New Rivers Police Commissioner Visits Wike

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has urged personnel of the various security agencies to stop taking sides with politicians who use primordial tactics including religion to frustrate efforts at protecting life and property.
Wike said politicians who deploy religion as a campaign tool could destroy the country as it moved closer to general elections next year.
The governor spoke when the new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Okon Effiong, visited him at Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
He said, “We believe we owe this country and we must also stop this politics of religion so that we don’t instigate crisis and violence. You must go and tell the people what you can do, what we can offer.”
The governor emphasised that his administration has remained committed to the protection of life and property of all residents in the State.
This is because of its belief that the people for which any development projects are provided must feel safe and alive to use them.
He said, “For me, there cannot be any good governance without the protection of life and property. Nobody can talk about good governance when there is insecurity everywhere. If you cannot protect your citizens, you have no need to talk about governance.
“Because if you’re doing roads, people must be alive to use the road. If you’re building good school, people must be alive to go to school. So, it is key that you owe your citizens protection of their lives and property. And so, for us as a government, that is the sole aim of being in government.”
He assured that since the security agencies are the institutions saddled with such duties, his administration has always and will continue to provide requisite support to them so that they can discharge their security operations effectively.
Governor Wike expressed the hope that the new Commissioner of Police will bring his experience to bear in Rivers State and not be intimidated.
The Rivers State governor praised the immediate past Commissioner of Police, Mr. Friday Ebuka, for staying true to his professional calling.
Wike informed, the State government will build a befitting police station along Ada George Road in Port Harcourt, near his private residence.
The governor said if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to be influenced, the police stayed away from interfering in the electoral process and the judiciary insisted that the rules are complied with, the vote of the peoples would count.
The police commissioner, Mr. Okon Effiong, who is the 43rd Commissioner of Police to Rivers State said he have zero tolerance of crime and criminality.
He said, “We have arrested in the past four days more than 12 armed robbers and kidnappers. In the past four days we have rescued more than 12 kidnap victims. In the past four days we have recovered more than six vehicles.
“In the past four days we have recovered arms and ammunition. The law will take its course. We want to stress that we have zero tolerance for crime and criminality.”