Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has assured that the leaders and peoples of the Niger Delta region would continue to strive to ensure that Nigeria remained one indivisible country.
Governor Wike stressed that Nigeria’s unity was not negotiable and remained of paramount importance to the people.
Wike said this during his visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad, in his palace in Sokoto.
He said that the interest of Nigerians and Africans would be better served if Nigeria remained as one “strong and united nation.”
The governor said, “Let me first of all sincerely thank you, our father the Sultan, for what you are doing for this country, working tirelessly to bring peace and unity to the people. So, for all of us, this is what is meant by one Nigeria.
“We cannot run away from this country. The unity of this country is very, very paramount. The unity of this country is non-negotiable. I am from the Niger Delta, from Rivers State to be specific; so, I cannot see us in a divided country. No way. We stand for the unity of this country.”
According to Wike, his administration had put a lot of time, resources and energy towards protecting national assets, especially those located in Rivers State.
“In Rivers you hardly find pipeline vandalisation. We are working at all times to protect national assets in our state. In my state, I am governor for all the people living in the state. I am not a governor of a particular political party, but a governor for all the people of Rivers State,” he said.
While commending the Sultan for his leadership of the Muslim community in Nigeria, Wike said he was in Sokoto to felicitate with his colleague, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who gave out his daughter in marriage on Saturday.
He equally dispelled the notion that his relationship with Tambuwal had political connotation, saying they had been friends, “long before politics defined who we are now.
“Tambuwal is my friend for a long time. If anything affects him, it affects me also. If he gives out his daughter in marriage, I have to be here to support him. If any problem happens to him, it affects me as well.
“Your Eminence, I am here to seek your royal blessing. You have blessed me before, that is why I am growing. So, let me wish you a prosperous new year ahead.”
In their remarks, both the host, Governor Tambuwal, and the Sultan, implored Nigerians to live in peace with one another, wishing all Nigerians a year full of happiness and blessings.
