By Daniel Abia
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that the biggest mistake Governor Siminalayi Fubara made was trying to do things alone and building his own political structure too early after he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
Wike said the development clearly showed that the governor undermined those who supported him and the structure that brought him to power.
He stated this during a special media chat held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Saturday.
The minister said while leaving office as governor, he had laid a solid foundation which he wanted Fubara to build on so that the state could gradually catch up with Lagos in terms of infrastructural revolution, but little did he know that the latter had his own plans.
The former governor said he initiated the multi-billion naira Port Harcourt Ring Road project linking several local government areas which had already begun before he handed over to Fubara, saying it was a legacy project he personally conceived.
Wike said he had built 12 flyovers which were all commissioned while he was still in office as governor of the oil-rich state of Rivers which he boasted improved the infrastructure and aesthetics of Port Harcourt, the state capital and its environs.
While noting that politicians must be meticulous in their dealings, Wike said the mistake Fubara made had further widened the gap which he wanted to bridge between Lagos and Rivers State, development-wise.
“In politics, you have to be careful. There are those who want you to succeed and make a name. The opportunity that you have been given, not everybody that has that opportunity. There are those who are not happy who don’t want you to be there, and you have to be very careful.
“Remember, before I handed over to Governor Fubara we did a church service and I did say that ‘You have been elected. Few days, you will be sworn in. Now what do you want to achieve? See where I have stopped.’ My thinking is that we do need to compete with Lagos. We have laid the foundation; he (Fubara) should be able to continue from there; we will give you all the necessary support.”
He said part of the problems with Fubara was that early in the life of his administration as governor, he started listening to those who wanted him to fail, including people who wanted to occupy the position he presently occupies, saying they were the ones who advised the governor to start a fight with him (Wike).
“In this game you have your stone base (support), you have your village relation, you have all kinds and manner of people. There are those who will mean well for you, there are those who will not mean well for you.
“Now you just came to office, somebody now comes, yes he is trying to support you. Must it be his name? Why not try now to put yourself and people know that it is you.
“Yes, you came through him but it is now you; all kinds of manner of things. Some will even go through your wife. Some people will go through your in-laws. So people will go through your father and all kinds of things. So it now behoves on you to sit and say, ‘This kind of advice, where will it lead me to?’
“You have to think well. If you make the mistake which he made by saying that ‘Yes, I can do it alone; those who gave me support I don’t care, I don’t need them.’ Those who didn’t want you will come in. There is no way anybody who didn’t want you to be in a position will want you to succeed.
“Yes, he tried to do it by himself and he wanted to set up his own structure as against the structure that built him. In fact it did not take up to 100 days and we saw it. We said something must be fundamentally wrong. Forget about people who say you were asking him for money. You know one thing in politics is that the moment you disagree on an issue, the only thing you can use to get the support of the people is that they are asking me for money.”
He recalled that as governor (as he then was) he never lost focus which explains why he achieved what he achieved and wanted his successor to build on it in the interest of the state.
“You (referring to one of the journalists) have said here that Nigerians were astonished by me taking 31 days of commission and flag-off, which no governor in this country has ever done. We were focused but you see, he (Fubara) lost focus here.”
Asked if he had asked Governor Fubara for money as has been rumoured in some quarters, he debunked it, saying it is not surprising for people to make such claims when there are issues such as the political crisis that rocked the state.
Wike wondered why he should ask for money when he is FCT Minister with a budget equivalent to that of a governor, saying such argument does not hold water but that he wanted Fubara to stabilise the state and consolidate on his achievements.
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