Wike To Akpabio: Stop Talking About Rivers Or I Will Deal With You

 

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has warned the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, against taking on Rivers State if he doesn’t want to be taught a lesson.

Wike gave the warning on Friday at the launch of the newly built secretariat for the Trade Union Congress in Ozuoba, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

Wike’s comment is coming days after Akpabio reacted to the criticism made by the South-South governors concerning the continued running of the NDDC by an interim administrator.

The Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum, Ifeanyi Okowa said, “We are urging Mr President to ensure that if the board is not going to be immediately constituted, then funds for the NDDC beyond the payment of salaries should be put on hold until he constitutes the board and the board can then run the finances of the NDDC as per the law creating the NDDC.”

Reacting to the South-South governors criticism in Port Harcourt, Akpabio said the governors cannot give directive to President Muhammadu Buhari on how the NDDC should be run, while accusing them of appointing caretaker committees to run their local governments.

He went further to query what the governments were doing with the 13 per cent oil derivation accruing to them.

Responding to Akpabio, Wike said, “We will tell him that when he was the governor, he was acting like a king. There was money that time. The exchange rate was N150 per dollar. Today, it is N500 for a dollar. Akpabio had money but he had the temerity to ask South-South governors what they were doing with 13 per cent derivation.

“Akpabio should not talk to Rivers State at all. He has no such authority. He is not qualified to talk to Rivers State. If he wants to talk, he should concentrate on Akwa Ibom State, or else, we teach him a lesson here. Akpabio should know that enough is enough.”

Wike added, “If he (Akpabio) should talk here, I will teach him a lesson. I am not a sycophant and I am not an inconsistent person. I don’t give a damn. He cannot say he sees me in the Villa. If he does it again, he will regret it. I am not one of those governors he can turn around.

“I will show you a video where the President said they should come and learn from me what we are doing here. He (Akpabio) went and asked so-called South-South militants that we should render an account of N55tn. Where did he get the N55tn from?

“Akpabio, be careful. Don’t go and pay money to people to type propaganda against governors. You will suffer for it at the end of the day. We know what Akpabio was doing as a governor. Now, he has the temerity to insult South-South governors. We will meet one day. If he did well, why did he fail his senatorial election? You will finish from Abuja and you will come here.”