Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, was a total failure as Minister of Transportation, saying he brought nothing to his state.
Also, he took a swipe at Amaechi, saying the Rivers State Government did not give state burial to late four-time Minister Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, and Amechi did nothing when the elder statesman was ill.
Wike spoke at the inauguration of the re-constructed ultra-modern seven-storey office complex in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He said even the Rail Line, done in other parts of the country under Amaechiโs supervision, never got to the former Ministerโs state while he held the position for seven years.
He said, โTell Rivers State people. As a former Minister of Transportation what did you do for your people for seven good years?
โAll you were interested in is doing business with CCECC (a Chinese firm). Up till now, no gauge we have not seen anyone from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. Show Rivers people what you did for them.โ
Wike said as a Minister under former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, he attracted a lot of development to the state and gave grants to some tertiary institutions in the state and wondered why Amaechi, who was termed a super minister, could not do the same for his state.
โWhen I was a minister โ a junior minister for that matter โ I brought the Faculty of Law in the University of Port Harcourt. I brought Oil and Gas Polytechnic to Bonny.
โAs a junior minister, I gave grants to Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic and the Ignatius Ajuru University, Port Harcourt. As a jounior minister, I renovated most of the Secondary Schools in this state. Tell us what you brought a grade โAโ Minister what you brought,โ Wike said.
He added, โYou are not happy that the state did not give Alabo Graham Douglas a state burial. This state government committed so much money to make sure Alabo survives. We didnโt spend less than N50 million to make sure our beloved statesman survives.
It is his survival we want. We wanted him to be alive. When his son had an accident and was flown to London, this state government took the cost. We donโt need to have said all these things.โ
Wike, however, regretted that people brought politics to the burial of a respected elder statesman, pointing out that people like to eulogise the dead, but fail to do so when they are still alive.
The governor continued, โWhy would I do that when I saw you people have brought politics to the manโs burial? I told myself I donโt want to be involved in this manโs burial.
โWe like to eulogize the dead, we donโt like to eulogize the living. When Alabo was alive, how did you eulogise him to do something in his name?
โBut when I came, I honoured him and gave him the Distinguished Service Star of Rivers State. He was not dead when I gave him. It was not a posthumous award.
โSo please, this should be your last time to open your mouth to talk about this state because you are a total failure as far as this state is concerned.
โEven what is supposed to come to us, you block it. But we didnโt bother. Do you think you will not finish as a Minister? I hear he canโt even enter the Villa now.
โAll those periods, you intimidate us with police and army people. It is over.โ
Wike mentioned that the project being inaugurated renamed โSenator John Mbataโs Houseโ was a hideout for criminals, adding that some persons tried to take over the property which belonged to the state to no avail.
THE PUNCH
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