Paulinus Nsirim
“Essentially, in the course of the campaigns, we additionally promised to safe our State. No authorities is price any worth if it can’t assure the safety of lives and property. I guarantee you that by no means for a second will our administration be a captive of politics, on the subject of public safety. We’ve the political will to struggle, defeat crimes and criminality in Rivers State. There might be efficient coordination, collaboration and synergy with the Federal Authorities, the regulation enforcement businesses and our neighborhood leaders within the prosecution of the struggle in opposition to cultism, kidnapping and armed theft. We urge our folks to totally co-operate with us on this route.”
– Nyesom Ezenwo Wike
These had been the phrases of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike in his inaugural tackle to Rivers folks on Friday, Might 29, 2015, on the Yakubu Gowon Stadium ,Port Harcourt.
Dispassionate analysts and Rivers watchers will agree that the Governor has saved his phrase and remained trustworthy to that pledge contained in his first tackle as Governor.
Many can nonetheless recall with readability, the gory episodes of violence and insecurity that attended and outlined the 2015 basic elections in Rivers State and even Governor Wike himself, popping out of that electoral crucible, described the expertise within the following phrases: “Rivers State has been rescued and reclaimed. It’s a new day in our historical past, a brand new daybreak to restore and restore our expensive State to the trail of sanity. I invite you all to the desk of brotherhood for the brand new starting. I reiterate my declaration
that within the election there have been no losers and winners. Relatively, Rivers State was the winner and so we’re all winners”.
Setting forth with this honest mindset of therapeutic, reconciliation and brotherhood, Governor Wike was very cautious to not be lulled right into a false sense of authority with the phantasm that electoral victory would calm the wild opposition horses within the augean secure and political cauldron that Rivers State had remodeled into in just some quick years.
Nevertheless, by the start of 2018, when the administration of Governor Nyesom Wike had lastly settled down and began the implementation of the programmes set out within the inauguration speech, together with the excellent effort to deal with the safety problem, the violence and fatalities dropped fairly dramatically to the purpose that those that had traded in violence as their essential commodity of negotiation, quickly found to their everlasting chagrin, that the cloak of immunity that they had worn to hold out their terror campaigns, was step by step been shredded to items by the brand new, no nonsense Sheriff on the town, who had zero tolerance for the violence and bloodletting that had grow to be synonymous with the as soon as idyllic backyard metropolis state.
Governor Wike’s strategic strategy to tackling the safety problem within the state has been anchored on the efficient cordination, collaboration and synergy with the Federal Authorities, the constitutionally acknowledged regulation enforcement businesses, neighborhood leaders and conventional establishments and he has maintained a really trustworthy, cordial and sturdy relationship with all of them, particularly within the means of translating the varied safety initiatives of his administration into operation.
In March 2018, Governor Nyesom Wike, in a bid to enhance the safety of communities in Rivers State, gave his assent to 3 payments: the Rivers State Neighbourhood Security Corps Legislation No.eight of 2018; the Rivers State Secret Cult and Comparable Actions (Prohibition) (Modification) Legislation No.6 of 2018 and the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) (Modification) No.2 Legislation No.7 of 2018.
Assenting to the three payments handed by Rivers State Home of Meeting on the Authorities Home, Port Harcourt, Governor Wike stated the legal guidelines had been essential to reinforce safety throughout the state.
“In case your arms are clear, then you don’t have anything to concern concerning the three legal guidelines that I’ve given assent to. All criminals will face the total weight of the regulation. We’ll struggle crime and be certain that the state is protected for traders.
“If you’re a cultist and you’re caught, it’s life imprisonment. If you’re a cultist and also you kill throughout cult actions, you’ll face the dying penalty. If you’re convicted for kidnapping and the Supreme Courtroom affirms your conviction, I’ll signal the dying warrant with out trying again. The state authorities will battle cultism and kidnapping to a standstill. Sufficient is sufficient,” the Rivers State Governor warned at the moment.
Shedding extra gentle on the necessity to arrange the Neighborhood Watch, Governor Wike stated that opposite to the falsehood being unfold by sure pursuits within the state that the brand new recruits could be armed and used to intimidate residents, the “Neighbourhood Watch has nothing to do with carrying arms. Their obligation is to enhance safety businesses throughout the state. Safety of lives revolves round info and intelligence.
“The youths of the state might be employed because the Neighbourhood Watch takes impact and members of the Neighbourhood Watch will collect intelligence and data and cross similar to safety businesses for the safety of lives and property. The Neighbourhood Watch is for the great of our folks. We’ve sworn to guard our folks,” he had pledged.
Nevertheless, regardless of the lofty and laudable idea and prospects of the Neighborhood Watch, which was original alongside the Lagos State Neighbourhood Security Corps Company, the barrage of damaging propaganda and deceptive interpretations by those that didn’t need peace in Rivers State, was so concerted that they needed to even drag the navy and safety businesses right into a brilliantly structured safety initiative.
Satirically, the pragmatism and foresight which Governor Wike exhibited by in search of to legitimize the Neighborhood Watch by means of an act of parliament two years in the past, has now been embraced, not simply by states whose Assemblies have just lately handed comparable payments, however by the areas within the nation. Whereas the South West has absolutely dedicated to domesticating “Amoetekun” as their very own indigenous Safety outfit, each the South East and South South Governors have agreed in precept to arrange their regional safety buildings to fight crime and tackle widespread insecurity within the areas.
Not one to be deterred by deliberate setbacks and deliberately contrived cogs within the wheel of progress, Governor Wike, intensified his synergy with safety businesses within the state and on June 26, 2019, took one other main step in guaranteeing the security and safety of Rivers State’s residents with the launch of the State Safety outfit code-named “Operation Sting”.
Describing the initiative as a sign for criminals to know that there is no such thing as a hiding place for them anymore within the state, Governor Wike stated: “Operation Sting is our personal specialised safety initiative anchored on an built-in and coordinated strategy, absolutely funded by the Rivers state authorities, to successfully deal with each the sources and drivers of insecurity.
“The operation can also be to struggle in opposition to each safety risk to our state, our individuals and our properties in different to create the best social atmosphere to drive our growth. Underneath Operation Sting we have now taken concrete steps to strengthen the logistics and operational functionality of the civil and armed safety forces.”
The exceptional successes achieved in tackling prison components and decreasing crime and criminality in all components of the state, because the outfit was launched, has significantly inspired Governor Wike to proceed to help and equip safety businesses working within the state to make sure they reply promptly and successfully to the safety wants and challenges as they emerge. These gear embody Patrol/operational automobiles fitted with communication devices; Armoured fitted gunboats, hand-held cellular radios amongst different operational devices. The benefiting businesses are the Military, Navy, Airforce, Federal Particular Anti-Theft Squad (FSARS), C4I Unit , Police Anti-Cultism, Nigeria Safety and Civil Defence Corp and Federal Street Security Corps.
Additionally in August 2019, Governor Nyesom Wike, in furtherance of his dedicated effort to make sure peace and shield the lives and properties of Rivers peeple, proscribed all youth teams within the state.
Talking on the necessity to take this essential motion, Governor Wike stated proscribing the youth teams had grow to be essential as a result of they’ve been hijacked by cultists.
He stated: “Anyone working below a youth physique henceforth might be arrested by safety businesses. Earlier than you contest for any youth physique’s management you have to ship the names to the DSS and police for screening. If they’re cultists, we won’t permit them to function.
“Rivers State Authorities is absolutely ready and can do all the pieces required to guard lives and property. With out the safety of lives and property, there might be no governance and growth,” Governor Wike stated.
After all, no sooner was this pronouncement made, than the divisive and diversionary brokers, whose calling in life is to problem each coverage of the Nyesom Wike administration, rapidly jumped on the general public opinion podium to begin bellyaching and deceptive Rivers folks about all types of rights which proscribing youth teams would violate and but conveniently forgetting so as to add that solely youth teams with out correct registration and profiling by the police and different acknowledged safety businesses, could be proscribed.
Evidently that with the total ccooperation of the safety businesses, in addition to neighborhood leaders and conventional establishments, the enforcement of the proscription has yielded great successes and significantly diminished the actions and affect of those undocumented but menacingly operational youth teams throughout the state.
There’s little doubt that Governor Nyesom Wike is working with the executive truism that peace and safety are important elements of human life and as such a peaceable and safe atmosphere is important to each society because it impacts all points of financial and social growth within the state and is a essential situation precedent to the conclusion of human rights.
His strategic strategy to addressing the Safety problem has been hinged on the time examined and trusted processes of Safety Controls, that are; Preventative, Detective, and Responsive methods and lots of Rivers watchers will concur with the truth that these have had direct results on the creation of a step by step rising sound, aggressive and equitable financial growth, which has finally impacted positively on the entire society.
With the drastic discount of crime and violence associated fatalities, the on-going development of main infrastructural tasks, the bustling return of business actions in all sectors and the rising investor confidence in selecting Rivers State as an funding pleasant and conducive vacation spot, Governor Wike’s strategic safety grasp plan is delivering constructive and verifiable outcomes.
These have additional been complemented by the choice of the Rivers State authorities to concession a few of the state owned property to non-public partnership, together with the fish farms and agricultural services, to traders; an financial initiative which may solely be contemplated and pushed by a authorities absolutely satisfied and assured in her potential and capability to offer satisfactory and complete safety to guard its companions and investments within the state.
Certainly, the Rivers State Governor was to emphasise this exceptional conviction and confidence in February this yr, when he hosted the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Jens-Peter Kjemprud on the Authorities Home, Port Harcourt and knowledgeable him that extra investments are being made to additional enhance safety within the State and this had been mirrored, particularly within the transport sector the place most transport corporations are returning to Onne Port in Rivers State to hold out their companies.
He stated: “We’ve improved safety within the state and that has given confidence to traders. We’re additional growing the safety structure for higher safety of lives and property.
“We wish to companion together with your authorities within the space of agriculture. Our focus might be fish farming to enhance our economic system and empower most of our folks,” he stated.
Governor Wike had knowledgeable the Norwegian high diplomat that whereas the State authorities desired higher cooperation between Norway and Rivers State and would embrace the chance for extra sturdy interplay with main traders from Nordic nation, with a view to attracting them to spend money on the state, the Norwegian authorities also needs to open a consulate in Port Harcourt due to its strategic place within the economic system of the nation.
In his response, the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Jens-Peter Kjemprud confirmed that the Norwegian authorities is dedicated to enhancing its relationship with the Rivers State Authorities as a way to improve financial progress. He additional added that Norwegian Firms had been presently concerned within the development trade in Rivers State and whereas revealing that 50 Norwegian Firms are already working within the nation’s oil and fuel sector. He stated that Port Harcourt is the choice to Lagos and could be patronized by traders.
The ambassador additionally confirned that steps have been taken to actualize the request by the Rivers State Governor for the opening of the Norwegian Consulate in Port Harcourt and invited the Rivers State Governor to Norway to work together with completely different courses of traders to reinforce the financial cooperation between Norway and Rivers State.
Right this moment, Rivers state is far more peaceable and there was a drastic discount in incidences of kidnapping, armed theft and neighborhood conflicts. This success will not be solely because of what some analysts acknowledge as the highest down effort of safety businesses, but additionally the collaboration and lively participation of some Native Authorities Councils, Neighborhood Improvement Committees, Neighborhood Safety Teams, in addition to conventional rulers and establishments, whose significance, duties and attendant penalties within the efforts to make sure peace and safety of their domains, have been clearly and continuously outlined for them by the Governor.
Going ahead, the safety summit which was proposed by the Rivers State Authorities, however needed to be placed on maintain by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, might be anticipated to offer a superb platform, as soon as it’s convened, for all important stakeholders within the safety neighborhood to converge and style out a complete safety blue print for sustainable safety within the state, that might be in tandem with the pledge of the administration in addressing the safety challenges in Rivers State.
Governor Nyesom Wike has obtained nice admiration and commendation for bravely and courageously main from the entrance within the effort to deal with insecurity and tackle violence, particularly election associated violence, even in opposition to the ever current backdrop of provocative threats, incendiary feedback and the boastful cacophony of some misguided miscreants and idle youths, who continuously invoke the unleashing of fireside, brimstone and destruction on our expensive Rivers State as their very own response to self inflicted political disagreements and deliberate frictions which their leaders have didn’t handle, however for which they wish to drag the entire state down with their drowning political construction.
What the administration requires from the folks is their full co-operation, knowledge, prayers and help and to additionally make essential sacrifices in various methods, as a result of working collectively implies that Rivers State can do extra and obtain a lot extra, particularly within the route of safety.
Governor Nyesom Wike has all the time pledged that his guarantees stay his bond which is the explanation he’ll work tirelessly along with his administration to actualize the set objectives and aims.
In order that collectively, Rivers State might be remodeled into the place that Rivers folks can all be pleased with, with confidence within the nice potentialities and alternatives inherent within the state.
• Nsirim is the Commissioner for Info and Communications, Rivers State
Supply: www.sunnewsonline.com
