2022: Wike Talks Tough; To Dethrone Traditional Rulers; Revokes Certificates of Occupancy

By Adesina Soyooye

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, started the New Year with a stern warning to some First Class Traditional Rulers in the State. Wike asked them to shape up or he would force them to ship out.

Mentioning the names of some of them, he threatened to dethrone them if they continue to absent themselves from State functions.

The Governor, also, spoke very tough, and took some tough decisions on a number of issues. For instance, he has revoked the Certificates of Occupancy of empty plots and uncompleted buildings in the Government Reserved Areas saying they had become a refuge for criminals. Wike, in the same breath accused cart pushers  in the area of criminality and  banned their operations. He, also, warned all those rebuilding what he called shanties which were pulled down to stop forthwith as a Taskforce which has just been set up will pull them down.

Wike revealed these tough decisions, including the ban on Night Clubs and “free women” around some areas in Port Harcourt city during his New Year broadcast to Rivers indigenes and residents on New Year’s eve.

Following are excerpts from Governor Wike’s broadcast.

On Criminal Activities

“There is no denying the fact that crime and criminality have been at very low rates in Rivers State and citizens felt safer and more secure in 2021 than the previous years.

“With the cooperation of the security agencies we identified and destroyed most of the shanties that hitherto served as safe havens and hideouts for criminals, who have now been dislodged and dislocated from the State having lost the space and capacity from which they could operate with ease.

“To consolidate on the gains of the dislodgement and dislocation exercises, and make the State even safer and more secure, we have decided to demolish all shanties and makeshift structures in identified crime hotspots in Port Harcourt Township and the Illabuchi areas of Diobu from the second week of January 2022.

“Those rebuilding the shanties we had demolished at Eleme, or attempting to resume illegal trading activities at the closed Oginigba slaughter, have one week to vacate or be arrested and charged to court.

Revokes Certificates of Occupancy

“Additionally, we have discovered that most vacant plots or uncompleted buildings in the Old and New Government Reservation Areas (GRA) and some other parts of Port Harcourt city and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas have been hijacked and are now inhabited by criminal elements who are daily constituting menace to public safety.

“We have, therefore, decided to end this danger by taking over all such abandoned plots and uncompleted buildings and re-allocate them to citizens who are ready to develop and put them into effective occupancy.

“In a similar vein, we have revoked the certificates of occupancy of several undeveloped plots of land in old GRA, Port Harcourt, for breaching the covenants attached thereto, which we would also re-allocate to interested members of the public for immediate development as part of the ongoing efforts to restore the entire old GRA to its pristine state of development, beauty and serenity.

“We will, also, not spare those contributing to the perennial flooding challenge in parts of Port Harcourt city and Obio/Akpor Local Government Area by blocking natural water and drainage channels with illegal landfilling, reclamation of wetlands or the construction of concrete structures.

“Consequently, we shall recover and restore all landfilled or reclaimed wetlands and demolish all structures erected on natural water channels spanning from the Eastern bypass areas up to Abana and Eleme streets in Old GRA, Port Harcourt.  Only those with genuine government permits and allocation papers will be duly compensated.

“However, the beauty of the city is being defaced by illegal and indiscriminate trading on our streets, under flyovers and other unauthorized open spaces as well as the challenges with the current largely inefficient refuse disposal system.

“I wish to, therefore, remind citizens that the ban on street trading and commuting on motor cycles in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas is still in force.

“Consequently, I hereby direct the task force on Illegal street trading to arrest and prosecute all those:

“(i) shuttling with their motorcycles and or hawking foreign exchange along Birabi street, Hotel Presidential, GRA junction by Zenith Bank up to Tombia street”

Cart Pushers

“Furthermore, we have decided to end the menace of cart-pushers who have become notorious for indiscriminate scavenging and littering of wastes on street corners and the medians of major roads and highways across the State.

“These cart pushers and their unknown collaborators are also responsible for the recurring stealing of manhole covers, an act which endangers peoples’ lives and public safety on our roads.

“Consequently, the State Government has placed an immediate ban on the activities of cart pushers and directs law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute anyone who attempts to violate this ban.

“In addition, a taskforce would be put in place to enforce this ban while we plead with the courts in the interest of public safety and security to impose the severest of punishment under the law on any convicted manhole vandal.

Trailers, Too

“The indiscriminate and prolonged packing of trailers and other articulated vehicles along our streets is another environmental menace we must tackle to bring sanity to our cities and living environment.

“Consequently, I hereby direct the Chairmen of Port Harcourt, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, and Oyigbo Local Government Councils to within three weeks from today impound and or remove any trailer, trucks or articulated vehicle that is packed on the streets beyond 48 hours in their respective administrative jurisdictions.

Environmental Degradation

“As we all know, achieving effective environmental sanitation in cities and urban centres is a global challenge, and ours is not an exception.

“As an initial step towards achieving this objective, we have placed an immediate ban on the disposal of refuse on the streets or open spaces in both the old and new GRAs of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas.

“Every household in both old and new GRAs must therefore procure and keep approved refuse disposal bins in the front of their houses to facilitate the door-to-door collection of the wastes they generate by designated contractors.

“We will not hesitate to revoke the certificate of occupancy of any house in these areas without a refuse disposal bin or whose occupants are caught disposing refuse on the streets or open.

To Dethrone Traditional Rulers

“Let me also remind all Government recognized Traditional Rulers that they are, at all times, subject to the authority and directives of the State Government and not to other allegiances, culture or otherwise.

“Therefore, the consistent absence of some First Class Ttraditional Rulers, especially the Amayanabo of Okrika, the Amayanabo of Ogu, the Amayanabo of Kalabari and the Gbenemene Nyo-Khana from participating in State functions is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated.

“Should they, therefore, continue to absent themselves from State functions or in the regular meetings and activities of the State Traditional Rulers Council, we would have no option than to direct their immediate replacement.”

Not a few people in Rivers State are waiting with bated breath to see what the next couple of weeks will be like in Rivers State, especially, the Governor’s threat to dethrone First Class Traditional Rulers.