Police Posting to Rivers: Civil Society Groups Condemn Wike's Utterances

Coalition of civil society non - governmental organizations in Rivers State have condemned in totality Gov Wike's utterances on the Nigeria police force, describing it as meddlesomeness and an intrusion into the official freedom and the power of the Inspector General of Police to determine and decide which police officer to be given responsibility and where such an officer should be sent to perform his or her duties.

Speaking to news men in Port Harcourt, the coordinator of coalition of civil society organizations in Rivers State and second Vice president of the Rivers Pathfinders, Comrade Gregory Iyala Georgewill described Wike's outburst against the police high command at a PDP Rivers East senatorial rally held at Okehi, Etche LGA Head quarters on Thursday 21st day of July, 2016, as "not only provocative, but also amounts to recklessness".

The coalition advised Gov Wike to "stop the politics of blackmail and brigandage as the people of Rivers State have become wiser not to tolerate his acts of hooliganism which have become stock in trade of Gov Wike", Georgewill stressed.

Also collaborating the popular opinion of Rivers people on the recklessness of Gov Wike in his attitude in public comments in the past one year, the coordinator of another civil society group, Alliance for Transparency and Good Governance, Hon. Erasmus Obele Nwankpa, said that " Gov Wike can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time. Our people are fed up with the practice of blackmailing people to get his way. We can no longer tolerate this and it is important that Wike is told in clear terms that his antics has failed him and can not work again", Nwankpa emphasize.

Also speaking, the public relation officer of Vanguard for Justice, Equity and Strategy, another civil society non – governmental organization, Barr. Jerome Alali Green, described Gov Wike's approach and attitude as “crude and uncivilized ", arguing that, " it is only in Rivers State that a character of the type of Wike can be seen and heard as this will not be acceptable in any other part of the world ".

"Why should Gov Wike think in his wildest imagination that he can hold everybody in Rivers State to ransom? What quality does Gov Wike possess that makes him think that he has the magnitude of the latitude that he arrogates to himself to speak to Rivers people or take decision on their behalf in such an uncultured manner", Barr. Green queries.

The Coalition was unanimous in their opinions that in Gov Wike, Rivers people had made an unforgivable and unforgettable mistake in not understanding the ripple effect of a character of the type of Gov Wike, warning that "it will no longer be business as usual and never again should Rivers people tolerate Gov Wike's style of psychological warfare and intimidation game".

There is no doubt whatsoever, the coalition continued, " that the power and prerogative to hire and post police officers in Nigeria is the exclusive responsibility of the Nigeria police force under the able leadership of the Inspector General of Police, who currently is Mohamed Idris, in whom Nigerians and, indeed, the good people of Rivers State have confidence in his capacity and capability to take the right decision in the overall interest of the citizens and residents in Rivers State, irrespective of whether or not those so chosen are the choice of Gov Wike. Gov Wike have become unbearably notorious in challenging the federal government of Nigeria and her agencies, before now, it was INEC and judiciary, today it is the Nigeria police, tomorrow may be the turn of the armed forces", the coalition insisted.