By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The FCT Minister. Barr. Nyesmo Wike has called out on Elder Statesman, and former governor of Rivers State,Dr. Peter Odili to respect himself and not reduce himself to a trader and sycophant.
Wike who was responding to Dr. Odili’s unclothed comment on the social media about Barr. Wike fired back at the former governor that “an elder statesman should not be a trader and a sycophant all the time.”
Wike, who was speaking at the Special Thanksgiving Service organized by 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, said it was unfortunate that somebody who is supposed to be considered an elder statesman and called a father can reduce himself to a sycophant and a trader.
He asked; “Must you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for?”
The Minister said; “You know, I would rather not 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.
What 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.
“Between him and me, 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.
“It was his nephew, his late senior brother’s son, that was recommended for commissioner. He took the slot and gave it to his daughter. Someone who didn’t remember to stand for the son of his late elder brother, is that an elder statesman?”
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; “All 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.
“In 2007, after he left office, he couldn’t come near power in the State because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone!
“Like somebody said that God will use someone to lift someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won’t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life.
“All of us know about PAMO University. But for us, there wouldn’t 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.
“I, 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 around the house.
“Now, because you have organized a Christmas Carol for the governor, I didn’t say you should not do your Christmas Carol. But why reduce yourself to such a laughingstock. 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.
“Why not do your Christmas Carol, collect what you can collect and leave me alone?
“The 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.
“When 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
