Former Senate President, David Mark, has declared that no governor in Nigeria can compete with Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
Mark said this, shortly before commissioning the Brick House and Chapel of Eternal Grace, at Government House, in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Both projects were renovated by governor Wike’s administration.
“I was wondering why the governor called me to commission this Brick house, but, through his remarks, I have been able to put two and two together…
“He said the house was completely abandoned and, for those of you who remember Major Mark, when I was here, I was chairman of Abandoned Property Implementation Committee.
“So, I think it is appropriate that I am the one to commission this Brick House.
“This is not my first visit to commission projects in Rivers state. I was here less than a year ago, to commission roads. And, I noticed tremendous improvement in the deliverance of the dividends of democracy in Rivers state. It is not about the amount of money at one’s disposal, but, the commitment. And, this governor has worked in a manner that no other governor can compete with in this country.
“While people are commissioning roads, commissioning bridges, commissioning good projects, in my own home state, Benue, we are giving out wheel barrows to empower people, so you can compare and contrast.
“When the next election comes, you don’t need to bother with all manner of propaganda. These works will campaign for you. And, for you, governor Wike, these works are already campaigning for you. There is no need to clamour for a second tenure, the people are the ones to do that on your behalf.”
Speaking on the lingering leadership tussle in PDP, Mark, looking in the direction of former acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, noted that a wrong choice was made in selection of a national chairman for the party.
In an overt reference to the PDP Supreme Court suit, Mark added: In your time, we had only one chairman. We made a wrong choice. Now, we have problems on our hands…”
Narrowing it down to his home state of Benue, the former Senate President disclosed that “all of a sudden, there was a letter from Abuja, nominating a completely unknown person as chairman of the party in the state.” Regardless, Mark assured that PDP will shock the ruling party in Benue state.
Earlier, Wike explained that his administration resolved to restore the Brick House because of its historical nature.
He noted that former leaders of the state, beginning from Diete Spiff to Governor Peter Odili governed from Brick House before Odili’s administration constructed the new Government House.
Governor Wike said after Odili, the Brick House was abandoned and left to rot until his administration decided to restore it.
“We invited Julius Berger because it is important we preserve what we have. This building was built in 1928.
“All former military administrators up to Governor Odili stayed in the Brick House…”
Commissioning of the restored Brick House attracted political, religious and business leaders from across the country.
Thereafter, Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Austin Tam-George, described achievements of governor Wike in two years in office as “a testimonial of administrative excellence.
Tam-George, who described the remodelled Brick House as an important symbol of authority, pointed out that the building had been restored to its former glory, after it was abandoned for years by previous administration.
Some of the guests at the occasion were SenatorThompson Sekibo, representing Rivers East; former governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, Celestine Omehia and Odili, former governors of Rivers state and Archbishop of Abuja Province and Primate of the Church of Nigeria in the Anglican Communion Nicholas Okoh.
Source:sun
