Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has sent a list of persons selected to be part of the taskforce against illegal refining activities in the state to the Department of State Services (DSS) for profiling.

Illegal refining activities have been responsible for the soot in the oil rich state.

The governor said the prospective members were drawn from local government areas that had shown commitment to the fight against illegal refineries in the

Wike urged the DSS to dutifully and quickly attend to the list to enable successful persons resume their duties.

The governor spoke during a security meeting with heads of security agencies in the state and five local government chairmen at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.

Addressing the DSS, he said: “It is important that when you profile them, you do it quickly too so that they can start work. Those in whom we have no trust, we remove them.”

Wike said he had approved the money that was pledged to councils that identified and destroyed sites used for illegal crude oil refining.

He clarified that only five local government areas had satisfied the conditions to get the fund.

“I will not give a local government money if I have not seen any commitment. No, I won’t do that. I want to see commitment. So, it is only those that have shown commitment that I have approved the money for,” he said.

The governor said as a responsible government ,despite belonging to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his administration would not allow any act of economic sabotage such as crude oil theft in the state.

He said the war against illegal refining of crude oil was not about political party but about Nigeria and its survival as well as protecting the health of Rivers people.

He said: “The mere fact that I am in opposition does not mean that I have to sabotage the economy of the nation. This country belongs to all of us and you know that oil is the major source of revenue for the federation that the three tiers of government share from.”

“So, you cannot, because you’re of the opposition, close your eyes and allow that to happen. No responsible government does that. This is not about party. It is about Nigeria. It is about making sure this country survives and then also the health factor. (The Nation)

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