Immediate past Head of Service in Rivers State, Dr George Nweke, has said that President Bola Tinubu should be commended for saving the state with the imposition of a state of emergency. Nweke, who resigned from office within the week, said that with the “loads of misinformation in print and electronic media, I have chosen to put the record straight.”
He clarified that he was neither sacked nor put under pressure to resign, but resigned “willingly from the depth of my heart.”
The former Head of Service said that as an insider and a key player who worked closely with Siminilayi Fubara, “it will be unfair for me to keep silent or not to address some key factors that has affected or will affect our state if we continue on this trajectory.” He said that President Tinubu’s swift intervention in Rivers State came at the right time and should be commended.
“If not for the intervention of Mr President, Nigeria would have faced the worst economic sabotage and Rivers State would have been up in flames,” he said.
Nweke said that burning down of the House of Assembly started the crisis.
“A day after that incident, I almost resigned,” he said, while advising stakeholders who have condemned the state of emergency made by the President and confirmed by the National Assembly to retract their statements.
“I also understand that they are only seeing the surface. If the President did not take proactive step, no one knows who would have been affected by the sinister plans that were cooking.
“While I thank Mr President for the state of emergency that was declared in Rivers State for a period of six months, I will plead with him not to give up on Rivers State affairs because a lot are going on there. He advised the Nigeria Labour Congress to call some of its officials to order “in order to avoid politicizing Labour.”
The ex- Head of Service said that “Rivers people and indeed Nigerians are the beneficiary of the declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers State and not Gov. Fubara or Minister Wike.”
He called on President Tinubu to urge the Sole Administrator to step up his guard and be very vigilant “because I am aware of the sinister arrangement and dastardly plans to continue to hatch their plans if not put in check.
“Those who love democracy and humanity will always protect humanity and democracy. Mr. President, you have just protected democracy and humanity in Rivers State. I can now sleep with my conscience clear.”