Why Gov Wike Sacked Us – Ex-Commissioners

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BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The last is yet to be heard about the circumstances surrounding Governor Nyesom Wike’s decision to sack the entire Rivers State Executive Council (SEC) he inaugurated less than two years ago. 

While Governor Wike said the SEC was dissolved due to emerging signs of disloyalty on the part of some commissioners, a group of the sacked SEC members are echoing that the governor is running a one-man show and had literally turned them into mere rubber stamps.

One of the Commissioners volunteered that they were sacked by the Governor because some of them summoned courage to boldly confront him with the obvious and bitter truth of unpleasant happenings within the State government circles.

According to one of the commissioners, who did not want his name in print owing to security concerns; “We were strictly rubber stamp Commissioners just like members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. We don’t and can’t talk at Executive Council meetings. Only Governor Wike does the talking. He starts the meetings with intimidating talks and ends the meetings with even more intimidating and threat-filled talks. 

“We had an Executive Council meeting and because everyone was tired of the situation of things, there and then, we told the Governor to treat us as people that are also part of the government.

“One of us (names withheld) stood up at the meeting and told the Governor boldly that it is he, (Mr Wike) alone that is handling all projects and disbursing funds. Therefore, only him alone is making all the monies with some of the Commissioners unable and cannot afford to pay their children’s school fees, hospital and other bills.

“He took the risk by going further to ask the Governor to explain what he did with the over N150 billion loan he took from banks in addition to statutory allocations from FAAC that are running into hundreds of billion of Naira.

“The frustrated former commissioner went further and asked the Governor to explain to them what he used the recently released Paris Club Refund of about N35 billion for.”

The former commissioner, who pleaded anonymity, said it was at that point that Governor Wike got so livid and went straight to the bold Commissioner to hit him but was prevented by his ADC who intervened to stop the physical assault.

He explained that the intervention promptly helped to avoid a free-for-all that would have ensued in the Council Chambers over the event, adding that it was then the Governor Wike declared; “I have the powers to hire and fire and I will activate it here and now. Simeon, announce their sack immediately, enough of this nonsense.”

“That was how the tenure of the Rivers SEC came to abrupt end with Governor Wike not having any recourse to civility”, an insider told Forefront.

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