Wike sets up task force to protect Rivers’ borders

TRACKING____Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has expressed doubts about the readiness of federal security agencies to protect the state’s borders against the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

He said he would establish a task force comprising Rivers indigenes to man the borders, to avoid any possible sabotage from the federal agencies that could compromise his fight against the pandemic.

Signing the Executive Order RVSG-02 No. 3 -2020 at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike said: “This is the third executive order that I will be signing since the coronavirus pandemic started. This third Executive Order is very important.

“We suspect there will be sabotage on the part of the security agencies. That is why we are appointing a task force to man our borders. We owe our people a duty to protect them. There is likely to be sabotage. Our task force will be at the borders to protect our people.”

The governor said contrary to the falsehood being peddled on the release of ExxonMobil employees, intervention of respected Nigerians and not threat of strike by oil workers was the reason why they were set free.

He said: “No federal agency spoke to us. But there were respected Nigerians who intervened and they were released by 8am on Sunday. Exxon Mobil signed and agreed that they would take back their workers to Eket. That was the condition we gave for their release.”

The governor said that the laws on restriction of movement must be implemented for the safety of everyone, adding that some employees of BOA, who violated the law, were arrested, arraigned and remanded.

He insisted that coronavirus is no respecter of persons, pointing out that it had killed both influential and less privileged persons.

On the Dumping of Waste in Public Places (Prohibition) Bill 2020, Wike said that the state government would employ 3,000 environmental sanitation marshals to implement the law.

He said that his administration was committed to the improvement of the sanitation in the state.

The Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaehwule, said the bill would stop the dumping of wastes on road median by residents.

Attorney-General of Rivers State, Prof. Zaccheus Adangor, said the two legal instruments signed by the governor would help in the fight against coronavirus.