RIVERS State Governor and Chairman of
the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed worry
over the declining level of security in the state.
Amaechi said cases of armed robbery and kidnapping, which had been curbed not long ago, were currently on the rise in the state.
The governor, who spoke on Tuesday night when a former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West, led a delegation on a solidarity visit to the Government House in Port Harcourt, expressed pessimism over the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu’s commitment to security in the state.
He pointed out that the state government could no longer hold Security Council meeting because the police commissioner was always divulging deliberations at such meeting.
Amaechi explained that he would soon organise a protest if the anomalies on security in the state continued, even as he urged the former minister not to hesitate to join others during the protest.
Amaechi said, “I will give you snippets of the letter I am trying to send to the President.
“Somebody at the top changed our Commissioner of Police and brought a man that when we finishes Security Council meeting, he goes to report who said what and we are unable to hold any Security Council meeting anymore because of that.
“Insecurity is threatening to come back. Kidnapping is on the rise; armed robbery is on the rise because they have hijacked the security of the state. The Commissioner of Police reports to them in Abuja directly.
“He (Commissioner of Police) doesn’t report to the governor; he has nothing to do with the government. He takes away security men from commissioners and post them to the chairman of Port Harcourt Club.”
He expressed the need for the Federal Government to realise that the state was tired of tyranny and impunity.
He said, “We want the Federal Government to remember that the reason for which the Federal Government did not support state police is because they say the governors will mismanage state police.
“Then the federal police should not be mismanaged against us because the federal police is an institution for all Nigerians.”
On the crisis in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Amaechi stated that he would soon call a meeting of the forum if the Governor Jonah Jang-led faction failed “to see reason.”
He observed that Jang had been unable to convene a meeting where majority of the governors attended.
Amaechi said, “Yesterday, my friend and brother, the Governor of Plateau State, convened a meeting of some governors. To prove that we won the election, only 16 governors went and he has never held a meeting where they are more than 16 governors.
“We shall very soon call our own meeting because we have been trying hard to talk to them and talk to everybody for them to see reason why we need to be together and respect democracy.
“Their non-acceptance of the will of the governors is undemocratic. They should not have put themselves forward for election because if you don’t accept results when you don’t win, then you are not democratic.
“Anybody who recognizes my brother Jang (as NGF chairman) is also undemocratic because even that person may not accept any election result that does not favour him. Let the will of the people be expressed and let us respect the sanctity of their decision.”
Earlier, David-West had lamented the travails of the state governor, describing him as a victim of injustice and promised that he (Amaechi) would prevail in the end.
Amaechi said cases of armed robbery and kidnapping, which had been curbed not long ago, were currently on the rise in the state.
The governor, who spoke on Tuesday night when a former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West, led a delegation on a solidarity visit to the Government House in Port Harcourt, expressed pessimism over the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu’s commitment to security in the state.
He pointed out that the state government could no longer hold Security Council meeting because the police commissioner was always divulging deliberations at such meeting.
Amaechi explained that he would soon organise a protest if the anomalies on security in the state continued, even as he urged the former minister not to hesitate to join others during the protest.
Amaechi said, “I will give you snippets of the letter I am trying to send to the President.
“Somebody at the top changed our Commissioner of Police and brought a man that when we finishes Security Council meeting, he goes to report who said what and we are unable to hold any Security Council meeting anymore because of that.
“Insecurity is threatening to come back. Kidnapping is on the rise; armed robbery is on the rise because they have hijacked the security of the state. The Commissioner of Police reports to them in Abuja directly.
“He (Commissioner of Police) doesn’t report to the governor; he has nothing to do with the government. He takes away security men from commissioners and post them to the chairman of Port Harcourt Club.”
He expressed the need for the Federal Government to realise that the state was tired of tyranny and impunity.
He said, “We want the Federal Government to remember that the reason for which the Federal Government did not support state police is because they say the governors will mismanage state police.
“Then the federal police should not be mismanaged against us because the federal police is an institution for all Nigerians.”
On the crisis in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Amaechi stated that he would soon call a meeting of the forum if the Governor Jonah Jang-led faction failed “to see reason.”
He observed that Jang had been unable to convene a meeting where majority of the governors attended.
Amaechi said, “Yesterday, my friend and brother, the Governor of Plateau State, convened a meeting of some governors. To prove that we won the election, only 16 governors went and he has never held a meeting where they are more than 16 governors.
“We shall very soon call our own meeting because we have been trying hard to talk to them and talk to everybody for them to see reason why we need to be together and respect democracy.
“Their non-acceptance of the will of the governors is undemocratic. They should not have put themselves forward for election because if you don’t accept results when you don’t win, then you are not democratic.
“Anybody who recognizes my brother Jang (as NGF chairman) is also undemocratic because even that person may not accept any election result that does not favour him. Let the will of the people be expressed and let us respect the sanctity of their decision.”
Earlier, David-West had lamented the travails of the state governor, describing him as a victim of injustice and promised that he (Amaechi) would prevail in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment