Rivers 2019: I’m Still Consulting with Stakeholders, Says Dakuku

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, August 23rd, 2018

…Scores Wike Low on Projects, Performance

By Tajudeen Balogun

Head, African Examiner, Nigeria Bureau

LAGOS, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Unlike many other aspirants, the Director General DG of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside says his 2019 political ambition is still in view, as he is currently ‘’consulting’’ with the key stakeholders.

After the consultation, Dr. Peterside who contested for the Governorship seat of Rivers State South-South Nigeria in the 2015 General Elections, under the ruling All Progressives Congress APC platform, confirmed that, he would announce whether he will contest again or not, but noted for now, he has not made any declaration.

While fielding questions from the Political Editors and Senior Maritime Correspondents in Lagos at a breakfast meeting, the NIMASA DG who scored the incumbent Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike low, responded that the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) would determine whether its Governorship and other primaries would be direct or delegate.

Dr. Peterside who expressed concern over misunderstanding of Rivers politics by many people, declared that there was a “mismatch” when the huge financial inflow into the State, which include the Internally Generated Revenue IGR; the State’s share of Paris Club debts overpayment refund among others, are compared with the achievements claimed by Governor Wike.

He asserted that the administration’s performance has been blown out of proportion.

He expressed dismay that since Wike assumed office as the Governor, he has not advertised any project, except the World Bank assisted water project.

The APC Chieftain also declared that the level of insecurity in the State and poor policy framework by Governor Wike’s administration has frustrated good business investment from coming into the State, thereby leading to high crime and unemployment rates.

Apart from the road construction, which he noted the Governor did not deserve the total credit he has been receiving, as some of them were the initiatives of the immediate past Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Dr Peterside, challenged Wike’s administration of lacking any health, education or agricultural policy which the present Rivers State Government has initiated and completed.

On drive to develop judiciary, the former APC Governorship candidate said Governor Wike’s approach in this aspect was lopsided, as the attention was only on the Court of Appeal, the Nigeria Industrial Court and other Federal structures.

Peterside wondered why a State Governor would concentrate development on Federal owned affairs and abandon matters of concern to the State he governs.

Speaking on the human capacity building, Dr. Peterside who said for the first, NIMASA is now being rated among the first-five Federal Government FG agencies with the records of unprecedented income generation and remittance, disclosed that Governor Wike after resuming to the office withdrew the scholarship given by the previous administration to the beneficiaries who were studying overseas.

While advocating that the Rivers people expected their politics to be put in the right perspective, the NIMASA boss and President of Association of African Maritime Administration (AAMA) appealed to the mass media to support in the struggle.