The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike says Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) endorsement of fresh withdrawal of fund by the Federal Government from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) would be contested in court.
The governor wondered what happened to the $1billion withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account in 2017 on the stance that it would be used to fund the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
Wike stated this when he played host to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, who was on courtesy visit to him at Government House, Port Harcourt, last Friday.
The Rivers State governor said he would not support the plan for a fresh withdrawal, except Rivers State was given its 13 per cent share from the account.
“Yesterday, I was told that the governors agreed that they will take money from the Excess Crude to support military. What of the one they took before, the $1billion that they gave to the military?
“Now, again! This one, I’ll tell my Attorney General; you will have to prepare, we will go to court. I will not support that one except they’ll give us our 13 per cent first from that Excess Crude Account”, the governor said.
Wike told the Emir of Kano how his late father and other leaders in their time worked so hard in promoting love, peace and national unity among Nigerians.
He expressed regrets that the current political and religious leaders were not building on those successes.
The governor said they were rather reducing every relationship, appointment, policy and programme of government to political and religious considerations.
Wike insisted that Nigeria belongs to everybody, and no one section can assert itself over the other.
He said that that was why he had provided conducive environment to all ethnic groups in Rivers State to coexist.
“It is important that where we are now, everybody, particularly traditional rulers, should know that they have major role to play in ensuring that peace reigns in this country.
“This is the first time in Nigeria when we have so much ethnic divide, so much religious divide. It has never happened like this before. After the civil war, people had seen Nigeria as one country. We had seen ourselves as the same people but what we are facing today is a different thing.
“We are not even talking about the issue of insecurity, but the issue of ethnicity, and religion, which have taken centre stage in our life, which is not supposed to be.”
The governor accused heads of security agencies, particularly the Inspection General of Police of politicising security by posting Commissioners of Police to the state on the orders of a politician in the ruling party.
In his response, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, said his visit to Rivers State, the heart of the Niger Delta, was part of his fraternal tour to national leaders and traditional institutions across the country.
The Emir urged Wike and other regional leaders to continue to ensure that the region remains a welcoming environment for all Nigerians to thrive.
He said Kano and Rivers states face similar challenges, and encouraged political leaders to make the current challenges a bit more bearable for the common man.
“We have, therefore, made it a point every time we meet with