The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday reacted to Friday’s walkout staged by scores of women loyal to the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara at an empowerment programme organised by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu in Port Hacourt, the state capital, which he said ridiculed the state.
Wike, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant, SSA, on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, described the walk out as “very disturbing and embarrassing” and apologised to President Bola Tinubu and his wife on behalf of Rivers people for the perceived insult.
He accused the embattled suspended governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, of sponsoring the incident, and upbraided him for going around pleading for peace and at the same time doing something to the contrary.
Accusing some “sacked Local Government Vice Chairmen” of leading the walkout at the event that was supposed to benefit over 500 women with various empowerment items, Olayinka cautioned supporters of the suspended governor to desist from ridiculing the state.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that the women, under the aegis, ‘Rivers Women United For Sim’, had walked out of the Renewed Hope Initiative empowerment programme held at the EUI Event Centre in GRA, when contrary to their expectation, it was Mrs. Ibas and not wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives who showed up to preside over the programme.
In a spontaneous reaction, the women stood up in unison, chanting ‘We want Sim, We want Sim’, while exiting the venue.
They later explained in a statement on Saturday that they were deceived to attend the programme. They said they felt further insulted when the sole administrator’s wife called them “my women”, insisting that her husband was not the one elected.
Olayinka however stated that, “Insult on anyone representing the First Lady of Nigeria in an event is a direct insult on the office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and as a leader in Rivers State, I apologise.”
Wike, who is in China on official engagements, advised Fubara to demonstrate honesty by being bold enough to tell President Tinubu what exactly he wanted, rather than saying something today and doing another thing tomorrow.
According to him, “It is not enough to be visiting people to plead for peace. Those who genuinely want peace work and act for it.
“These are the same people pleading for peace, but at the same time doing things that are contrary to what they are pleading for.
“How can you say you want peace and at the same time, you are sponsoring people to insult everyone, including the president and his wife?
“All those shenanigans won’t bring peace, and I am sure they know that, because they are not sincere with their up and down pleadings for peace.
“As for me and those who subscribe to my leadership, we condemn in totality that yesterday’s show of shame and we apologise to our First Lady for the embarrassing conduct of those few women who do not represent the characters and ideals of the people of Rivers State.”