Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, swore in 13 new commissioners and 15 Special Advisers.
He tasked the political appointees to place the interest of state above other considerations.
“Work for the interest of Rivers State. This is a rare privilege to serve Rivers State. Everything must not be money.
“As it has pleased God, you have been given the opportunity to assist in the development of Rivers State.”
He said having constituted the State Executive Council, government would commence implementation of the 2020 soon.
He warned the new commissioners and aides against working with different political interest groups to seek for the 2023 governorship.
“If you know you are looking for money for 2023, resign now. I will not hesitate to remove you. If I catch any commissioner or special adviser holding meetings on who will be governor in 2023, there will be sanctions.”
He advised the new appointees to be loyal and committed to the service of state.
“Loyalty is key. The loyalty should not be in half measures. Your loyalty must be 100 percent. You must be loyal and work for the state. All your actions must be targeted at the development of Rivers State.”
He said that Rivers government got preliminary report that none of the SAs or commissioners was involved in cultism.
“If we find out eventually that any of you is involved in the sponsorship of cult groups, that person will be shown the way out of Government”, he said.
He said commissioners who will head the infrastructure Ministries of Works, Health, Agriculture, Urban Development and Agriculture must be up and doing. He said no excuses would be tolerated by the government.
He urged them to work with their respective permanent secretaries to deliver on the agenda of the state government.
“You must work with your permanent secretaries to deliver on the ideals of this administration. You must work as a team to move the state forward”, he said.
Wike said that he would continue to work as if this is his first term in office.
He assured that he would consolidate the delivery of projects across the state.
He said: “ For me, this is our first term. We must work to the satisfaction of Rivers people. We must work to justify our mandate.”
He informed that another batch of commissioners and SAs would be appointed at the appropriate time.
The governor said that he would immediately reshuffle the permanent secretaries and also appoint new ones to drive the development process.
In line with his commitment to Internal Revenue Generation, Wike announced that Treasury Single Account (TSA) would be implemented in the state.
Governor Wike had worked with only two commissioners and few aides since the assumption of his second term in office, before the recent appointment.