Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has disclosed that he and his team met with certain political leaders in London, saying that he is more interested in a better Nigeria as he is still consulting widely with those who mean well for the country.
Wike also confirmed that he and his team met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the presidential candidates of three major political parties: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party-PDP); Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ( All Progressives Congress -APC) and Mr Peter Obi (Labour Party -LP) in London, United Kingdom.
The Rivers Governor stated this on Friday when he spoke with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in Ikwerre Local Government Area, shortly on his arrival from London.
Two States Governors: Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) attended the press briefing with Wike .
Wike also disclosed that topmost on the agenda is how to make Nigeria better than what it is currently, saying that all is not well with Nigeria.
According to Wike, he and his team are seeking remedies that will restore hope in Nigeria.
He said, “I can confirm that this is the first time as a team that we are meeting with presidential candidates.
“We met with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC and we met with our leader, former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“We met the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. We also met with our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. For whatever it’s worth, consultation is ongoing.
“Whatever we are talking about, is for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. It is not parochial and tied to one person or group of persons.
“We believe that with what is going on, it will be for the interest of Nigerians at the end of the day.”
He also decried the situation where standard, training and competence have always been traded for mediocrity, saying that leadership should not be about one individual and the interest of his family, but about the collective interest of Nigerians.
Wike said, “Consultation is still ongoing. Never mind some people who do not believe in the existence of this country.
“Leadership is not about you and your family. Leadership is about everybody. It’s unfortunate that we are in a country now where a man finishes eight years as a governor and brings his own son as a governor too and as a member of the National Assembly.
“It’s only in this part of the world that you can see that when we are talking about poverty everywhere. These are people who do not mean well for Nigeria.
The Rivers Governor also faulted a situation where religion and ethnicity are used to determine leadership when competence should be the yardstick.
He said, “The only identity they have in this country is religion and ethnicity, nothing more. It’s either, I’m a Christian or I’m a Moslem, I’m a Fulani or I’m an Igbo. Nigeria cannot move forward except they think it will be them. That’s where we are.
“We are in a country where someone with a primary school certificate can be appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. That tells you how bad this country has become.
“But with our consultation, all these will be a thing of the past. No amount of intimidation or blackmail will deter us. We are determined to right the wrong.”
In his response, the leader of the team and Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom stated that they have met with important personalities in the past couple of days on the grounds of their belief that Nigeria is in distress and required concerted efforts to rescue it.
Ortom added that the team had fruitful talks with those they had met, saying that the conversations were beyond partisan politics as well-meaning Nigerians need to work together in ensuring that Nigeria survives.
He said, “For us, we are looking at the larger picture. Nigeria today is in distress. It is about what we can do. No man or woman alone can get it right for our country.
“We are looking at how we can harness ideas and put ourselves together to ensure that we get out of the present challenge we are in Nigeria today.
“From top to bottom, consider what has happened from 2015 and where we are today. So, what we are doing is a concern that we have for our country, Nigeria.
“This is beyond partisan politics. We are looking on how we can come together and find a way of ensuring that Nigeria survives. Nigeria is on drip, Nigeria is on oxygen and it is about how can we get out of this.
Governor Ortom also stated that the three separate meetings they had within the week were fruitful.
“The consultation is going on and will continue to go on. We are still going to meet here. We are still going to meet some people some other time and see how we can work to ensure that the project Nigeria works.”
In his own comment, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu stated that members of the team are on a mission and are determined to find a way to rescue Nigeria.
He said, “And this is a country with great potential and we have to protect it well. We think that we need to engage across the board.
“We are also looking at speaking with civil society organisations and those who have ideas, with Nigerians in the Diaspora.
“All the resources available in this country have to come together at this time to see how best we can move Nigeria forward”.
