Some Ijaw people in Rivers State took to the streets in protest against the visit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to one of the Ijaw ethnic nationality communities, the Abalama community in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The protest followed the minister’s assertion during a chat with journalists in Abuja, where he described the Ijaw people as the “minority of minorities.”

Despite the protests, however, the Minister and his entourage entered the community amidst cheers from a mammoth crowd of Kalabari Ijaw, who trooped out in their numbers and welcomed him to a grand civic reception and thanksgiving.

The minister spoke at Abalama Town during a Thanksgiving/Civic Reception organized by some Ijaw stakeholders under the aegis of “New Associates,” held in Asari-Toru Council.

Addressing the crowd, Wike said he foresaw the current political crisis in the state and advised his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, against taking such a route, but he refused and surrounded himself with people who are “ingrates.”

He berated the governor for withholding the salaries and allowances of the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 lawmakers because those supporting him told him nothing would happen.

Following this, Wike said he would not stop the State House of Assembly from performing its constitutional duties. Recall that there have been intense moves by the Assembly to impeach the Governor since the Supreme Court judgment ruled in favor of Martins Amaewhule and others. On Friday, the House adjourned its sittings indefinitely, just when the Governor wrote to the Speaker for the second time, informing him of his intention to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the lawmakers on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Wike blamed the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, for instigating the main issue that led to the ongoing political crisis in the state.

The immediate past governor said his only offense was advising the governor to take care of those who supported him and worked for his emergence, rather than abandoning them after assuming office.

Wike stated, “The primaries came (PDP primaries). This Governor today said he was not going to run and that my Commissioner of Finance, Isaac Kamalu, should be the one to run.

“What did we do wrong? We said all the council chairmen suffered. All the Assembly men suffered. National Assembly men suffered for you to become Governor. Therefore, don’t abandon them.

“That was the only offense I committed, and then they said every time I’m asking for money. Which money am I asking for? Okay, thank you. Has the money come?

“Those they are sharing the money with, how far? What I always tell people: remember yesterday. A man is bad, a man is a crook, a man is a criminal, but it was that criminal, it was that crook who said, ‘Come, take,’ against all odds. If I hated the Ijaw people, I would not have conceded to it, and nothing would have happened. But because of my principle of live and let live.

He said, “If you watch, all those around the Governor are people who are natural ingrates. Only those who believe that they cannot appreciate and thank God for any good thing will associate themselves.

“ All these things you are seeing, I told the Governor it is not good for you to face this crisis. But they told him, ‘You’re Governor, you have money.’ I agree. Money is not everything. All these people who have nothing to offer—see where we are now. How far!”

He stated that many of the projects in the state, including the Ring Road, were initiatives he started and handed over to the governor to endear him to the Rivers people, and he challenged the governor to mention one project he initiated himself.

He said, “It is not about abusing us. You can abuse me as much as you want, and let me tell you, I have never bothered myself because abuse does not kill anybody. What is important is the result, is it not? “Who has high blood pressure now? Not them? We sit down and enjoy. They have high blood pressure. This is what I was avoiding. I said, ‘Look, don’t go through this route.’ They told you to seize Assembly members’ salaries and allowances for more than one year.

“These people have no income to pay their children’s school fees, to feed their families, and you were jubilating. People were encouraging you, saying nothing will happen. Something has happened.

“And let me tell you, I’m not going to stop the Assembly from performing their constitutional duty. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their constitutional duty. People who love peace don’t threaten people.

“Assembly members should do their work. Whatever they deem necessary that is constitutional, they should do. I’m not going to stop anybody from carrying out his or her powers. I will not do that.”

Speaking further, the former governor said he came to Abalama because some persons threatened him not to attend the event, noting that the occasion was an indication that the opposition was merely making noise on the radio.

He said: “I heard some people say I won’t come here. Who are they, and how many are they? What you have done today is to tell the world that all this noise on the radio is not the real thing. If you are Kalabari and of the Ijaw nation and you are receiving me today, God will continue to bless you. I will continue to stand by you and support you.”

He explained that some persons had misunderstood and misinterpreted his recent interview with the Ijaw people but clarified that he only meant that an Ijaw man becoming a Governor in Rivers was made possible through an agreement to work together.

He said that on the final day of deciding who would be his successor, Fubara said he was not interested and urged them to give the position to his then-Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu.

He recalled the process that led to Sir Siminalayi Fubara becoming the Governor, adding that Chief Alabraba, Chief Seargent Awuse, and OCJ Okocha mounted pressure on him to allow Fubara in the principle of live and let live.

He said: “What I said in my interview, people will want to misinterpret it. However they want to misinterpret it as their business. I want to repeat what I said. I said we are all working together; if we didn’t work together, it would have been difficult to produce the Governor. That was what I said. Chief Alabraba did not allow me to rest; he nearly fainted when we were deciding who would be governor.

“Nobody should associate anything evil with the Ijaw. Ijaw people are not evil people. You cannot always be saying, ‘I will blow the pipeline.’ No. Engage people intellectually and diplomatically, and you get what you want. In the world we are in today, we have passed the stage of threatening people.”

Wike said those around the governor encouraged him to seize the salaries and allowances of the House of Assembly members for over a year, telling the Governor that nothing would happen.

He said: “They told you to seize Assembly members’ salaries and allowances for more than one year. They have no income to feed their families and pay their children’s school fees. And you were jubilating, and people were encouraging you, telling you that nothing would happen.

“Now something has happened. I am not going to stop the Assembly from performing their constitutional duties. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their duties. People who love peace don’t threaten people.

“I told you that the House of Assembly would not lose their seats. I told you that the shenanigans of local government would not stand. I don’t need to be Governor. I know what is illegal is illegal. We fight it constitutionally and by following due process. What did we do wrong?

“We said all these chairmen and the Assembly members suffered, National Assembly members suffered for you to become Governor. Therefore, don’t abandon them. But they said I was asking for money. Has the money come? Those you are sharing the money with, how far?”

THE GUARDIAN