13th March 2025
His Excellency,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
President & Commander-in-Chief
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Your Excellency,
DON’T WAIT UNTIL WIKE SETS RIVERS STATE ON FIRE
We, the Rivers Concerned Citizens in the Diaspora, write to you with deep concern over the unfolding political crisis in Rivers State.
Recent developments have left us troubled, particularly the actions and utterances of your Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, which are increasingly volatile and capable of plunging our state and, by extension, the Niger Delta into chaos.
Your Excellency, Minister Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, appears to be operating under your administration as an untouchable entity. His inflammatory rhetoric, divisive statements, and brazen political maneuvering are escalating tensions in a fragile political climate.
A few days ago, respected elders from the Niger Delta visited you in a bid to foster peace and reconciliation. However, rather than offering a clear path to de-escalation, your response seemed to embolden the Wike- ed faction, giving them the confidence to further destabilize the state.
Shortly after, a federal minister in your cabinet took to national television to make incendiary remarks, even going as far as dismissing a particular ethnic group as a “total minority” in the Niger Delta. Shockingly, not even the late elder statesman, Pa Edwin Clark whose body is still in the morgue was spared from Wike’s vitriolic attacks.
Your Excellency, we urge you to immediately caution Wike and his group before Rivers State is plunged into a full-blown crisis. Nigeria cannot afford another major conflict, especially from the Niger Delta, given its critical role in sustaining the national economy. Any disruption in the region will have severe consequences for your Renewed Hope Agenda.
There are growing concerns that Wike’s allies are laying the groundwork for the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, with the ultimate goal of removing the duly elected governor and installing a federally appointed administrator. While it is within your constitutional powers to declare such a state of emergency in the event of a crisis, we implore you to act now to prevent any escalation, unless, of course, the assumption is true that Wike is untouchable simply because he delivered electoral victory to you and that Rivers people must pay the price, regardless of their safety.
History will judge those who turn a blind eye while the people suffer in the name of political patronage and payback.
We look forward to your swift and decisive action before we determine our next course of action.
Sincerely,
Signed.
Ben J. Douglas
Chairman, Rivers Concerned Citizens in Diaspora