TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that many states are being used to fight Rivers for the illegal grabbing of the state’s oil wells.
While commissioning the dualised/reconstructed Birabi Street, Elegbam-Rumueme in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Governor Wike said the state has the capacity to resist any form of oil well annexation.
He said: “So many states are being used to fight Rivers State to collect our oil wells. We have the capacity to fight back. No state will take what belongs to Rivers State.
“Whether you are PDP or APC State, anybody who attempts to take what belongs to Rivers, Rivers State will fight back.
“This is not a question of party. It is the interest of the state that matters. My interest is Rivers State, not political party. If you are in PDP and you don’t love Rivers State, I will not love you. My love for you is based upon your love for Rivers State,” Wike stated.
He said that the state deserves the best, noting that his administration would continue to work for the growth of the state.
The governor assured that his administration would enhance the infrastructural base of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas, as a large percentage of Rivers people live in the state capital territory.
He thanked the people of Rumuadaolu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area for cooperating with the contractors to deliver the road.
Governor Wike praised former the state governor, Dr. Peter Odili, for grooming the present generation of political leaders in the state.
“Dr. Peter Odili is the person, who brought all of us up. No political leader can claim that he is what he is today without Odili.
“Odili laid the foundation. But, for him, Ikwerre man would not be governor of Rivers State. Ikwerre people owe him a lot. It was difficult in this state for any Ikwerre man to be governor. He took the risk for an Ikwerre man to be governor.
“I know the hatred people have for him because he said an Ikwerre man must be governor. We shall continue to stand with him. Any Ikwerre man who is anywhere without recognising Odili will not know peace. Any Ikwerre man plotting against you and your family will never have peace”, Wike prayed.
Governor Wike said the many fights Odili had today was because he insisted that an Ikwerre man should be governor.
He urged the former Rivers governor not to regret facilitating the emergence of an Ikwerre governor in the state.
In a project description, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Dr Walter Ndu, said the ministry was implementing the governor’s outstanding urban renewal programme.
He said the road was a single lane, before the state governor directed that a section be dualised, while the second section was expanded for improved traffic.
Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Solomon Eke, praised the governor’s sense of judgement in dualising the road that leads to the headquarters of Salvation Ministries.
He said thousands of international visitors to the church would enjoy using the high-quality road.
Speaking further, the governor said that the people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area appreciated the governor’s commitment to the development of the area.