Wike Lashes South-South Governors; Says ‘We Are Not On Same Level”; Calls Them Small People

By Charles Igbo

Nyesom Wike, Rivers State Governor, has lashed out at his brother-Governors in the South-South. He asked them to go and work and, challenged them to, like him,   commission projects everyday for three weeks.

He said instead of doing that, they are using pseudonyms to attack him for publicly thanking President Muhammadu Buhari over the 13 per cent oil derivation arrears paid all of them.

Wike also reminded them that they were not on the same level with him, and dismissed them as ” small”

Trouble began when Wike, at the commissioning of one of his many projects, revealed that it was from the oil derivation fund arrears approved by the  President and paid them that he used to fund the projects. That public acknowledgement put other Governors on the spot as none of them had ever declared the arrears had been paid, and how much each of their States got.

Wike, in acknowledging the arrears thanked President Buhari profusely.

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, at the inauguration of a road  to Rumuogodo Communities in Emohua Local Government Area, said to be the first road ever constructed to lead to the area,  Wike said some of his critics have spent four years just to execute one project.

He said he would never spend four years on one project, revealing that the longest he had spent was 18 months.

Wike said instead of his colleagues to join him in thanking the President, they were using pseudonyms to place adverts in newspapers to attack him. He called them cowards, and dared them to show their faces. “I am waiting for you”, he declared.

Explaining the genesis of the problem, Wike asked: “What is my crime today in the Niger Delta States? I said God, I thank President Buhari for giving me money to do this road. Did I commit any offence? I don’t know the offence that I committed for saying thank you.

“Let me tell those who are making noise. Whether you are a Governor, I don’t care. Whoever you are, I don’t care. I came to run as  Governor of Rivers State. No Governor said I want to put you as Governor. I came on my own. We defeated the sitting Governor. Some Governors were brought by their godfathers. I never had a godfather to bring me as a Governor. The only godfathers I had were God and the people of Rivers State.

“So, when some Governors are talking, they should know those they are talking with. We are not on the same level. Let these small people keep quiet. If you are not prepared for governance  give up. I am prepared for governance. I will prepare until I leave.

“I am not a fan of Buhari. I am not one of those who go to Abuja to see them. But the truth must be told. When somebody had done well in an aspect, you say so. No matter how you hate me, won’t you give me credit that I did Rumuogodo road?

“Even if you don’t like Buhari, and I say he released money  that I am using to do something, is there anything wrong in that? Some people are not grateful in life, even when you help them, they can never be grateful.

“People open their mouths, and say three kilometer road in their State is more than how many flyovers in Rivers.

“Rivers is a Niger Delta State. It has riverine and land areas. I don’t know who can claim they are more riverine than Rivers State. I didn’t tell you to give account. All I said is thank Buhari. What I expected them to do is to join me and  thank Buhari. Now, they are saying we received this and that. What’s my business? If you say you have more water, do the ones you don’t have water let us see.

“I have never done any project more than a year and half. I challenge anybody. I can tell you the contractors doing jobs in this State. Name the ones doing jobs in your State. Do your own, not to do one project for four years. I will never do any project for four years.

“People have been sending their people to insult me and I laugh. Some people, they call them Akwa Ibom professionals. They were insulting me. I say tell the man who sent you to come out. We are not kids. I am waiting for you. Some people say Ijaw professionals. You are sending them out. It is you I am looking for, not all these fries.

“That we are doing 12 flyovers, did I ask you not to do? I am not only doing roads. Go and see what we have done in the health sector. See what we are doing in Yenegoa Law school. We put over five billion Naira  to recover that school in the South-south. When they gave us a licence, we built our own Law School Campus within ten months.

“I challenge any State to commission projects in three weeks everyday. So, what are you talking about? I am not running an election. I  don’t need to be a sycophant. But the truth must be told, at times. I have the capacity and I have told them to be careful.

“I have never gone to a meeting with anybody in life and we agree on something and I abandon it. I am not a betrayer. It is not in my blood. Tell them to face their problems. We started inauguration(of projects) on November 14. We will end tomorrow. By Monday, we will start flagging off new projects. I will pepper them. The politics today is not to talk, but operation show your report card.”

“You know why we are commissioning these projects. You remember on May 27, 2015, our brother, who was a Governor, on his birthday, while he was leaving office told us that there was no way we would get money to pay pensioners and gratuities not to talk of doing projects

“We said, God, you must show that you are God. God in his infinite  mercy showed the love he has for this State. He did not only provide money just to pay salaries,pensioners and their gratuities, He has provided money to do this road.

“God gave him all the money, yet, he refused to do this road. He thinks that Rumuogodo people will still be backward. God said no, the time has come for our people.”

He disclosed that he is commissioning the projects to shame his predecessor in office.

Wike’s predecessor is Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the immediate past Minister for Transportation.