Eight Governors Visit Amaechi …Shun National Economic Council Meeting …As RSG Raises Alarm Over Strange Armed Details …Children Tackle Wike On Call For Violence

L-R: Deputy Governor (Imo), Prince Eze Madumere, Deputy Governor (Nasarawa), Dameshi Barua Luka, Governors Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti),Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Deputy Governor (Zamfara) Alhaji Mukhtar Anka and Governor Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) in Government House, Port Harcourt on a solidarity visit to the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday.

Eight governors from Lagos, Zamfara, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Imo, Ekiti and Nassarawa states yesterday shunned the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja to pay a solidarity visit on Governor of Rivers State and  Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The governors are Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun. Those from Zamfara, Nassarawa and Imo states were represented by their deputies.
The governors, who arrived around 11am, immediately went into a closed door meeting with Governor Amaechi and by 2pm, their spokesman, Dr. Fayemi addressed the press, saying their action was not to ‘’denigrate’’ the National Economic Council meeting, but to underscore the importance of security and felicitate with Amaechi over the crisis in Rivers State.
In the words of Governor Fayemi, “some of our colleagues were here a couple of days ago. We are here because insecurity for us is a far more major concern to the people of Nigeria. You may be aware that today is National Economic Council meeting we are supposed to be in Abuja, but our being here is not a denigration of that meeting in a way. It is just to stress the importance of our concern for the security of citizens of Rivers State’’.
The Ekiti State governor revealed that the governors have agreed for Amaechi to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan to brief him formally on the spate of insecurity in Rivers State. “ It is quite important for him to actually go and brief Mr President, who is our leader and the chief security officer of the country on the very challenging security situation here in Rivers State, and we believe that our brother and our chairman would give serious consideration to that concern that we have expressed to him,’ he said’
Fayemi, however, lambasted the police for compromising and urged the Inspector-General of Police  to quickly investigate the matter with a view to restoring confidence in the state’s security apparatus.
Besides that, the governor said the Presidency also has a role to play in the matter emphasising, “ for us, we believe this is a matter that requires the moral authority of the president and it is about deepening democracy and ensuring that peace reigns, not just in Rivers State and the state of security in the entire country.’’
While condenming all the subversive tactics used by Amaechi’s opponents so far in the crises, Fayemi called on all parties to sheath their swords in order to help restore peace in the state.
Also speaking, Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Muktar Anka said, “ we, being progressive governors, met with our chairman of  Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Rivers State Governor. We are very happy that we met him in high spirit and it seems that he is popular and moving with his people. We are very happy with that.
We have resolved and we advised him that he should meet with the President so that we can find a way out of this crisis which is avoidable. We believe that through such meeting with Mr President, a solution to the crisis in Rivers State will be found and strengthen democracy in Nigeria,’’ he added.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government says the security of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi can no longer be guaranteed following the presence of strange security personnel around the governor.
Secretary to the State Government, Mr George Feyii, who said this in  a statement made available to The Tide yesterday in Port Harcourt, explained that the government notes with distress what is now an apparent attack on the person of Governor Chibuike Amaechi”.
According to the statement, two policemen, one of whom is Inspector Bawa, had reported to the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge at Justice Mohammed Bello Street, Asokoro in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, claiming to have been posted by Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, to monitor the Rivers State Governor’s lodge.
“Earlier, four intelligence officers had been posted to the Government House, Port Harcourt by the Rivers State Police Command.
“These postings were done without any notification or reference to Governor Amaechi’, Feyii said, adding that the standard practice is that, an official reserves the right to pick the security personnel to whom he or she may entrust their safety.
“This is more so in the case of  a state Governor, he added. The policemen, the  SSG explained, had indicated that they had directives to remain at the gate of the Rivers State Governor’s lodge.
According to him, “ not only is the Rivers State Government uncertain of the true identity of these gentlemen, we are worried as to the true intent behind this latest posting”.
He argued that, this is more so, especially as recent events in Rivers State and especially around Governor Amaechi have been suggestive of deliberate non-chalance at best and complicity at worst in the security breaches that have occurred.
“We are worried that we can no longer gurantee the safety of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, and wish to reiterate our call on all relevant authorities to ensure the safety of Governor Amaechi and the peace and security of every one in Rivers State”, the SSG said.
In a related development, children from different parts of Rivers State have condemned the recent call by the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike for his supporters to fight and disrupt government programmes in the state.
The children under the aegis of Rivers Teenage Parliament made the condemnation when they paid a visit to the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Barr. Leyii Kwanee in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, last Wednesday.
An address presented by the spokesperson of the children, Miss. Soblachi Amadi condemned the unguarded utterance made by the minister urging his supporters to fight.
She said that Rivers State has known peace for sometime and to plunge the state into fight and war portends grave consequences particularly to the children and women.
“ Most victims of fight and war are we, children and our mummies, aunties, nieces and sisters. Uncle, minister consider us that we could be the victims of your recent call for fight”, Amadi noted.
She wondered what the minister could be teaching them to learn when they grow up.
She called on the minister to apologize to children and youths.
In his response, Deputy Speaker, Leyii Kwanee, assured that Governor Chibuike Amaechi will do everything within the law to ensure the protection of lives of citizens, especially children and mothers.