Politics
Wike Knocks NPA Over Neglect
Last week was the busiest in the Rivers State Government House since the inception of the Governor Nyesom Wike’s second term in office, going by the volume of activities in the Brick House.
The management of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) paid a courtesy visit to Governor Nyesom Wike in Government House last Wednesday to congratulate the Governor on his reelection and his contribution to the development of the company.
The Managing Director, Engr Tony Attah, who led the delegation, informed that the company was set to commence the Train seven (7) project with the capacity to provide between 10, 000 and 15,000 job opportunities for indigenes of the State.
The MD also announced that the company has worked out modalities to deliver cooking gas to the State instead of routing it through Lagos, as well as the investment of the firm on community health insurance scheme and eradication of malaria in Bonny.
Attah appealed to the governor to assist NLNG in dredging the Iwofe Waterway to enable the company actualise the projects.
Responding, the state Governor, declared that the state government would support the Train seven (7) project which has the capacity to create between 10,000 and 25,000 employment opportunities for the state.
He equally commended the company for its health and power project and promised that the state government would dredge the Iwofe waterway for actualisation of the company’s laudable programmes.
He charged other companies operating in the state to emulate NLNG’s community development projects.
Governor Wike is set for another prestigious award as the Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) has nominated him as the Honorary Fellow of the academy.
Secretary – General of NAE, Prof Elizabeth Okeke, announced this last Thursday when a delegation of the academy paid the governor a courtesy visit in Government House, Port Harcourt.
Okeke said that Wike, who is first out of three persons to be honoured got the nomination because of his exceptional contributions in the educational sector.
The NAE Scribe said the essence of the visit was among other things to intimate the governor on the 34th congress of the body scheduled to hold in University of Port Harcourt and appealed for the support of the governor to make the event the best congress ever organised by the academy.
In his reelection response, Wike commended the body for deciding to hold the congress in the state and noted that the event would attract people from all parts of the country.
According to the governor, the delegates who would come would have first hand knowledge of the security situation of Port Harcourt as against the wrong impression by political propagandist that Port Harcourt is not safe.
He assured the delegation of strong support of the state government to make the event successful.
A chief in Eleme Local Government Area, Chief Appolus Chu was cautioned by Governor Wike for speaking on behalf of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, even when he is not a government recognised traditional ruler in the state.
Wike also warned Chu to stop parading himself as the One- eh Eta Ogale. The governor issued the warning during a meeting he had with traditional rulers in Eleme last Wednesday in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He explained that nobody has the authority to dethrone a government recognised traditional ruler stressing that should the circumstance arise to remove any government recognised traditional ruler, they must follow the processes provided by law.
Also in the week under review, Wike restated the need for clergymen to continue to pray for Rivers State in the face of sustained attack by enemies of the state.
He made the call last Thursday when the General Overseer of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry, Pastor Lazarus Muoka led a delegation of the church on a courtesy visit to the governor in Government House.
Muoka who commended the governor on his reelection victory prayed for the state and the administration of Wike to achieve more during the second term.
Wike commended him for coming and urged the church to continue to pray for the state.
He assured the church of the state government’s support in its crusade billed to hold in Port Harcourt.
Gov Wike received the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo last Friday when he came to commission the Port Harcourt Dockyard Liquid Waste Treatment Plant built by African Circle Pollution Management Limited.
Wike used the opportunity to draw the attention of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) neglect to Rivers state.
He told Mr Vice President that NPA entered into agreement to reconstruct the road leading to the Industry Road and that the Federal agency reneged on paying her own part of the counterpart fund but is only interested in collecting rents from tenants .
He called on NPA to dredge Rivers Ports Waterway to increase economic activities at the port and create employment opportunities in the state.
Wike also lauded African Circle Pollution Management Limited for cleaning up environment and Rivers Waterways through the facility.
Gov Wike held a meeting with the management of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, Belemaoil Limited, host community leaders, and security Service Commanders in Government House on Saturday on how to reopen the disputed OML 25.
Chris Oluoh
Alhaji Abubakar, who is also the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressed that Chief Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him is yet another failed attempt to rewrite history.
Alhaji Abubakar specifically said that if the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness, he (Atiku) would feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his (Obasanjo) life and political career.
These were contained in a statement the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President, Mr Phrank Shaibu, released in which Atiku said he watched the former President’s interview with profound sadness, but not anger, because it reflected the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.
Alhaji Abubakar said the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians, stressing that he is proud that he stood against the third-term agenda and stood by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the words of Alhaji Abubakar: “I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition. If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour.
“No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty”.
Alhaji Abubakar noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals, but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.
He said: “The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict. It Is therefore unfortunate that the same man whose unconstitutional ambition was resisted now seeks to sit in judgment over those who defended the Constitution”.
The ADC Presidential candidate said it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Chief Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had”.
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he said.
Alhaji Abubakar further stated that Nigerians also deserve to remember the other side of history which Chief Obasanjo conveniently omits, saying: “History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom”.
He further said: “When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing.
“Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Alhaji Abubakar, however, said he harbours no regrets over any of those acts.
According to him: “Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions”.
He added, however, that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.
Alhaji Abubakar particularly expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.
In the words of Atiku: “The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds”.
The former Vice President said he had deliberately maintained restraint over the years out of respect for the office Chief Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they once shared.
He said: “That restraint should never be mistaken for weakness or docility. There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue. While I have no desire to engage in a public quarrel with a man I once stood beside in his most difficult moments, neither will I permit falsehoods, half-truths and calculated attempts to rewrite history to go unanswered.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to, are his own facts,” Alhaji Abubakar insisted.
The ADC presidential candidate reaffirmed that his attention remains firmly fixed on Nigeria’s future.
According to him; “I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.
“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people,” he stated.
According to the electoral umpire, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, and end on January 15, 2027, exactly 24 hours before the elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
INEC also announced that campaigns for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026, and conclude on February 5, 2027, ahead of the polls slated for February 6, 2027.
The commission explained that the campaign schedule complies with the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates that electioneering activities must not begin earlier than 150 days before an election and must end at least 24 hours before voting.
INEC urged political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to strictly adhere to the approved timetable and conduct their campaigns in accordance with the law, while encouraging the public to obtain electoral information only from its official communication channels to avoid misinformation.