The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has called on the new Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board to move away from what has become a norm by not giving projects to political contractors but to those with competence and track records.
Wike gave the advice when the new NDDC’s board members, led by its Chairman, Lauretta Onochie, paid a courtesy visit to him at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Friday, contained in a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Kelvin Ebiri.
He said, ‘There are what we call regional developmental projects that can link up two states.
‘Those are the kind of things NDDC should go for and give to competent contractors. Leave these political contractors alone. Leave all these portfolio contractors. You have come to my state and seen what I have done.’
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Wike had earlier in the week mocked the presidential candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar over New Year’s endorsement of Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to the governor, the move by Obasanjo who refused to openly endorse Atiku is an indicator that there is something fundamentally wrong with Atiku who was Obasanjo’s vice from 1999 to 2003.
The governor pointed out that it was funny that the engineer of the same legacies upon which Atiku was campaigning failed to recommend him but instead endorsed Obi.
He was speaking during the flagging off of a road project in Emohua Local Government Area of the state on Monday.
Wike said: ‘If you are bad product, you are a bad product, if you are a good product, you are a good product.
‘You worked under somebody, the person has recommended to Nigerians another person, is it me?
‘I worked with somebody for eight years and we are using it as a campaign that when we were in office we did well, then my boss is recommending another person to be there, something is fundamentally wrong.
‘I was praying that Obasanjo should not say anything, when I saw the letter last night I was touched.
‘If your principal does not recommend you, then there’s something fundamentally wrong.’
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Presidency also lambasted former President Olusegun Obasanjo, describing him as a man well known for attacking President Muhammadu Buhari because he won’t stop being jealous of anyone who beats him to a new record in the nation’s development process.