Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop shifting his constitutional responsibility to state governors, JomogNews Nigeria reports.
Wike was responding to a recent interview of Buhari, where he asked governors to take responsibility for the security of their various states.
In a statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, Wike said it is Buhari’s responsibility to secure the lives and property of Nigerians.
The Rivers governor stated this while commissioning the 21 kilometers Odufor-Akpoku-Umuoye Road in Etche Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday.
According to Wike, Buhari is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces and cannot declare that governors are in charge of security in their respective states.
He accused the All Progressives Congress-led federal government of losing grip of strategy on how to tackle the troubling security issues and make the country safe for Nigerians.
“Mr. President, you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You appoint Inspector-General of Police, you appoint the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, the Commissioner of Police, Director of Department of State Service, and other heads of security.
“Which one do we appoint? How can people appointed by Mr. President be under me?”
“It is not only to borrow money for Nigeria that you’re in charge. You must, also, be in charge of other things including security. Who signed order 10? Is it the governors?” he asked.
He added, “Mr. President was short of calling names of those governors who run to Aso Rock when they are supposed to stay in their states to see the needs of their states and people.
“Mr. President should have come out openly and said, my APC governors, stop worrying me. Go back to your states and do your work. On that, I support him.
“Thank God, Mr. President knows that I am not one of those that go to visit him over one problem or the other. I, as the governor of Rivers under PDP, you’ll never find me there.”
