…. Fubara Abandoned the Structure That Gave Him Power.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has opened up to the media about his rift with his successor, Governor Siminilayi Fubara
Wike, who had a chat with representatives of 4 media houses – Channels,TVC,AIT and the NTA in Abuja at the weekend said he left enough projects for Fubara to showcase for his one hundred days in office and left no debt or liabilities
” Let them go and check if I left any debt or liability.
“Before I left office the records are there, Access bank N7 billion, Zenith Bank N8 billion, how do you pay back?
“Collect one billion from IGR and that was paid off in October.
” I was paying pension and gratuity every month which was not paid by my predecessors.
” I took Rivers State to the level that you can’t discuss politics in Nigeria without talking about Rivers State.
The Minister said that projects like the state Dental/Maxilo Facial Hospital that was commissioned 3 days ago by Governor Fubara was completed in February adding that he commissioned projects until he left office late May.
The former governor disclosed that the crux of the matter in the state was political which he linked to politicians against the idea of consolidation and continuity which brought Fubara into office.
He however,regretted that Fubara having become the governor by the instrumentality of a political structure, abandoned the structure within one hundred days in office.
When asked by one of the interviewers, Gbenga Aruleba if Fubara was acting the way he knew him all along or he had been influenced by some politicians, Wike responded by saying that there was no basis for that .
He said Fubara had his office on a platter of gold as there was no crisis surrounding his election unlike him ( Wike)who suffered tremendously in the hands of federal might but still won his two elections adding that Fubara is importing crisis where there is none.
Expressing disbelief about the mistrust and betrayal of his successor, he said You know a man when you give him money and power. “I can never stand ingrates” he said
When asked about whether he endorsed Fubara’s impeachment, Wike responded, “If they are impeaching you (Fubara), did you call me?
“Assuming I’m the one who plotted it (for example), did you say, sir, ‘They want to impeach me’? Is that why you will send people to go and burn the hallowed chambers?”
Wike blamed Fubara for introducing ethnic politics to Rivers State saying ” We have never had it like this before”
The Minister’s take on the Rivers crisis comes a few weeks after Governor Fubara allayed fears of irreconcilable differences with his predecessor Nyesom Wike who he called his father.
However, events later on revealed that there is much to the Father and son relationship than meets the eye.
Just two days ago, the governor redeployed the clerk, Deputy clerk and a Director of the House of Assembly seemingly loyal to the Wike group to some boards and Parastatals while changes have also been made in the security apparatus of the governor and the state.
