* 319 Ward Liaison Officers and 40 Local Government Area Liaison Officers too
*Wrong notion towards resolving issues of ‘stomach infrastructure’
With barely seven months to handover to a newly-elecyed governor, Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, surprised book makers by appointing 14,000 advisers for various political offices in the state.
The Governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the advisers would play a pivotal, though undisclosed role, in the administration.
He said: “In addition to the 14,000 advisers, Governor Wike has also appointed 319 Ward Liaison Officers and 40 Local Government Area Liaison Officers. The appointments are with immediate effect.”
The Governor on March 1st had declared that henceforth his administration would focus on welfare and empowerment schemes, popularly called stomach infrastructure.
He said having spent the better part of his administration providing physical infrastructure, he would henceforth direct his attention to the “politics of stomach infrastructure”.
He disclosed that, “now that we have done virtually everything we have promised Rivers people, this is the time now we have to play politics of stomach infrastructure”.
Most people believe that the massive appointments were part of the governor’s efforts to empower residents.
But his critics say it is a terrible thing to do to a sate economy, wondering why he would chose to “destroy all he did by accumulating bills for the next government to settle as it is obvious he would borrow to pay such a humongous number of aides”.
The interviewees who pleaded for anonymity for fear of a negative backlash said they are disappointed that Wike announced such appointments very close to the end of his tenure.
“Is this part of the war he is wedging against his party’s leadership and presidential candidate? He should not allow himself to lose all the respect he has built all these years that he has been governor of our state.
“But this particular appointment is without any honour at all. It is a smear action against all he has been doing.
“It is like the war he is wedging has affected his thinking faculties and acumen. Almost 15,000 appointments in one-go, at the end of his tenure? This is absolute nonsense and smarks of a man who is acting with his senses in tact.
“Those appointments are definitely not in the best interest of the people of Rivers State. It is also not a way to resolve what he called ‘stomach infrastructure’.
“Such notions are wrong. It is also not in the best interest of those who he named in such appointments. They will be disappointed and it will breed its own kid of crises in the state”.
