Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, said that contrary to popular opinions, Rivers State is relatively peaceful and effectively governed.
Wike also called on the countries of the European Union to partner with the State Government in the development of the commercial agricultural sector for the purpose of job creation and Capital waste disposal system.
Wike during a presentation titled: “Understanding current political and security situation in Rivers State in particular and Niger Delta region in general” at a forum of the European Union Heads of Missions in Abuja, said the government will continue to solicit for targeted development interventions in Rivers State from the European Union Missions.
While calling on the body to increase its unconditional development grants to Rivers State, and to deploy same to fund programmes, projects and services that will sustainably advance the socio-economic wellbeing of our people and communities; also encouraged European companies and investors to come over to Rivers State in particular and the Niger Delta in general, and invest in commercial agriculture, manufacturing, maritime services, oil and gas exploration, quality healthcare delivery, quality education, especially, in science and technology, roads and transport infrastructure, affordable housing, water provision and effective waste disposal systems.
Wike said that though Rivers State and the Niger Delta have their security challenges, the region is relatively peaceful, well governed and with a crime rate that is lower than the national average.
“Rivers State is effectively being governed. Law and order are in place; people are freely going about with their social and economic activities; the entire State is largely peaceful, and the crime rate is relatively low on the national average.
“This is also true with the other Niger Delta States as none is under a state of pervasive insecurity or violence as we have in some other parts of the country”.
“As a Government, our desire and resolve are to ensure that Rivers State is sustainably peaceful, secure and safe for citizens and visitors to reside, do business and have fun. And we have done a lot in the last four years of our administration to advance the security and wellbeing of the State and our citizens through personal initiatives as well as through the national security institutions”.
Continuing, he said: “State Governors face legal, administrative and political constraints when dealing with internal security issues. Although we are held out as the chief security officers of our States, in reality, we do not have even the slightest of legal and administrative control over security personnel, deployments and operations in our States.
“And if that was not frustrating enough, we also suffer from the politicization of security agencies and operations, which was taken to absurd levels, when the Federal Government prevented us, that is, the Rivers State Government, from operationalizing the Neighbourhood Watch Corps established by law to provide intelligence and other necessary security support and services to the formal security agencies in our communities, despite allowing some other States of the same political party with the Federal Government to have there own internal security outfits. With such and other effective drawbacks, there is a limit to what any State Governor can do to ensure all-round security in his State even with the best of intentions, efforts and inputs”.
