Security, Economy Have Collapsed under Your Watch, Wike Taunts APC Governors

Security, Economy Have Collapsed under Your Watch, Wike Taunts APC Governors

By Davidson Iriekpen

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has asked governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to own up to the failure of its party in the country.

Wike said security and economy have collapsed under the watch of members of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF).

A statement signed by Wike’s Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the governor spoke yesterday when he led his Oyo counterpart, Oluseyi Makinde to open the Woji and Obagi roads in GRA Phase 2, Obio Akpor Local Government Area.

Wike said it was ironic for the APC governors to keep admitting worsening insecurity across the country without accepting the failure of their party.

He stressed that the APC federal government promised to offer better governance that would ensure safety of life and property of all Nigerians.

But the governor said virtually everything had collapsed in the country, adding that in a true democratic setting, nobody would be a proud member of the APC.

He said: “I hear the Progressives Governors Forum saying that there is insecurity. Who is responsible? They should come out openly and say that the party in power has failed. Nigerians gave mandate to APC at the Federal Government level and therefore, they must own up that they have failed Nigerians.

“Everything has collapsed in the country. Security has collapsed. Economy has collapsed. There is nothing working in the country. Today, all over Nigeria, there is insecurity everywhere.

“The other day, in Katsina State, they took about 400. The next day, they said they took 84. Now again they said they’ve taken a village head, the wife and 14 people in Katsina State.

“When there was problem in this State (Rivers), about the level of kidnapping, I shouted but nobody listened to us. They said it was politics and that we were killing APC people. I said when you introduce politics to security the consequences will be great.

“Now, it is everywhere. Until they come to apologise to Rivers State that they are sorry for what they have done to us, then God will forgive all of them.”

The governor said he had not disappointed Rivers people, who gave him their mandate to improve the quality of living, infrastructure and guarantee
the security of life and
property.

He said he was not tired serving the state boasting that after his tenure he would walk on streets confidently without the protection of personal security guards.

He said: “We are proud because we can come out and say to the people of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Governments this is what PDP has done for you by the projects carried out in these two local governments.”

According to him, “Also, we can go to other local governments and say look, vote for us. If they ask us why do you say we should vote for you, we will show proofs. Very soon, we go to them and we will be able to tell them, yes, this is what we have done, therefore having done this, if you vote for us again there is the likelihood we will do more.”

Wike enjoined owners of business places and other investors in the state to continue to pay their taxes to enable government provide more quality projects.

On his part, Makinde said with the evidence of Wike’s performance, it would be difficult to convince Rivers people to abandon PDP for another party.

He said: “Indeed, all right-minded people like to identify with progress irrespective of their personal feeling towards the initiator. Development is a big part of our democracy and every project counts towards the overall progress of the nation.

“We are blessed to be leaders at this point of Nigeria’s History where there seems to be reawakening of political consciousness especially among the young people.

“True, we have unique privilege of grooming a new crop of people who will see governance as service. We have remained too long in where people see public coffers as an extension of their personal accounts.

“At the next circle of election in 2023, Nigerians will show that they have learnt something from the event of this year, 2020 and that electoral decisions have consequences.”

On his part, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Elloka Tasie-Amadi said the two roads; Woji Road and Obagi Road were reconstructed to be 12 meters wide with streetlight.

He said with the reconstruction, the geometric parameters of the roads had changed to offer shorter travel time, vehicle operating cost, less wear and tear on vehicles, and boost the economy.

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