By Stephen Adeleye.
The APC Senator, representing Kogi West Senatorial district, Sunday Steve Karimi, has commended President Bola Tinubu, for his bold action in declaring the State of Emergency in Rivers in the best interest of the State and Nigeria.
Sen. Karimi, who is the Chairman, Senate Services, told newsmen on Friday, that the President’s action was in compliance with the constitution, aimed to restore stability and prevent further economic downturn, not only in Rivers State but also in the entire country.
According to him,, by taking charge of the situation, President Tinubu has again demonstrated his commitment to protecting Nigeria’s economy and ensuring the well-being of its citizens.
“No President or government worth a name, will fold its arms and watch a political situation deteriorate to what we saw unfolding in Rivers State.
“We saw that bombing of pipelines had begun, and the security situation was getting worse with the tension everywhere”, Karimi emphasised.
Karimi recalled the “fatherly role” Tinubu had played in the crisis since 2023 in a bid to get the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, to reach an understanding, to no avail.
“We were all here in 2023 when Mr President called that truce meeting at the Aso Rock Villa. There was the eight-point agenda for settlement reached between the factions.
“When Nigerians expected that progress should be made to achieve peace, things started deteriorating considerably to a point where the governor demolished the House of Assembly building and administered the state with only three legislators,” he said.
Karimi pointed out that with the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, which gave the upper hand to the 27 lawmakers loyal to the camp of the FCT Minister, matters merely got worse in the state as the lawmakers were set to impeach the governor.
He added: “What did you expect would be the implications? There would have been more destruction, killings and economic losses for the country.
“With the bombings that had already started, it was a matter of time before the whole state would be engulfed in flames. No responsible President would sit, arms folded, and allow that to happen”.
He explained that it took “painstaking efforts” by Tinubu’s administration to raise daily crude oil production to around 1,800 barrels, noting that Nigeria’s economy was already “witnessing a rebound under the renewed hope projects of the APC government.
Karimi emphasised that allowing the situation in Rivers to get worse before taken decisive action, would not be to the interest of the state or Nigeria as a country in any way, insisting that “Mr. President intervened at the right time, and his actions are covered by law”.
Karimi, who also spoke on the emergency declaration done in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and a couple of other states by former President Goodluck Jonathan without suspending Governors or the State assemblies, said the case with those States was not generated by political crises but rather security concerns.
“So, I will advise those comparing the two scenarios to remember that one was purely about security threats resulting from the insurgency caused by Boko Haram, while that of Rivers is clearly political.
“It was the proper thing to do to suspend the political actors in the two factions to allow for tensions to diffuse. Nigerians should appreciate the President for the action he has taken so far,” he said.
Sen. Karimi further noted that there was no cause for alarm as the National Assembly had indicated that the emergency rule could be reviewed as soon as there were signs that things could quickly normalise in Rivers State.
