Wike’s constant attack on APC-led govt’s development drive in S’South , shameful, shocking — Eze
… Commends Buhari for showing love to region again through revival of Train 7 project
… Describes Ngofa as Wike’s political nemesis
In the words of Winston Churchill, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” And according to Frank A. Clark, “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.”
A closer look at the two quotes above will reveal that one striking similarity between them is that they agree that criticism is not a bad idea, not an act of ill-will, but a great deal in tackling undesirable events with the view to restoring sanity in society especially, when done constructively. The reverse will however be the case where the critic is a busybody, grossly lacking intellectual acuity as is the case with Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
While commissioning a renovated public school, Community School, Eteo, in Eleme Local Government Area of the state, Governor Nyesom Wike, with chain of invited Guests comprising mostly of members of the PDP Board of Trustee (BoT), including its Chairman, Senator Walid Jubril, accused the APC led FG of carefully abandoning the East-West Road, Port Harcourt and Onne Ports etc to deprive Rivers people the opportunities that accompany the optimal performance of the ports without resort to the ignoramus role he played in the state of the mentioned projects.
“They are taking us for granted because we have nobody. God in his infinite mercy will give us somebody. The kind of treatment we are receiving from this federal government is unacceptable. …I urge the federal government under the APC to please fulfill promises they made to Nigerians, fulfill promises they made to Rivers people”. Wike had said. He accused the Transportation Minister, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi of doing nothing to ensure the optimal functionality of the Port Harcourt and Onne Ports for the good of Rivers people.
Describing the claim as baseless and untrue, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze said nothing can be more inept and clueless than a noisy Governor with a severe sensory epilepsy whose crass laziness in the business of government has thrown Rivers fifty (50) years aback within the space of six (6) years.
In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, the party chief said such assertion cannot be corroborated and in fact, has been impeached by the weight of available evidence against it, thus, the Governor is just feigning ignorance and being dishonest. Whichever may be the case, it is public knowledge that the fraudulent emergence of Wike as Governor is one of the worst thing that has happened to Rivers State decades after her creation.
Refuting Wike’s claim, Eze reminded the Governor that the Train 7 project which former President Goodluck Jonathan, the so called PH boy, under whose administration he served as a Junior Minister, frustrated, has been flagged off by the very much hated Fulani man.
The Train 7 project, Eze said guarantees $10Bn fresh injection of investment into the economy and will take 52,000 job seekers off the labor market.
Gov. Wike, as Minister was a member of the satanic clique that stocked the project in limbo and denied Niger Deltans the plentiful opportunities it holds. On the contrary, Rt. Hon. Amaechi, as cabinet member insisted that the necessary mechanisms for its reopening is put in place for the good of all. And to the glory of God and pride of all, the groundbreaking ceremony for its commencement has been done.
One would have loved to see a reasonable Governor, show excitement over the feat, but on the deal day, Wike preferred to go for street commissioning.
He could not be excited that $10Bn investment has landed into Rivers State, that 52,000 jobs are on the way, that the size of the state workforce is about to be doubled or even tripled.
Eze highlighted that when Amaechi was Governor, he always said that the then MD of NLNG came to him as Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum and pleaded with him to beg President Jonathan to allow Train 7 to come to fruition. Amaechi said he was shocked how the then President who was that time his ally told him no way, Brass NLNG first. At last, neither Brass nor Train 7 made it. Plus many other deprivations. This one stands out.
The accurate account of the CEO of NLNG Bonny adds credence to the position above, he had first hand knowledge of what transpired at that time.
“It was obvious that GEJ and his petroleum Minister, Diezani, had decided that there would be no NLNG Train 7 if investors wouldn’t invest and get Brass LNG off the ground. The NLNG Board led by Chief Dr. Long-John felt a political solution was necessary at that point because all obligations had been met by all stakeholders.
There was no reason for withholding the presidential nod for the project. The Chief decided to fall back on his very cordial relationship with Amaechi (Governor of Rivers State & NLNG landlord) to ask the latter to intervene. Amaechi gladly obliged them.
They got to Diezani then the Minister of Petroleum first and she wasn’t clear with her response but rather asked them to see the C-in-C himself. At that point, they sensed all wasn’t well.
Amaechi led Chief Long-John and his Board to President Jonathan on a fine afternoon. In the end, President Jonathan opened up to Amaechi in a jocular fashion laughing. “Amaechi, let those investors help invest in Brass NLG first.” That line by Jonathan ended the meeting. Everyone went home. NLNG Train 7 got thrown under the bus until now president Buhari just breathed life back into that project that will create 12,000 direct jobs and over 40,000 indirect jobs. God is still in charge of the affairs of men.”
Furthermore the party chief lampooned Gov. Wike for always using every given opportunity to undermine and castigate key Public Figures of APC like he did while speaking at Eleme, where he did his best to run down a great personality like Ambassador Oji N. Ngofa, whose model of politics is totally progressive and superior to his local trick.
For him to describe the office of an Ambassador as useless and of no value to any community clearly indicates that something big is wrong with Wike. “Must Wike make a blunder at every given event?” Eze queried.
Controverting the careless misstatement, Chief Eze said Ambassador Ngofa stands out as a political nightmare to Governor Nyesom Wike and his trifling pettiness, noting that with Ngofa, Eleme has remained one of the local government areas where election thieves have continuously tried but failed to spread their tentacles.
The stand of fair weather politicians and comedians in Rivers State notwithstanding, the party Chief emphasized that Ambassador Ngofa is a an Iroko cum vast political institution in the politics of Eleme as no public servant has matched his achievements for the people of Eleme Local Government Area.
Attempting to castigate such a grass-root and people friendly figure for a mere renovated Community Secondary School is an attempt in futility as the youths and great minds of Eleme are aware of who their true leaders are.
Eze said Ngofa’s response as captured below, to Wike’s nauseating and unenlightened utterances serves better to address the Governor’s mediocrity in a society as enlightened as Rivers State:
“…I’m scandalised that the Governor of Rivers State demonstrates such crass display of unenligntenment about the work of an Ambassador. Gov. Wike believes that every political appointment must give access to his well known voracious appetite for money and covertiousness. I’m not surprised that his mediocre performance as Governor is a reflection of his lack of knowledge and adequate information on Good governance.
He revels in mediocrity and infantile populism. Eleme people are wiser than Wike thinks and we do not tolerate empty political hubris. He would have assessed me by my performance as the longest serving Local Government Chairman of Eleme LGA and not as an Ambassador which clearly is beyond his comprehension. Eleme is the bastion of APC in Rivers State and no amount of political chicanery can change that.
I will strongly advise the Governor to read up on subject matters He does not understand before making public utterances. His poor grasp of issues is unbecoming of Governor of a sophisticated state like Rivers State.”
Commending the APC led Federal Government for its determination in tackling most of the key projects in South South, Eze appealed to President Buhari to forgive Governor Wike for his display of poverty of the mind and his untoward comments and unfounded criticisms against the Nigerian Government and continue with his drive to better the lots of the Niger Deltans.