By Blessing Ogah.
A group under the aegis of Concerned Rivers People, CRP, has condemned a former Rivers State Commissioner, Peterside Dakuku, over his unsavoury comments on Governor Nyesom Wike’s projects describing him as a gold digger, trying to reap from where he never sowed a seed.
The group in a statement issued and signed by its director, Peter Robinson, advised Dakuku to always check and verify facts before embarking on a voyage of self delusion as exemplified in his recent sponsored Interview.
The CRP, asserted in the statement that: “Once again, Dakuku Peterside, the failed gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has chosen to dance naked in the market place. In an interview he granted to a Daily Newspaper, Dakuku exhibited his usual bitterness over his loss and the triumph of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, who got the mandate of the people of Rivers State.
“Since that shameful defeat about seven years ago, Dakuku has never recovered from the shock and had always looked for every opportunity to vent his anger. Particularly, after he lost his bid for reappointment into NIMASA. Every time he speaks, he displays a hatred, bitterness, morbid fear and jealousy for the soaring political profile of Governor Nyesom Wike not just in Rivers State but across the country.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
“Everyone acknowledges the giant strides Rivers State has recorded in the infrastructural development in the last seven years. Many prominent Nigerians, including governors from other states across political divide have visited Rivers State and seen the spectacular projects of the Wike administration, but Dakuku has chosen to turn a blind eye to these visible evidence of good governance.
“Instead, he wants the world to believe that Wike has done nothing good in the lives of the people. He claims that Wike is building flyovers and neglecting the education and health sectors. What a laughable rhetoric and display of ignorance. The last administration sank $39.9 Million on Karibi Whyte Specialist Hospital, not a block was laid. Wike is presently constructing Dr. Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, which is presently at an advanced stage of completion.
“The abandoned Zonal Hospitals at Bori, Okirika, Ahoada, Degema and Etche have all been revamped and are back to life as well as a Primary Healthcare Board at Waterlines.
“The Braithwaite Memorial Hospital has been upgraded to a Teaching Hospital to serve as training ground for the newly established College of Health Sciences at the State University.
“A Mother and Child 132- Bed Hospital at Rumuomasi has 50 Delivery Rooms, 6 Modular Operating Theatres, Invitro Fertilization Equipment, Fluoroscopic Equipment and Mamography Equipment.
A state of the art clinic was built in Government House and is fully functional .
Dakuku no doubt has lost touch with the happenings in Port-Harcourt.
“The truth is that the Wike administration has touched every critical sector in the socio-economic sphere of Rivers State. Actually, we do not expect any commendation from Dakuku and his party because they know that with the excellent performance of the Wike administration, APC will have no foothold in Rivers State in 2023.
Dashing of Government Property To Cronies.
“We know that our brother, Dakuku is out to provoke a mob action against Wike but he’s proceeding in grave error and turning the issues upside down.
“He claims the current administration is seizing public properties and dashing same to friends and cronies. What he has not told the world is who are the owners of the properties alledgedly seized and what the owners have done. How he and others came about several government properties in GRA Port Harcourt, which the present government is gradually recovering from them, which is his real grouse.
“The truth is that Dakuku and some of his allies perhaps have illegally acquired some of these government properties, which have been recovered by Wike and that’s his bitterness. It’s sheer hypocrisy.
“Since he started the lamentation over illegal acquisition, how many property owners have come forward with a petition to the committee set up by the Wike administration to consider such complaints. The courts are open for him if he has a right to the properties he got in GRA Port Harcourt that are recovered by the government.
“All of a sudden, he has created an imaginary “unknown investor” who is buying up every parcel of land and property in Rivers State. The procedure for land acquisition/ allocation is known to him, save that the present government has placed the caveat that such lands must be used for the allocated purpose and developed within six months.
“We shall investigate the ones he has specifically mentioned and reveal the identity of the said investors to show that he is crying wolf.
Waterfront Communities.
“Since the Rivers State Government demolished some shanty settlements along the waterfronts as part of its urban renewal programme and security measure to clear dark spots within the city, Dakuku has been trying his best to stir up the people to revolt. He has been sounding like a broken record on the issue. Yet, our people including those who once lived in those shanties know better. Demolition of black spots took place when he was a Commissioner and praised it then, even when the entire Njemanze area was given to Sahara, a crony of his boss. Dakuku applauded that.
“He is no doubt vexed at the achievement of the present government as they are always happy to hear bad news coming from Rivers State and always willing to hype same. No wonder, he is dissapointed that criminals are gradually flushed out of the state.
The Real Madrid Academy.
“What can be more nauseating than when someone sees light but prefers to walk in darkness? The Real Madrid Academy was well conceived as the grooming ground for future soccer stars in Nigeria. All the agreements were transparently negotiated and are being executed with utmost good faith. How the same project has been tagged a fraud by Dakuku is what we do not know. We charge him to be armed with relevant evidence each time he makes allegations and accusations against anyone because he might just earn another libel suit. The academy is up and running with students from within and outside Rivers State.
“His antics can never and will not endear him to the people of Rivers State, no matter the severity of the negative media campaign he wages against the performing Wike administration. It will rather continue to expose his desperation and loss of touch with reality in Rivers State, a State that made him what he is but choose to continue to black mail and run down in the comity of nations.
“Rivers people no doubt, will see him for what he truly is; a man who can descend to the pit of hell to achieve his selfish ambition of governing the state by all means possible. Dakuku can be likened to the class of people referred to in the Nigerian parlance as gold diggers, who desire to reap from where they didn’t sow.
“This is a man who was Commissioner for Works for 4 years and cannot today point at any sustainable project only about 7 years after. No motorable road to his Opobo town from time immemorial. The first car to drive into Dakuku’s community was under Wike’s administration. He was rather busy buying alshapat plants and construction companies. Where are they today.
“As DG NIMASA, let him tell us of the number of recruitment that took place under him, how many Rivers people were recruited into NIMASA. How many Rivers people in fact his APC supporters benefited through him. They say a journey that will be successful, starts in the morning.
“There is no basis for comparison between Wike and Dakuku when it comes to empowerment of supporters. We are concerned because it is not the mad man that bears the shame but his family. Dakuku’s unwarranted vitupurations is bringing shame to Rivers people and we urge him to be constructive in his criticsm and get people on ground to give him cogent and verifiable facts.
