Wike Should Perform Or Resign Says Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday called on the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to rise up to his responsibility and secure the state or resign.

Amaechi, who is also a former governor of the state, said this in an interview with State House correspondents after a meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He was reacting to the killing of 17 residents of the state on their way back from New Year’s Eve service.

“It never happened when I was governor. We (the security chiefs and myself) ensured that we didn’t sleep at night. We stayed awake for the citizens to sleep. I think the governor needs to do much more than that or quit the office,” he said.

The minister said the governor needed to be more serious and stop encouraging militant groups in the name of politics and election.

He said while the killing of the 17 residents was in public domain, two other persons were killed in Akutoru.

He alleged that a similar scenario was playing out in other local government areas in the state.

Amaechi added, “I think there should be much more than age to qualify to be a governor because it takes much more than age.

“I was governor of Rivers State; I did not play the PDP/APC politics. Life is life, it has no symbol. Nobody has APC life or PDP life.

“The first responsibility of a governor which is what the oath of office requires, is that you swear to protect lives and property.

“When you don’t protect life and property, what do you do? It is impeachment. Unfortunately, there is no House of Assembly in Rivers State.

“There is too much noise coming from Rivers State. The governor just wakes up and starts shouting, abusing people. That is all he does; Mr. Project painting roads.

“The first thing you do is human capacity development and keeping human beings, but we are losing lives every day.”

The minister said Wike had no reason not to secure the state because he had everything working for him.

“I just don’t know because the things are there for him to work with. He is not like me when during my second term, President Goodluck Jonathan took away the police and the DSS. The army brigade commander couldn’t visit me.

“But in his case, everyone is disposed to him. He can see the Commissioner of Police, Director of DSS, unlike my period, but we fought insecurity.

“Because he needs these people for election purpose; that is why they are still there, that is why they are killing; we need much more than that.

“Unfortunately, I swore not to talk about Rivers anymore but you don’t keep quiet in the face of 17 lives, you can’t just keep quiet.

“I have said it that nobody should criticise his successor. Let him do his bit. But a successor that watches the lives of people go like that and does not care? God will bless him,” he said.