The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that national development has been stunted because of the cluelessness and incompetence of ‘mentally challenged’ ministers such as the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
The governor said the recent ranting of Amaechi confirms that his mental status was degenerating very fast.
He spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday, when the management of Silverbird Group presented his nomination letter as the Silverbird Man of the Year, 2017.
According to him, “Former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has a serious mental case. This is what makes it difficult for him to appreciate the seriousness of security issues.
“That is the kind of people that we have in the federal cabinet. With such people, it is impossible for the country to make progress. He needs urgent medical attention”, Wike argued.
Wike said based on Amaechi’s logic, President Muhammadu Buhari needs to resign because of the nationwide breakdown of security, insisting that national security was the direct responsibility of the President.
He described as ridiculous the false allegation by the former Rivers State governor that he armed the perpetrators of the Omoku killings.
The governor wondered why the minister would prefer to blame him for the killings in Omoku, while refusing to blame the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors of Lagos, Benue, Kwara and Kaduna states for killings in their states.
He stated that all the heads of security agencies in Rivers State were nominated by the minister, explaining that if there was any security infraction in Rivers State, the minister should seek information from his nominees who serve as heads of security agencies.
Wike said that Amaechi has deep-rooted connections with cultists, having sponsored a cultist rusticated from the state university as the Rivers APC Governorship Candidate in 2015.
He said: “Amaechi is the one who manipulates the posting of security heads to Rivers State using the Federal Government. They know what they are doing. If they are planning anything against Rivers State, they will not succeed”.
On the nomination for the Silverbird Man of the Year 2017 award, Wike dedicated the award to God and the people of the state.
He assured that the New Rivers Vision team will continue to work hard to move the state forward.
Earlier, the General Manager of Silverbird Group, Mr Jacob Akinyemi Johnson, had said that Wike emerged as the Silverbird Man of the Year 2017 after he garnered the highest number of votes online.
He said Wike has been excellent by all standards, stressing that the works of the governor were visible across the state.
The general manager of Silverbird Group said that the governor was nominated following the visit to project sites by the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Executive Council has approved the 2018 Budget for presentation to the state House of Assembly.
Addressing journalists after the first State Executive Council meeting for 2018, last Wednesday, in Government House, Port Harcourt, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Barrister Emma Okah said that the council extensively discussed the drafts of the 2018 Budget from all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said that modalities have been concluded for the formal presentation by Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike on the floor of the Assembly.
Speaking further, he said that council frowned at the situation where some communities fail to protect public infrastructure.
He said communities that allow government infrastructure to be destroyed will face the consequences.
Okah also informed that communities that fail to protect contractors executing projects will lose such projects.
He said Wike assured that the administration will continue to deliver quality projects and programmes that will improve the lives of Rivers people.