Rivers State governor. He said when the cultists attacked the community, the divisional police officer and his personnel responded positively.