The Presidency on Sunday said nobody should applaud Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for erecting buildings for the judiciary in the state.
Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs who stated this in an interview on Channels Television monitored by DAILY INDEPENDENT, said Governor Wike has been treating the judges in the state badly by failing to grant them judicial autonomy.
Recall that Wike had last month said that that the Rivers State Government will not enact a bill for financial autonomy of the Judiciary.
According to him, it will be futile to bother the State Assembly with such a bill since the 1999 constitution as amended already recognizes the independence of the judiciary.
Enang in his assertion said that Governor Wike needs to be told the truth that he has not been treating judges in his state fairly by illegally withholding what rightfully belongs to them.
He said, “Let me just use this opportunity to draw attention to the fact that we have been clapping for Rivers state government for doing well for the judiciary”.
“We thank His Excellency Governor Wike for what he has done for the federal high court, for what he has done for the Nigerian Law School, for anything he has done for any other federal arm of government but Rivers state has done very badly in terms of treatment of the judiciary of Rivers state”.
“It is not that you have to build the courts for the judiciary, it is not that you have to do anything for the judiciary. it is that the governor of Rivers state and other states should release the money of the judiciary to the judiciary; to be used by the judiciary on the judiciary and to be accounted for by the judiciary”.
“Nobody should clap for Governor Wike, we should tell him the truth. He keeps saying ‘my money if you touch my money’. The money does not belong to the governor of a state”.
