PRESS RELEASE
IT’S A WASTE OF TIME CONTESTING AGAINST SANWO-OLU IN LAGOS – WIKE
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike may have set a new precedent in the nation’s political culture with his open endorsement of an opposition Governor in an electoral contest in which his political party has a candidate.
Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor, on Tuesday, openly pitched his tent with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, endorsing the Lagos Governor for second term.
It was at the 22nd National Women’s Conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO). The event with theme: “Spring Forth, Stand Out”, was held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Another PDP leader and former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose accompanied Wike to the event.
The Rivers helmsman rated Sanwo-Olu high in performance, noting that the Lagos Governor had raised the standard of governance with quality of projects being delivered across Lagos.
Wike said any political party contesting against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos would be wasting time, as Sanwo-Olu’s performance would outshine anyone campaigning against him.
The Rivers State Governor said he had no regrets for openly endorsing Sanwo-Olu, stressing that his endorsement of his Lagos colleague was borne out of his personal conviction about good governance.
Wike said: “If Sanwo-Olu is not doing (well), even if he belongs to my party, I will not come here. If you belong to my party and you are not doing well in governance, you won’t see me. If you don’t belong to my party and you are doing well, you will see me. Good governance is what I stand for. I will not regret to say that I am in support of you (Sanwo-Olu) for second term. Others should not waste their time.
“Look at the kind of project coming from this women’s group. Why would any reasonable person not support the Government that is encouraging this. Let’s also look at the kind of physical infrastructure being delivered in Lagos. This confirms Lagos as a State of excellence. There are some people who will come here; instead of them to continue to make Lagos improve, they will bring Lagos down. For me, I’m satisfied with what Sanwo-Olu has done and it doesn’t matter the party he belongs.”
Sanwo-Olu responded to Wike’s endorsement, describing it as another example of “politics without bitterness”. He said Lagos and Rivers states had learnt from each other in terms of projects and development, adding that both states would continue to cooperate on shared interest.
He said: “There is no better person that is fit as a guest speaker at the conference other than the hardworking Governor Wike of Rivers State. We brought him here to share in his experience and also for him to see what we are doing in Lagos.
“We are encouraging collaboration without bitterness and without talking about our parties or political differences. If you are doing well, it doesn’t matter where you belong. We should encourage peer review across parties. Gov. Wike had invited me to Rivers for projects commissioning in the past. We have challenged ourselves in a positive way; this is good for the growth of our politics and the nation.
Gov. Wike also spoke about the qualities that the next president must bring forward, saying the nation deserved a president that would have the interest of Nigerians at heart.
He urged Nigerians to queue behind someone with vast experience in governance, who has the capacity to turn around the economy and confront insecurity.
Wike said: “We are looking for a president that has the capacity and experience in governance, who can put food on the table for everyone and fight insecurity. That’s the person we are looking for; not some people who are talking about ethnicity.”
The Rivers Governor said he would be going back home with lessons of the Lagos’ National Women’s Conference, stressing that Lagos had set the standards on how to empower women for growth and development. He promised to replicate the idea in his State to further empower women in Rivers State.
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
18 OCTOBER 2022
Flood: Build dams, desilt major rivers, Okowa urges FG
Delta Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday, called on the Federal Government to build new dams and desilt major rivers in the country to check flooding, especially when neighbouring countries open their dams.
He also urged the government to make efforts at desilting River Niger and River Benue to deepen the depths of the rivers to accommodate high volume of flood water.
Okowa made the call when he visited flood victims at some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the state.
Camps visited by the governor included those at Ogbe-Afor Primary School and Oneh Primary School in Asaba and Ewulu Mixed Grammar School, Ewulu in Aniocha South Local Government Area.
He told journalists in an interview at the end of the visit that the best way to end the loss of lives and valuables to flood was for the government to take proactive steps towards stalling perennial flooding each time neighbouring countries opened their dams.
While commiserating with families that lost persons and property to the flood, Okowa disclosed that five persons died in various communities, adding that 11 holding camps had been established to take care of those displaced by the flood.
To make the camps comfortable, he said that daily feeding of the IDPs was a priority, and that medical facilities and personnel were in various camps to take care of medical needs of the inmates to avoid possible outbreak of diseases.
“I was informed by the SSG when the team briefed me yesterday that as a result of the flood, five deaths were recorded, although not inside the camps but across the state, and that is very unfortunate.
“We have 11 camps that are currently in place and some of them are in schools and some others are in high places in some locations where the schools have been overrun by the flood water.
“Climate change, obviously, is becoming very impactful globally and it is beginning to affect a lot of issues. The sea levels are rising and so is the water level.
“Another issue is the dam in Cameroon. It always causes a major overflow in our river. From the preliminary information I have, what could be done is to build our own holding dams here in Nigeria and a regular desilting of our rivers.
“And, that is not going to be the state government’s function. It is that of the Federal Government because of the type of dam that will be built across the river. So, it is going to be a major dam.
“So, I believe that it is important that the Federal Government will look into it very quickly and begin to start the process,” he stated.
Okowa affirmed that the PDP government that would, by the grace of God, be headed by Atiku Abubakar from 2023, would spare no effort in ensuring that the construction of dams and desilting of Rivers Niger and Benue got the desired attention because of the sufferings of Nigerians occasioned by flood.
“When we look at the pains that come to our people cumulatively as a result of the flood and the destruction it brings, it is so huge and runs into several billions.
“So, I think that it is something that the Federal Government would consider building a dam across River Niger to prevent this from happening and I believe that the PDP government under the watch of Atiku will truly take that as a priority.
“We are immediately taking care of the people in the camp, which is the first thing to do by providing food, security and healthcare for them here.
“They have been organised into groups and they are cooking for themselves and we ensure that there is regular supply of food items to cook. So, we are sure that they are not suffering from any form of hunger.
“We can see doctors and nurses here, living under the same conditions as the IDPs just to provide health care. In two of the camps, some pregnant women have already been delivered by the medical personnel.
“You can see that they are well taken care of. In previous years, after their return to their homes, we have always provided some form of assistance and we will also do so this year. We are always compassionate,” the governor said.
He called on donor agencies and well-spirited individuals to partner government in alleviating the plights of those affected by the flood, adding that his administration would give assistance to those in IDPs’ camps as soon as the flood was over.
Ogbe-Afor Primary School camp has 1,548 IDPs, Oneh Primary School,1,684 IDPs and 1,475 in the camp at Ewulu.
Highpoint of the visit were primary school children among the IDPs seen receiving lesions from teachers in an improvised classroom at Ogbe-Afor Primary School camp in Asaba.
