Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in Nigeria’s South-South has slammed the National Boundary Commission as corrupt, advising President Muhammadu Buhari to pay more attention to the agency.
Wike gave the advice on Sunday, during a special thanksgiving service at Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Port Harcourt, over the legal victory secured at the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the oil well dispute between Rivers and Imo.
The Rivers government is awaiting the NBC’s demarcation of the oil wells in the Akiri and Mbede communities, which are in dispute.
“While the waiting was on, there was a political understanding between Imo State and Rivers State that Dr Peter Odili of Rivers State and Achike Udenwa of Imo State acceded to when they were both serving as governors,” stated the Rivers governor.
Wike noted lamented that ex-Governor Emeka Ihedioha and incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma rescinded the political arrangement of the 50-50 sharing formula of the proceeds from the disputed oil wells in Akiri and Mbede communities.
“This young man (Emeka Ihedioha), just within four-five months he became a governor, went to see Mr President. He wrote to Mr President that Rivers State is owing Imo State N15 billion and, therefore, they should take the money from Rivers State, that the oil wells we are sharing on the 50-50 formula amicably belong to them,” Wike explained.
He added, “This is someone Rivers people, not Rivers State government, supported and spent money on. I have never seen a betrayal like this in my life that the former governor Emeka Ihedioha displayed. Rivers people who helped him, had sleepless nights to make him the governor of Imo State. We did everything we could do, thinking that we were supporting a friend. All we got was a stab at the back.”
At the behest of Buhari, the late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, wrote a letter to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC), said Wike. The letter, he said, directed for the deduction of N15 billion from Rivers and the handover of the disputed oil wells to Imo as requested by Emeka Ihedioha.
“But because of the sharp and very focus and honest commissioner of finance that we have in Rivers State, the letter bearing the instruction to take N15 billion from us and the oil wells to be taken away from us was intercepted,” the Rivers governor further disclosed. “We rushed to the Federal High Court to contest that Mr President has no power to direct you to do this, and the court agreed with us that yes, Mr President has no power to do this; that if there is anybody to do this, it is the National Boundary Commission.”
Accusing the NBC of underhanded activities, Wike stated, “Unfortunately, the most corrupt national agency is the National Boundary Commission(NBC). Corruption is personified in NBC. If Mr President is fighting corruption, he should leave innocent individuals and go to these agencies where corruption is personified. I’ve never seen people who believe anything they do must be for money.”
The Rivers governor stressed that the NBC “will abandon their function and create problems between states when there ought not to be problems. They will not do the right work so that the States can live in harmony.”
Wike further pointed out that the legal battle reached the Supreme Court and pointed out that there was a final determination of the owner of the oil wells and where they are situated in favour of Rivers, despite the Imo government allegedly sponsoring protesters to discredit the judges.
He expressed delight over the legal victory secured and reclaiming Rivers assets to further provide needed financial resources to his successor to develop the state.
Wike said the Rivers government is open to dialogue with the elders of Imo on the oil wells, which the apex court had declared belongs to the Rivers people.
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
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