“Never, never in our history have we had a governor that lies so easily and rarely thinks of how much damage he is doing to his family and the collective aspirations of Rivers people and generations unborn.”

These were the words Dr Dakuku Peterside, while reacting to interviews granted by Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, on radio and television programmes wherein he made desperate attempts to respond to issues raised by former governor Chibuike Amaechi at a birthday event organised in his honour in Port Harcourt last weekend.

Among other things, Governor Wike had claimed that Amaechi never continued any project started by his predecessor, that local government chairmen were paying money to Amaechi’s wife on monthly basis, in addition to the former governor not finishing any project while in office and frittering away Rivers money to other states in the country because of ambition to become Vice President.

However, Dr. Peterside, who is also the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), says Wike is daily giving himself away as somebody who is “manifestly incompetent and a serial liar who has no sense of shame.”

“Sometimes, you wonder whether Wike thinks before he speaks or that lying is ingrained in his DNA. I have never seen or met any public servant who lies so conveniently and effortlessly like Wike. Rivers State is now a butt of laughter in Nigeria,” he stated.

The NIMASA DG, who was commissioner for works during Amaechi’s first tenure expressed worry over the way and manner the Rivers governor was conducting himself in public domain, especially as it relates to civility, oath of office and reverence required of the office he occupies.

Dr. Peterside said: “Wike has a long list of lies. Just before the last rerun elections in Rivers state, he claimed he had a videotape evidence of where police and INEC had connived to rig the election in favour of APC. However, to this day, he has not presented any tape to Nigerians because he has none.

“Not long ago, Wike claimed he had awarded a road project in Benue state to the tune of N2bn. As I speak today, the lying governor has not been able to show anybody where the road is and which contractor is handling the project.

“Just recently, Wike shocked even himself when he claimed that the $43m found at a residence in Ikoyi belongs to Rivers State Government. The Federal High Court in Lagos gave ample opportunity for anybody to come forward, present credible evidence and claim the money. The loquacious governor failed to show up after boasting that he had assembled lawyers to prove his claim.

“Yet again, the governor claimed that his predecessor never finished any project started by the Celetine Omehia led-administration. Nothing can be further from the truth. Ask Wike who awarded the multi-billion Naira Eleme Junction overhead bridge interchange and who finished the project?

“As one of the cabinet members and a close family friend, I can say boldly that at no time did local government chairmen pay Amaechi’s wife monthly. This is a white lie from a dubious person. Interestingly, Wike was chief of staff then and he was the one that had the most interactions with council chairmen, I suspect he may have been collecting money from them falsely using the name of the former governor’s wife.”

Dr. Peterside stated that with the plethora of lies hanging on Wike’s head, the governor has a huge moral burden and should not be regarded as a serious minded person.

“What is the value of a lying governor? A governor that does not know the value of projects he awards; a governor that has not shown Rivers people the state budget for two consecutive years; a governor that talks carelessly; how do we believe what such a governor says?” the NIMASA boss queried.

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