By: Felix Ikpotor
Worried by the spate of insecurity in parts of the country, Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, says the governors of the region have been brainstorming on a regional security outfit to curb the menace.
He, however, expressed doubt over the workability of the outfit due to ethnic and language differences in the region.
This is even as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had on Thursday urged governors of the six states in the region to set up a regional security outfit that will help in securing lives and property in the region.
The main opposition party said farmers in the region live in fear of marauding herdsmen.
Chief Dan Orbih, the vice-chairman of the PDP (South-South) who stated this in Port Harcourt during a courtesy visit to governor Nyesom Wike, noted that Nigerians are no longer safe under the All Progressives Congress-led Federal government,
He said: “I must report to you that in the South-South, most of our people cannot go to farms. If our people cannot access their farms, it is a clear signal of the impending food crisis we are going to face in this nation.
“Looking at the country today, different areas are advocating for a conference where we can sit down and address the problems we are facing.
“The Yorubas have formed the group called the Amotekun to protect their people. The Igbos has done the same. Today, I feel the South-South should come together to take steps to protect our people.”
Responding, Wike said the governors of the region have been brainstorming on having a regional security outfit.
He added that ethnic and language differences have posed a big problem to the actualization of such a feat.
According to him, South West was able to form Amotekum, while the South-East was able to form Ebubeagu because of the uniformity of language.
He added: “If you form a regional outfit in South-South, what will you name it?’
Wike explained that the ethnic differences in the region is the reason why external forces easily penetrate the region.
He criticised the APC-led Federal Government for its inability to resolve security challenges.
The governor called on patriotic nationalists to rescue the country from disintegration, insisting the ruling party “does not care if dead bodies litter everywhere”.
According to him, it had become obvious the Federal Government lacked feelings about the people and never cared about the rising deaths in the country.
He said: “APC governors have come out to say the present APC federal government will solve the security problems. But every day people are dying. When will they solve the problems?
“Own up and say to Nigerians, we have failed on the promises that we made to you. And honourably say, as it is done in other advanced countries, that since we cannot perform and carry out the covenant we have with Nigerians, we have decided to quit.
“Every reasonable Nigerian, every nationalist who believes in this country should come up and make sure this country moves forward, if not it is going to affect everybody.”
Wike noted since there was no honour among public office holders, the Federal Government would not own up to its failures in handling issues of insecurity.
He enjoined Nigerians to also brace up and use their voter cards to remove the APC at the appropriate time.
“If Nigeria is a nation where honour and integrity are valued, the present APC-led Federal Government which does not care even if dead bodies are littering on all the roads in the country will honourably quit power,” he said.
