Former governor of Rivers state and of course the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has bombarded the current governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, over insecurity noting that the state has gone back to the time of Ateke Tom, a former militant leader.
Amaechi who disclosed this at the burial of a former Justice of the Supreme Court, Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, noted that Wike has instilled fear in the people of the state, making it impossible for them to speak nor criticize him (Wike).
He said that starting from next year, he (Ameachi) will begin to talk if nobody wants to talk, because of fear.
His words, “You have lost your voice. The sage (the late justice) has gone under and nobody is speaking. When I was governor, I gave people voices, but they have blocked those voices.
“Everyone is scared. We are going back to when Ateke held sway. We are going back to the period where we run away from our people. We are back to a period when nobody could speak. But from next year, I will begin to speak, if nobody wants to speak.
“We are all here because we need to bury a man God has blessed. I have stopped travelling because of bad weather, but I told myself I must be here because of Justice Whyte.
“If you knew Justice (Karibi-Whyte) very well, you will know I was close to him. I was one of the few people he mentored,” Amaechi stated.
On the other hand, Wike who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Emeka Woke, replied Amaechi, saying: “It is unfortunate for Amaechi to come to Kalabari land and accuse former President Goodluck Jonathan of not developing the area six years after he had left office.
“I wonder why the former governor will choose to make such embarrassing remarks at the funeral of late Justice Karibi-Whyte, a man he (Amaechi) claimed to be his mentor.”
Source: Vanguard
