Wike Tasks Monarchs On Anti-Soot War

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has directed that traditional rulers in the state should exert due surveillance to check the activities of  illegal oil refining in their domains, adding that any negligence on the issue would amount to complicity in the act.  Governor Wike pointed out that any traditional ruler who failed to act on government directives would forfeit his stool.
Governor Wike who gave the directive during a meeting with traditional rulers at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Port Harcourt, said Rivers State Government was resolute on the war against illegal refining despite the challenges faced as a result of Federal Government’s negligence and compromised security system. He urged traditional rulers to work with Community Development Committees and other community-based organisations to achieve the objective of stemming the menace of illegal oil refining in the state which has obvious health implcations on the lives of the people.
Governor Wike berated the Federal Government over its indifference towards curbing the menace of illegal oil refining despite its control over the oil and gas industry.
He pointed out that the act of illegal oil refining has equally led to the depletion of of the revenue profile of Rivers State because the state could not produce its required capacity.
Governor Wike regretted the fact that most security operatives lobby their posting to Rivers State to benefit from illegal oil refining.
He said the Rivers State Government would soon pubish the names of those involved in the act and declare them wanted while security operatives involved in the act would be reported to the appropriate quarters.
Earlier within the week,  Governor Wike had at a meeting with the chairmen of the 23 LGAs of the state  urged the chairmen to destroy all illegal refining sites across the state and called on the Commissioner of Police to provide adequate security for the chairmen to destroy all identfied illegal refining sites while the Rivers State Government would provide the needed logistics for the LGA chairmen to carry out the objectives.
Meanwhile, Governor Wike on Monday hosted his colleagues in the PDP Governors Forum. The outcome of the meeting was a nine-point communique read by the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. High point of the resolution was to address the urgency required to conclude deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill which the PDP Governors requested the National Assembly to consider overriding President Buhari’s veto as an option towards achieving the intended electoral reforms for the country.
The Forum urged Nigerians to vote out the APC’s mal governance in the country, which has inflicted untold economic hardship and festering insecurity in the country.

By: Beemene Taneh