Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at the former governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, saying that \u201can elder statesman should not be a trader and a sycophant all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement signed by the FCT Minister\u2019s media aide, Lere Olayinka, on Sunday, said Wike spoke at the Special Thanksgiving Service organised by the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Oro-Igwe\/Eliogbolo Archdeaconry Church of the Holy Spirit, Eliozu Parish, Port Harcourt, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Olayinka quoted Wike as saying that it was unfortunate that somebody who is supposed to be seen as an elder statesman and called a father can reduce himself to a sycophant and a trader.<\/p>\n
He asked; \u201cMust you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Minister said; \u201cYou know, I didn\u2019t want to say anything. But somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers what our former governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say? He said that the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a Commissioner, his other daughter is a Judge, and he is the general overseer. Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was his nephew, his late senior brother\u2019s son that was recommended for Commissioner. He took the slot and gave it to his own daughter. Someone who didn\u2019t remember to stand for the son of his late elder brother, is that an elder statesman?\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking further, the FCT Minister said it was painful that Dr Odili, out of political sycophancy, has forgotten all that he said in the past, adding that; \u201cAll of you here remember when I was governor, this same Odili praised me to high heaven. In fact, he said then that all past governors in Rivers State combined did not do better than me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2007, after he left office, he couldn\u2019t come near power in the State because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone!<\/p>\n
\u201cLike somebody said that God will use someone to lift up someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won\u2019t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us know about Pamo University. But for us, there wouldn\u2019t have been anything called Pamo University. Rivers State was sponsoring 100 students per session and for every semester, each of the students was paying nothing less than N5m. Then, Rivers people were attacking me up and down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI personally called Julius Berger to build a mansion for him to live. He was calling everyone to the house then, telling them, come and see what Wike has done for me. Wike has shown me love. He was taking them round the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, because you have organised a Christmas Carol for the governor, I didn\u2019t say you should not do your Christmas Carol. But why reduce yourself to such a laughing stock. People will still see it on television how he was telling the whole world then how God used me to bring him back to life politically.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not do your Christmas Carol, collect what you can collect and leave me alone?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe governor that all of us made has not spent one year in office and the same Odili was already saying that the governor has beaten the records of all the past governors of Rivers State.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was there, he said I had surpassed the records of all the past governors, including himself. What can he even show that he did in his eight years as governor? But a governor has not spent one year, you are saying he has done more than all the past governors.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent eight years as governor and someone who hasn\u2019t spent one year has surpassed your records, what manner of elder talk like that? Is that what an elder statesman should be known for?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was governor, my pictures were everywhere in his house. Sitting room, bedroom, kitchen, even in the toilet, my picture was everywhere. But today, all the pictures have been removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asking what can be learned from such a sycophantic elder statesman, Wike said; \u201cWhat can I learn from this kind of elder? What kind of advice can one get from him. This moment you are saying something, the next moment you are saying something else.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see, if your children begin to ask you, is this not the same man you were praising before? What would you tell them?\u201d<\/p>\n
On the state\u2019s governorship issue, the Minister asked; \u201cWhen I was plotting who will be governor after me, was he (Odili) there? Then, he was complaining about this governor, saying that he couldn\u2019t stand before the public to talk. But today, he is organising Christmas Carol for the same governor he was against then.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has forgotten all that he said in the past. I named this after you, I named that after your wife. What have I not done?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said we should not be part of the government, we have left. We are managing, you have taken assembly money, they are not dying of hunger and they will not die of hunger. We are okay. I\u2019m focusing on my job in Abuja and all these sycophancy won\u2019t take him to the level I have attained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a man who wanted to run for president then, he didn\u2019t have the balls, he chickened out. Simply because Obasanjo said no, he will not contest, he ran away. Because of him, I never invited Obasanjo to Rivers State to commission projects. I felt it will humiliate him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at the former governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, saying that \u201can elder statesman should not be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n