Governor Wike and the unity of Nigeria

The ideal way to identify true nationalists and good politicians is through their utterances and actions, both in public and private. A true lover of Nigeria will always stand for her unity and oneness whenever he talks or acts.  Good politicians will spit fire and intimidate their opponents, but will never compromise the unity of […]

The ideal way to identify true nationalists and good politicians is through their utterances and actions, both in public and private. A true lover of Nigeria will always stand for her unity and oneness whenever he talks or acts.  Good politicians will spit fire and intimidate their opponents, but will never compromise the unity of a nation.

Some people were surprised when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State said the interest of Nigerians and Africans would be better served if the country remained one and united. He was quoted as saying this during his visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar on December 31, 2016 as he felicitated with Governor AminuTambuwal on the occasion of his daughter’s wedding.  

Governor Wike further said his administration had put a lot of time, resources and energy to protect Nigeria’s national assets, especially the ones in Rivers State; hence he would do everything within his power to ensure the unity of the country.

It is a known fact that the governor is having a running battle with some bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Rivers, but that did not affect his nationalistic reasoning. He has proved that not all politicians would take opposition tendencies out of context. Other politicians should emulate Wike’s example as far as the massage for the unity of this country is concerned. No matter our political leanings, our utterances and actions should not jeopardise the unity of our dear country, Nigeria. I am of the opinion that the governor considered the volatile nature of his geopolitical zone, the Niger Delta, before making that statement. This is so because anything to the contrary from a leader of his caliber could spell doom. 

It has been argued in some quarters that some of Governor Wike’s utterances and actions are usually misunderstood. For instance, his action when he got the information that the official residence of a Federal High Court judge in Port Harcourt was under siege by the Department of State Service (DSS), was widely condemned.   However, a week after the incident, while speaking with the  leadership of Non-Indigenes without Borders at the Rivers State Government House, the governor explained that his action was not aimed at stopping the DSS from doing their job, but to ensure that due process was followed. 

Zayyad I. Muhammad wrote from Jimeta, Adamawa State. [email protected]