By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has challenged his predecessor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to show the people of the state what he did for them to raise the bar of development in the seven years he occupied the office of a federal Minister.
“Seven good years, all you were interested in was doing business with CCECC. Standard guage and the other gauge up till now we have not seen anyone from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri,” Wike said on Monday in Port Harcourt at the commissioning of Sen. John Azuta Mbata House renovated by his administration.
Describing Amaechi as a total failure in reaction to a comment credited to him that Rivers state government failed to give the late former Minister of Aviation, Graham Douglas Alabo a state burial at a funeral last weekend, the governor accused his predecessor of playing politics with the death of the elder statesman.
Wike who was a Minister of State for Education under former President Goodluck Jonathan, said at his capacity as a “junior minister” he brought the faculty of law in the University of Port Harcourt, attracted oil and gas Polytechnic in Bonny, renovated most secondary schools in the state and more.
“Tell us, as a grade ‘A’ minister, what you got. You’re not happy that the state did not give Alabo Graham Douglas a state burial. Why would I do that when I saw that you people have brought politics to the man’s burial, I say okay, let me withdraw myself, I don’t want to be involved in this politics.
“If we could spend such amount of money (N50m) to save our elder, our leader when you could not bring one Naira.
“If all of you who are claiming to be Port Harcourt boys and donating money, why didn’t you donate money to save the man that time?
“When Alabo was alive, how did you eulogise him, to say this should be known as Alabo Graham Douglas so… Whether it is road or something else?” he queried.
“This should be the last time you will talk about this state because you’re a total failure as far as this state is concerned.
“Even what is supposed to come to us you blocked it but we are not bothered. Do you think you will not finish as a minister? You have left, I hear he can’t even enter the villa now” Wike added.
The Governor has constantly been at loggerheads with the former minister who resigned to pursue his presidential ambition over governance in the state.
Amaechi has always accused the Governor of poor management of the state, an allegation the outspoken Wike had consistently denied.
