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| Gov Nyesom Wike, | Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze |
By Mcdonald Onu
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and erstwhile
National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party
(nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, calls attention to unbridled donations by
Gov Nyesom Wike even donating one quarter of the amount he borrowed same week
from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Chief Eze says the
riddling anti-people policies and financial recklessness of the Rivers State
Government under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Gov. Nyesom Wike
constitute a critical threat to the oil-rich state, her economy, and people if
not checked.
Reacting to the routine
and unsolicited flow of the Governor’s largesse especially his recent N500
million bounty to Bayelsa State, Chief Eze said such donation is grossly
wasteful, unnecessary, and ostensibly out of place and contributes
substantially to the abysmal failure of the State Government to meet its
constitutional responsibilities to Rivers people.
He said he is sure the
mindless donation has embarrassed even the benefitting state governor because
Diri will not donate such amount of Bayelsa State treasury to another state.
An appraisal of the
disturbing trend clearly reveals that funds meant to be conserved and channeled
towards programmes that prioritize basic amenities are almost always diverted
to trivial areas that matter less to the survival of the people but profit the
Governor who now places emphasis on his expensive lobby to secure a safe
landing ahead of 2023.
It is disturbing to
realize that in about one year, he has donated N2.2Bn thus: N500m to Sokoto
State, N500m to PAMO University in 2018 and N500m again in 2021; N500m to
Bayelsa State; and N200m to Benue State. These are apart from PDP events he
bankrolls, invitation and hosting of the biggest political figures and their
entourages for commissioning of projects every year that takes over 60 days
with hundreds of millions paid for live television coverage hours un-end.
More to the public
concern about Governor Wike’s squander mania is the fact that aside owing
pensions in arrears, the state government under his watch is gradually reducing
the economic status of Rivers to such that depends solely on federal allocation
for survival, having failed to heed the calls for diversified investment,
especially when smart Governors of states like Ebonyi, Lagos, Oyo, Akwa-Ibom,
Edo and others have taken advantage of the situation and converted the
challenges of the time into opportunities for their people.
It is even grossly
flustering to the sensibility of Rivers People to learn that the state borrowed
N2 billion from CBN a day before the Bayelsa bounty, to fund healthcare and
from the borrowed sum, N500 million has been diverted to gift in the pursuit of
the selfish private vendetta of Gov. Wike.
On the N2Bn, a government
house statement said: “Rivers State Executive Council has received a brief that
only N2 billion and not the requested N2.5billion, was eventually released by
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as its Healthcare Intervention Fund support
to the State. The briefing on CBN was one among the wide range of issues and
approvals considered and given by the council at its meeting that was presided
over by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike at Government House in Port Harcourt on
Thursday evening.”
In a statement made
available to media houses in Port Harcourt, Eze said it is shameful to learn
that activities that beget financial recklessness are still part of the
priorities of the administration of Governor Nyesom Wike, when frugality and
financial discipline are supposed to be the order of the day.
Eze recalled that similar
unbidden gifts and donations have also been made to Sokoto, Benue, Akwa-Ibom,
Pamo-University and others – most of who received N500 million. “In fact, the
Governor had to construct a road in Benue State to display the hollowness of
his brain” Eze said.
“All of these donations
have been going-on yet the Wike administration cannot boast of providing one
job for anybody in Rivers State.
While responsible
governments borrow to invest in economically viable projects, Rivers people are
so unfortunate to have a mentally hollow Governor who borrows to build flyover
and make unsolicited donations here and there in a bid to fit himself into the
stream of relevance and that is idiocy”.
The party Chief warned
that a string of financial misadventures such as the Governor’s unbidden gifts
and donations may eventually collapse the economy of the state and called the
sleeping State House of Assembly to wake up from its embarrassing slumber and
be a bit responsible and responsive to issues of public concern to save the
situation.
He pointed at the
suspicious motive behind these donations which may look like dumping money to
soften grounds for his political campaigns anywhere he felt the need to.
Eze called on Rivers
people to prepare to make the necessary changes come 2023 required to secure
the future of the state in all aspects.
Email: societynaija@gmail.com
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