A former Governorship Candidate in Bayelsa, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has said that the performance of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, within a single tenure in office has exposed the incompetence of many state governors in Nigeria.

Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) made the observation while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Yenagoa.

According to Eradiri, Wike within the resources available to him had transformed Abuja and bridged the hitherto developmental gaps between the city’s metropolis and its satellite towns.

He said: "Wike's performance has taught us that the problems of underdevelopment in Nigeria has little or nothing to do with the Federal Government, but a lot to do with many state governors and local government chairmen, who deliberately misuse, misappropriate and misdirect humongous resources accruing to their states.

“Most of these governors have shown no commitment, dedication, desire and passion to execute people-oriented infrastructural projects capable of transforming their states and dispensing happiness to the common people. They are only driven by their selfish and family interests and they see the commonwealth of the state as their personal resources”.

Describing Wike as the yardstick of measuring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope reforms, Eradiri observed that for 30 days, the minister and former Rivers State Governor, had continued to inaugurate new infrastructures and commission the construction of fresh projects in the FCT and satellite towns.

Eradiri said Wike’s passion for development compelled him to think out of the box by breaking all bureaucratic and procurement bottlenecks and holding contractors accountable to ensure that projects were delivered within their timelines and specifications.

He said: "Wike’s projects are designed to touch the lives of the common people; develop rural areas and make everybody see and touch the true dividends of democracy.

“His developmental objectives involve completing projects abandoned for many years before the administration of President Tinubu and fulfilling the President’s promises to the people.

“If a minister could deliver such a number of high-impact, people-oriented and high quality projects within a single term, why are many governors failing to transform their states despite the huge resources accruing to them especially in this President Tinubu’s administration?

“Why do we still have many abandoned projects in states with many communities wallowing in abject poverty without access roads? Why do we still have communities without basic amenities such as electricity, functional primary healthcare centres and potable water? The truth is that most of these governors are grossly incompetent and have no business in governance”.

Eradiri insisted that Wike’s performance should compel the people to hold their governors accountable and resist the diversionary tactics always deployed by the states to make the people see the federal government as their problem.

Eradiri said: “With the huge revenue allocations accruing to the states following the economic reforms of President Tinubu, the people should not tolerate any excuses for lack of performance from their governors and no governor should hide under cost and exchange rates to deceive the people.

“It is within the same economic climate and challenges that Minister Wike is delivering common good to the people and transforming both the FCT and its satellite towns. It is high time governors translated their groundbreaking ceremonies to project inauguration the same way Wike has been doing.

“It is time these governors channelled state resources to solving infrastructural problems in cities and rural areas. They should justify the revenue surge to their states by delivering tangible projects the way the FCT minister has done in Abuja. The people will no longer tolerate excuses”

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