By Akanimo Sampson
GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has again taken on the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) that is allegedly scheming for a declaration of a state of emergency in the politically troubled super oil and gas state, saying their push for such a situation is not realistic.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor said the vociferous allegations of massive insecurity and political killings before the rerun elections were ”concocted by misguided politicians” to mislead Nigerians.
According to him, the state is largely peaceful with increasing internally generated revenue, IGR, that indicate that businesses are thriving and functional. But, he did not make public the current revenue profile of the state to substantiate his claim on the rising IGR.
Wike was however, speaking when he granted audience to members of the House of Representatives Committee on the Army on Monday investigating the military invasion of Ogoni communities , The governor said that after the rerun elections the sponsored propaganda reports no longer dominate the media because there are no political killings in the state.
”Before the rerun elections, you heard of repeated reports of alleged political killings sponsored by misguided politicians. Now that they elections are over, you no longer see such reports. Like every other state, we have our security challenges, but we don’t have political killings. We have cases of cult related violence, but the security agencies are tackling the issue frontally with the support of the Rivers State Government”, he said.
He decried the tendency to play politics with security , noting that the security challenges in the state were prompted by the politicisation of the state’s security framework, saying, we have a secure state where businesses are thriving. That is why our internally generated revenue is growing regularly.
Earlier, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Army, Rimamde Shawulu Kwewum, said that the committee was in the state on a fact finding mission following a petition against the army by the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, on the killings of Ogoni people in their communities.
He said that the committee was not in the state to apportion blame, but to determine what led to the alleged death of 24 persons during the military invasion, adding, ”we are not here to defend any political party. The life of any person is important, irrespective of his political party
The legislators claimed that their committee will hold public hearing and also visit the affected communities.
Soldiers in February invaded Yeghe, Zaakpo, Bori and Babbe in the Ogoni axis of the state, and left in their trails blood.
