The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State Chapter, has raised the alarm over plans by the Presidency to transfer the State Commissioner of Police, CP Tunde Ogunsakin, just at a time he is beginning to settle down in the State.
“We are reliably informed that arrangements have been concluded by the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to redeploy CP Ogunsakin barley three months after his transfer to Rivers State just because he has refused to play their deadly politics since he assumed office and instead demonstrated that he is a core Police Officer. We will like to reiterate that we will resist the transfer of CP Ogunsakin through every legal means available to us. We need peace in Rivers State and the current Commissioner of Police has demonstrated that he is thorough Police Officer and we are okay with his efforts to sustain the peace in Rivers State. We don’t need another CP Mbu an obvious PDP member in Rivers State to take us back to the terrible route we only survived by the grace of God” APC State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt.
APC in the statement commended Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on the extra mile his administration has gone to drastically improve the security situation in the State and congratulated him for winning the 2014 Best Governor on Security in Nigeria Award by the organisers of the Nigeria Security Profile Award (NISPA).
“This is an award well deserved considering Governor Amaechi’s giant strides in the area of security,” Rivers APC said. The party recalled that as at the time Rt. Hon. Amaechi assumed office as Governor in 2007, the State capital, Port Harcourt, was a war zone where only the fittest survived.
According to APC, “The Port Harcourt that Amaechi inherited was more like a jungle where the fittest determined the fate of lesser animals. The once glamorous city was ranked among the four most dangerous cities in the world as at that time. The human resources unit of New York-based Marsh & McLennan Cos. had ranked Port Harcourt with Baghdad, Yemen’s capital of Sana’a and Khartoum in Sudan, as the world’s most dangerous cities. Going by the ranking published by Bloomberg, Port Harcourt ranked with Baghdad as one of the world’s most dangerous cities for foreign workers as criminal gangs and militia groups seeking greater control of energy revenue stepped up attacks.
“For Amaechi to have rescued Rivers State from the menace of militancy demonstrates that he is a leader ahead of his peers, so NISPA is well justified to bestow this award on a well deserved recipient.”
APC advised the Federal Government to humbly understudy Amaechi and borrow from his methods and tactics so as to check the frightening rate of insecurity in the country. As explained by the party, “To achieve the peace in Rivers State, Amaechi apart from motivating the security organs in the State also ensured that they are properly trained and have the best modern security gadgets with which to do their work. As a result, throughout the year 2012 there was no single kidnapping or armed attack in any part of Rivers State. For the administration of President Jonathan to demonstrate its disdain for the peace in Rivers State, CP Joseph Mbu and misguided Nyesome Wike, the Supervising Destroyer of our Education Sector, were unleashed on the State to ensure that Port Harcourt is taken back to its pre-2007 era when it was ranked as one of the deadliest cities to stay, but we thank God for giving Amaechi the wisdom to handle the situation and for sending CP Ogunsakin to correct the mess created by CP Mbu.”
Rivers APC appealed to the Jonathan administration to sallow its pride and listen to Governor Amaechi and others who have proffered workable solutions to the worsening menace of Boko Haram. “The Boko Haram insurgency is worsening by the day because of the blatant refusal by the visionless leadership at the centre to learn from Gov. Amaechi. They have continued to portray themselves as confused lots, with the President and his wife fighting for recognition over who is fighting the menace of Boko Haram by setting up two different Committees on the same issue,” Rivers APC said.
It recalled that Governor Amaechi had during the event instituting Port Harcourt as the World Book Capital for 2014 identified education and vigorous promotion of agriculture as the sure way to tackle the Boko Haram challenge and enhance security in Nigeria.
Rivers APC also advised the Federal Government to listen to the wise counsel of people like Amaechi on the issue of State Policing. According to the party, “As Amaechi recently did point out; most states are spending a lot of money improving the police which are not under their control. States can use the same resources to fund their own police. Only those with something to hide are afraid of State Police”.
