Wike decries lack of federal projects Rivers, alleges exclusion by FG

Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, has decried the alleged exclusion of the state from the benefitting from projects executed by the federal government.

This is just as the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, stated that the proponents of change were now worse than those they changed.

They spoke on Thursday night at the Government House, Port -Harcourt during a condolence visit by the Senate minority caucus to the governor over the passage of his uncle, late Chief Charles Wike.

Gov. Wike said: “It is unfortunate that one minister from the south-south said that Rivers state is being denied projects because of kidnapping. It is painful.

“There are killings all over the country. Killings in different states, but they are siting projects in those states. But, in Rivers state, not a single federal project.”

The governor said that the “exclusion of Rivers state from the execution of projects by the federal government raises very critical questions.

“Are we really part of this country? Is Rivers state part of this country? They have taken away majority of the prominent positions occupied by our sons and daughters in the federal government.

“Rivers state is part of this country. We did not commit any offence to warrant the total exclusion from federal projects under this dispensation,” the governor stated.

He said that the politicisation of security and national development was counter-productive, adding that all Nigerians must work together to defeat insecurity.

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“We need to work together to fight insecurity. It doesn’t matter the party that you belong to, let’s work together to save this country. If you are a human being, you cannot say that you enjoy the slaughtering of people. Where are we heading to?

“Why should anyone play politics with the lives of people? I Don’t need to be in your party for you to protect me. We are brothers and we are all from one country,” he said.

Earlier, Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Eyinanaya Abaribe said that the present administration has failed the people of Nigeria.

He said that “Nigeria as it is needs to move in a different direction from where we are moving now. We need you to support us in our effort to make every Nigerian feel the impact of good governance.

“We understand the difficulty every Nigerian is feeling today. We understand the pains most Nigerians are going through today. We understand that those who came on the platform of change have ended up even being worse than those that they came to change.

“The disappointment and the disillusionment that most Nigerians are feeling today, is our responsibility to bring to the fore in our public debate.”