L- R: Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere; Deputy Governor Zamfara State, Alhaji Mukhtar Anka; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; the Host Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Deputy Governor, Nasarawa State, Dameshi Barua Luka; and Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola while briefing newsmen at the end of the solidarity visit of the Governors to Governor Amaechi and the people of Rivers State at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Eight governors under the platform of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) on Thursday paid a solidarity visit to Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amechi, describing the tense security situation in the State as “entirely avoidable”.
The governors who were at the Rivers State Government House for the solidarity visit and support for the Governor and people of Rivers State Governor Babatundee Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State; Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Senator Ibikunle Amosu (Ogun), Senator Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), while Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his Zamfara and Nassarawa states counterparts, Mahmud Shinkafi and Umaru Tanko Al-Makura were represented by their deputies, Prince Eze Madumere, Alhaji Mukhtar Anka and Dameshi Barua Luka respectively.
Briefing newsmen after their meeting with Governor Amaechi at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Fayemi, said the eight governors came out of concern for the Governor, government and people of Rivers State over what he described as “an entirely avoidable security situation” in the State.
Flanked by his colleagues, Dr. Fayemi said, “We are here in support and solidarity with the Governor, the government and people of Rivers State in these challenging times. We are concerned, as fellow governors representing the various states that you see here, because the issue of security to us is of far more major concern to the people of Nigeria”.
Stressing the importance of the visit, Fayemi explained, “You may be aware that today is the National Economic Council meeting and we ought to be in Abuja attending the meeting. Our being here is not a denigration of that meeting but it is important to stress our concern for the security of the citizens of Rivers State”.
He said after an extensive meeting with the Governor, they felt it was important that he briefed the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, immediately on the security situation in the state, pointing out that the President remained the Chief Security Officer of the whole country.
Governor Fayemi said: “We have been with our brother and Chairman of our Forum, Governor Amaechi; we have had extensive discussion here and he has briefed us on the situation on ground here and we do feel strongly, having listened to him, that it would be quite important for him to actually go and brief Mr. President who is our leader and chief security officer of the country on the very challenging security situation here”.
He continued, “We believe that our chairman and brother will give serious consideration to that particular concern that we have all expressed to him, that it is important, as Chief Security Officer of Rivers State, he should take the opportunity to go and brief Mr. President on the security situation in this state”.
On the role of the Police in the situation in the State, Governor Fayemi said the governors agreed that it would be necessary for the hierarchy of the Police authorities to take definite steps to restore the confidence of the people of Rivers State in the Police which, according to him, has greatly diminished.
“We also, in our deliberation with our brother, thought it would be important for the hierarchy of our Police authority, the Inspector General of Police, to help in restoring the confidence of the people of Rivers State that has been greatly diminished in the Police service and the command here in Rivers State”, the Governor said.
According to him, “We believe the Inspector General of Police is very well placed to help take the necessary steps to restore the confidence of the people and the Governor of Rivers State in the Police and every step he should take to make that possible should, we believe, be taken”.
“We do believe that this is a matter that truly requires the plural authority of Mr. President as well. It is about deepening democracy; it is about ensuring that peace reigns not just in Rivers, because he knows that Rivers is of concern to Governor Amaechi, but the security of the entire country is of concern to him”, the Governor said.
Stressing that the entire nation make up the constituency of the President, Governor Fayemi said the Governors came to the conclusion that the critical position of the President requires him to take appropriate steps to ensure the restoration of peace and security in Rivers State and the entire country.
“We are all President’s Governors and we feel that the he occupies a very critical position that necessitates his wielding moral authority in ensuring that peace reigns here and that nobody uses any form of subterfuge to create a situation that are entirely avoidable”, the Governor said.
Calling on all the parties concerned in the crisis to listen to the voice of reason and embrace peace, Governor Fayemi declared, “We believe that the tension in Rivers State is entirely avoidable and we want all parties to sheath their swords and help to restore the peace and security of our state here”.
Also speaking on the issue, the Zamfara State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Anka, reiterated the need to restore peace and ease tension in Rivers State saying the President must intervene while the Inspector General of Police should take steps to restore confidence of the people of Rivers State in the Police command.
Last modified: July 19, 2013
