By Blessing Ogah.
The Rivers state Government has described the condemnation of recent clearance of waterfront communities in Portharcourt by an APC chieftain, and erstwhile Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside , as hypocritical.
Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim , in a statement, says that Peterside’s position is not only hypocritical but spurious, unsubstantiated and illogical.
He explained that Mr Peterside, was hypocritical in condemning Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration for clearing the waterfront communities in Port Harcourt, adding that Peterside’s allegation that the Rivers Governor also plans to convert the waterfront settlements to his personal use illogical and unsubstantiated.
Nsirim described the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain as disgruntled and aims at orchestrating a campaign of calumny against Gov. Wike, because he wants to gain attention once more, a strategy which has of recent become the hallmark of his less than edifying public posts.
“We are even more amused by the concerted effort and deliberate intent with which Dakuku Peterside continues to draw attention to his obviously unfortunate loss of memory and dislocated bearing, less than six years after the administration he served in, left Rivers State reeling and in doldrums, after they were roundly and comprehensively booted out in 2015” he noted.
According to Nsirim, “Peterside’s latest bellyaching over the determined effort of the Rivers State Government to sanitize the waterfronts by removing all shanties and most especially, continue with its frontal and hugely successful war to rid Rivers State of dangerous criminals and undesirable elements, who have transformed these waterfronts into a den of thieves, flies in the face of rational analysis, especially by one who sees himself as a leadership expert”
“Dakuku Peterside will not feign ignorance of the fact that the demolition of waterfronts to rid Rivers State of criminals did not start with Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration.
“In fact, on June 26 and 27, 2012, the government of Rivers State mobilized earth-moving equipment to Abonnema Wharf to demolish houses and property, thereby rendering a community of about 10, 000 people homeless.
“The state government has brandished the communities as nests of criminals that must be demolished. Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi claimed that the demolition is part of the urban renewal policy and also to check the activities of criminally-minded individuals, who use the waterfronts as operational bases.
“We are even at a loss to fathom how Dakuku Peterside could so quickly have forgotten that his APC government not only demolished Abonnema Water front, but also Njemanze, Elechi Beach and Nanka waterfronts.
“Of course, nobody accused the then governor of plans to convert those waterfronts to personal use, so why is Dakuku Peterside now speaking from both sides of his mouth? This hypocrisy by Dakuku Peterside and his ilk is simply getting too much,” Nsirim stated.
The Commissioner disclosed that before embarking on the demolition of the waterfront settlements, the Rivers State Government had developed an action plan to destroy criminal hideouts, shanties and makeshift structures located in notoriously infiltrated areas along the Elele to Ahoada expanse of the East-West Road, Onne, Eleme and other flashpoint areas.
We must stress categorically here that Governor Wike is not one to play to the gallery or engage in deceitful, populist grandstanding where important issues are concerned.
“He has always believed firmly in the principle that whatever is worth doing at all in the interest and welfare of the people, is worth doing well and that is why he will go to great lengths and most times with admirable courage and fearlessness, no matter whose ox is gored, to ensure that the right thing is not only done, but is seen to be done practically.
“Governor Nyesom Wike is far bigger than what people like Dakuku Peterside will say and no amount of distraction by those who cry crocodile tears over the action to dislodge criminals from the state and have refused to remove the log in their own eyes for political reasons, will deter or dissuade him from his avowed commitment to deliver quality, functional and result oriented leadership and governance to Rivers people,” Nsirim noted.
