WIKE SAYS OVERBEARING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SLOWING DOWN DEVELOPMENT OF STATES
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has stated that the
under-developed nature of states across the country remain traceable to
an overbearing Federal Government that has dysfunctional federal
organisations that slow down the pace of development.
He said that State Governors should no longer be addressed as Chief
Security Officers, but mere Chief Logistic Officers who only provide
logistics for Federal Security agencies.
Addressing the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 9 at the
Institute of Security Service (ISS), Abuja on Wednesday, Governor Wike
said : “The federal government is simply too overbearing with
too much powers and resources at its disposal. We know the recurrent
rifts between the Federal Government and the States
overdevelopment issues, including revenue sharing, resource
control, excesscrude oil account, appointments into federal agencies and
arbitrary location or withdrawal of federally-funded projects.”
In his paper titled: “Institutional weaknesses and challenges of
development in Rivers State, ” the governor argued that Federal
Government agencies have been turned against state and local governments
as they merely constitute themselves into a stumbling block as they
deliberately embark on unconstitutional activities that stall
development.
He said that Rivers State has been at the receiving end of the
failures of Federal institutions as no new projects have been instituted
in the state by the Federal Government for years.
The governor stated : “Given its contributions to national
development, Rivers State deserves a special status and
consideration from the Federal Government, but it is not.
“Rather, the State has suffered sustained neglect,
marginalization and injustice from successive federal governments and
its agencies. Even as no new development project has been initiated in the
State for decades, what is most distressing is failure of the Federal
Government to adequately maintain some of the critical federal
infrastructure in the State.”
He noted that the centralization of security and the poor use of the
security agencies have negatively impacted on the development of Rivers
State, with several anti-people measures instituted to work against the
peace of the state.
He said : “Developments in Rivers State in the last few months point to
the capture of the State's security system by some special interest groups
in their attempt to overawe the State Government and achieve their
political agenda.
“Thus,frequent transfer of the CP and other Director of the State Security
Serviceshas become a norm. I am presently working with the 5th
Commissioner ofPolice since I assumed office barely a year ago. Indeed,
things have gone so
bizarre that senior officers who had had political brushes with me now
headevery sensitive police formation in the State.”
Governor Wike reiterated that the manipulation of the electoral process
by INEC has become extremely worrisome, with the state denied
representation at the National Assembly while the State House of Assembly
has not been fully constituted.
He pointed out that the most shocking is Tai Local Government Area
where INEC has plotted to sneak in concocted results for cancelled polls.
“The failure to conclude the re-run elections in Rivers State is
a distraction, which is a development cost the State Government is paying
onaccount of INEC's institutional weaknesses and inefficiencies”, he said.
The governor added that despite the Federal stumbling blocks to
development, his administration has ensured that Rivers people enjoyed
good governance and development.
He said that the state judiciary which was crippled by the immediate
past administration has been revived , made more functional and
independent. The governor stated that the House of Assembly enjoys
independence while the hitherto moribund civil service has been revived.
The governor called for reforms of relevant Federal and State
institutions to ensure that the contribute to development rather than
impede it.
The post WIKE SAYS OVERBEARING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SLOWING DOWN DEVELOPMENT OF STATES appeared first on Pointblank News .