Governor Wike

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom  Wike has accused the Federal Government of under developing states across the country over the years because of its overbearing, but dysfunctional centralised organisations.

He said State Governors should no longer be addressed as Chief Security Officers, but mere Chief Logistic Officers who only provide logistics for Federal Security agencies.

Addressing the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 9 at the  Institute of Security Service (ISS), Abuja on Wednesday,  Governor Wike said : ” The   federal   government   is   simply   too overbearing with too much powers and resources at its disposal. We know the recurrent   rifts   between   the   Federal   Government   and   the   States   over development   issues,   including   revenue   sharing,   resource   control, excess crude oil account, appointments into federal agencies and arbitrary location or withdrawal of federally-funded projects.”

In his paper titled:  “Institutional weaknesses and challenges of development in Rivers State, ” the governor  argued that Federal Government agencies  have been turned against state and local governments  as they merely  constitute themselves  into a stumbling block as they deliberately  embark on unconstitutional  activities  that stall development.

He said that Rivers State has been at the receiving end of the failures of Federal institutions as no new projects have been instituted in the state by the Federal Government for years.

The governor stated: “Given its contributions   to   national development, Rivers   State   deserves   a special status and consideration from the Federal Government, but it is not.

“Rather,   the   State   has   suffered sustained   neglect,   marginalization   and injustice from successive federal governments and its agencies. Even as no new development project has been initiated in the State for decades, what is most distressing is failure of the Federal Government to adequately maintain some of the critical federal infrastructure in the State.”

He noted that the centralization  of security  and  the poor use of the security  agencies  have negatively  impacted on the development of Rivers State, with several  anti-people  measures instituted to work against  the peace of the state.

He said :”Developments in Rivers State in the last few months point to the capture of the State’s security system by some special interest groups in their attempt to overawe the  State  Government  and  achieve   their   political   agenda.

“Thus, frequent transfer of the CP and other Director of the State Security Services has become a norm. I am presently working with the 5th Commissioner of Police since I assumed office barely a year ago. Indeed, things have gone so bizarre that senior officers who had had political brushes with me now head every sensitive police formation in the State.”

Governor Wike reiterated that the manipulation of the electoral process by INEC has become extremely worrisome, with the state denied representation at the National Assembly while the State House of Assembly has not been fully constituted.

He pointed out that  the  most shocking  is Tai Local Government Area where INEC has plotted to sneak in concocted  results for cancelled polls.

“The failure  to  conclude  the  re-run  elections  in  Rivers  State  is  a distraction, which is a development cost the State Government is paying on account of INEC’s institutional weaknesses and inefficiencies”, he said.

The governor added that despite the stumbling blocks to development, his administration has ensured that Rivers people enjoyed good governance and development.

The governor called for reforms of relevant Federal and State institutions to ensure that they contribute to development rather than impede it.