Dakuku Peterside, a former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has called on the federal government to intervene in the ongoing crisis in Rivers State.
Peterside expressed shock, disgust, and disbelief at the ongoing “descent into anarchy of governance and public affairs” in Rivers State, as well as the “naked display of anti-democratic and anti-people actions by some political actors” in the state.
He cited the recent defection of 27 lawmakers from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as the demolition of the state House of Assembly, as examples of how democracy is being mocked in the state.
The erstwhile NIMASA DG in a statement obtained by Business a.m, stated, It is clear from these political actors’ utterances and body language that the only goal dictating their actions is controlling the soul of Rivers State to the detriment of the state’s people. The people and their interests have been relegated to the background, whilst political jobbers hold the state on a knife-edge.
Many of our past patriotic leaders sacrificed a lot to build a peaceful, united, and prosperous Rivers State, which these handful of political actors seek to destroy. Rivers people would resist this brigandage, and I urge them to do so urgently. Posterity is going to judge all of us.”
As someone who has invested heavily in the development of Rivers State, Peterside called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and save the state from further turmoil. He said that the situation in Rivers State has reached a critical point, and that only the intervention of the federal government can prevent the state from “going up in flames.”
Peterside warned that if the president does not intervene, Rivers State will continue to slide into “total anarchy.” He stressed that as a statesman, President Tinubu cannot afford to sit back and allow the destruction of the state and its democratic institutions.
Peterside stressed that President Tinubu should put the interests of Rivers State and its citizens above any other consideration. He also called on all “genuine elders and well-meaning youths” to speak out against the politics of destruction and personality cults, and to instead support good governance and inclusive development.
