A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Garus Gololo, has cautioned Rivers State people to allow the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Barrister Nyesom Wike, to continue his impressive work for Nigerians in the nation’s capital.
Gololo, a retired soldier, who turned politician, gave this caution while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja, on the performance of the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government in the last one-year in office.
He declared that Wike, though a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has performed better than the rest of the Ministers in President Tinubu’s cabinet, who are members of the ruling Party.
The politician stressed that in governance, Party affiliation and other divisive considerations should not stop Nigerians from being appointed to public offices where they could render effective and efficient services to the country.
According to Gololo, only Wike and the Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, justified their appointments in the last one-year, saying that the impressive performances of the two Ministers were evident for Nigerians to see.
His words: “President Bola Tinubu has done well within his one year in office but there are so many non-performing members of his cabinet.
“If you doubt what I have said, let them present their works as the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike has done. Wike has presented roads, the Abuja light rail project and so many other projects scattered here and there in the FCT. Wike commissioned a train. I went there to witness it. I don’t know Wike and Wike doesn’t know me.
“Let me make this known to Nigerians; I am a Fulani man from Bauchi State. I don’t want anything from Rivers State, but let me tell the people of Rivers State, that anybody who is fighting Wike is not actually fighting Wike, rather the person is fighting Nigeria. Look at what Wike has done in the FCT within one year. It means that if you allow him to work for four years, he will turn everything around for good.
“So, even if you don’t like Wike, he is seriously working for Nigeria and Nigerians. Therefore, I am advising Rivers people to allow this man to concentrate and work for the country, because Abuja is a mini Nigeria. There is no tribe in this country that is not found in Abuja. Wike is working for Nigeria, and not Rivers again.
“I met one Ambassador in Abuja, and he told me that this is the best Minister of FCT, apart from El-Rufai. My Brother, the Minster who finished before Wike, served for eight years but he did not do anything in Abuja. Even most of the traffic lights were off under his administration. If someone is performing, you have to commend that person, no matter where he comes from.
“Therefore, I congratulate President Bola Tinubu, for appointing Wike as a Minister. I can say that Mr President never made any mistake in appointing Wike as a Minister, even though he is a member of the opposition Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I have seen that in governance, the political party you belong, religious group or your ethnic group is not important. What matters is performance. Therefore, the President should appoint more people like Wike to his cabinet.
“Anybody who did not perform within the last one-year should be shown the way out so that more Wikes can be appointed to work.
Wike is a member of the PDP but he has worked more than those appointed by the APC
Gololo called on President Tinubu to sack non-performing members of his cabinet, saying: “I want President Tinubu to retain only two Ministers in his present cabinet. They are the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, who I also describe as the overall Minister, and then the Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, who has also performed wonderfully well in the health sector. The rest should go and rest.”
On the issue of minimum wage, the retired soldier, lamented the worsening economic hardship in the country, urging the Labour union to insist that minimum wage for Nigerian workers should be N600,000.
“The hardship in the country is getting too much and the President has to look deeply into it.
“Labour must stand by their demand for N600,000 minimum wage. They should not reduce it. You are paying a private soldier N50,000 and also paying a police constable N50,000, and you are expecting to get good results in the security situation in the country. It is not possible. Pay them a reasonable salary and give them equipment to work, then you will see results,” Dr Gololo stated.