Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the biggest mistakes made by his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, were trying to do things alone and attempting to build his own political structure too early after assuming office.
Wike said it was shocking that Fubara began building his political structure barely 100 days into office.
He said the development clearly showed that the governor undermined those who supported him and the political structure that brought him to power.
Wike stated this during a special media chat held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday.
The FCT minister said that 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 State in terms of infrastructure, but little did he know that the latter had his own plans.
Wike said he initiated the multi-billion-naira Port Harcourt Ring Road project linking several local government areas, which had already commenced before he handed over to the incumbent governor, describing it as a legacy project he conceived.
He said he built 12 flyovers, all of which were commissioned while he was still governor of the oil-rich state, adding that they 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 Fubara’s mistake had further widened the development gap he sought to bridge between Lagos and Rivers states.
Wike stated, “In politics, you have to be careful. Some want you to succeed and make a name for yourself. The opportunity you have been given is not available to everyone. Some are unhappy and don’t want you there, so please 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. In a 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 his administration as governor, he started listening to those who wanted him to fail, including people who wanted to occupy the position he now holds, saying they were the ones who advised the governor to start a fight with him.
“But listen, in this game you have your stone base (support); you have your village relation; you have all kinds and manner of people. Some will mean well by you; others will not.
“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 will know 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 behooves 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 he made by saying, ‘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.”
Asked whether he had demanded money from Governor Fubara, as had been rumoured in some quarters, Wike debunked the allegation, saying it was not surprising that such claims would emerge whenever political disagreements arose.
Wike wondered why he would ask for money when he is the FCT minister with a budget comparable to that of a state government, insisting that all he wanted was for Fubara to stabilise the state and consolidate on his achievements.