Young people from the South-South area have accused Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), of causing the long-lasting political crisis in Rivers State and have asked for his immediate departure from office.
The South South Youths Initiative (SSYI), led by their National President, Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar, said they were very upset about what they called a “manufactured crisis” that was meant to keep the state from developing, according to Daily Independent.
At a news conference in Port Harcourt today, the group argued that Rivers State is stuck in unnecessary political instability, which they say is being caused by the FCT Minister, Wike, while other states are focusing on industrialization and economic progress.
The group told President Bola Tinubu to fire Minister Wike, saying that peace would only come back to Rivers State if he was no longer in charge.
They said that keeping Wike may be seen as the president supporting the chaos in the state.
Oscar said, “As young people from Rivers State and the South South region, we are not happy with what is going on in Rivers State. While other states are working to improve their economies and become more industrialized, Rivers State is dealing with an unnecessary political crisis caused by the FCT Minister.”
“We are asking the President to fire the Honorable Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike. We think that Rivers State will be at peace if the minister is fired. Unless Mr. President wants us to believe that he is the one paying Nyesom Wike to sow trouble and political unrest in the state,
The SSYI also said that political opposition was crushed while Wike was governor, saying that no senior government official openly questioned or criticized his administration at the time.
The group says that under Wike’s administration, youth empowerment programs were almost nonexistent, with no real job creation, skills training, or empowerment programs.
“When Nyesom Wike was the Governor of Rivers State, no one, not even the local government chairman or House of Assembly, spoke out against him. They were all loyalists. No one stopped Nyesom Wike’s progress or the building of infrastructure.
“We want Nyesom Wike to know that we, as young people in the state and in this area, are not happy with him.”
The youngsters said that the impeachment processes against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, were politically motivated witch hunts that Wike was supposedly behind. They also denied charges that they had done anything wrong with money.
The young people said that the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, was using “political tools” to make the state unstable and weaken the government.
They told the presidency that if they kept supporting Wike, President Tinubu might lose important votes in Rivers State in the 2027 general elections.
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