NIGERIA: You’re Not Informed, River State Governor Rotimi Amaechi Tells Presidential Media Aide Reuben Abati
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, has described the Special Adviser to the President, Media...
http://www.africaeagle.com/2014/10/nigeria-youre-not-informed-river-state.html
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, has described the Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Dr Rueben Abati, as uninformed in his criticism of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
The presidential aide had described the governor as a rascal, in response to his vituperations on President Goodluck Jonathan at the All Progressives Congress (APC) mega rally, held in Port Harcourt, on Saturday.
Warning Amaechi to stop insulting the president or be ready to face the consequences of his utterances, including legal actions, Abati, in a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday, said the governor’s recourse to insulting Jonathan was an “irresponsible and rascally behaviour.”
Reacting, Semenitari, on Monday, said the statement by Abati must have been written before the rally, noting that the issues raised by the governor did not have anything to do with the persons of the president and his wife, Patience.
She said the issues under discussions were about governance and not Mrs Jonathan “as she does not hold any official position in government. Therefore, there is no need referring to her where governance issues are being discussed.”
She said Abati must have written the statement, anticipating that Amaechi would speak against Mrs Jonathan but “unfortunately, the governor was not interested in discussing persons.”
The Rivers State information commissioner said Amaechi did not refer to President Jonathan in any personal capacity but to the activities of the Federal Government, especially in Rivers State.
She said Abati should address the facts of the issues raised by the governor on the allegation that there was no single federal presence in the state, rather than attacking the person of Amaechi.
“He did refer to the fact that the Federal Government’s Ministry of Aviation has not completed the remodeling of the Port Harcourt International Airport, which was started at the same time as Enugu, as Lagos, as Kano and as Calabar.
“He did refer to the fact that Rivers people were being treated like refugees and we have become internally-displaced persons in our own state and our only offence was that we gave the president two million votes in 2011,’’she said.
Source: Nigerian Tribune
The presidential aide had described the governor as a rascal, in response to his vituperations on President Goodluck Jonathan at the All Progressives Congress (APC) mega rally, held in Port Harcourt, on Saturday.
Warning Amaechi to stop insulting the president or be ready to face the consequences of his utterances, including legal actions, Abati, in a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday, said the governor’s recourse to insulting Jonathan was an “irresponsible and rascally behaviour.”
Reacting, Semenitari, on Monday, said the statement by Abati must have been written before the rally, noting that the issues raised by the governor did not have anything to do with the persons of the president and his wife, Patience.
She said the issues under discussions were about governance and not Mrs Jonathan “as she does not hold any official position in government. Therefore, there is no need referring to her where governance issues are being discussed.”
She said Abati must have written the statement, anticipating that Amaechi would speak against Mrs Jonathan but “unfortunately, the governor was not interested in discussing persons.”
The Rivers State information commissioner said Amaechi did not refer to President Jonathan in any personal capacity but to the activities of the Federal Government, especially in Rivers State.
She said Abati should address the facts of the issues raised by the governor on the allegation that there was no single federal presence in the state, rather than attacking the person of Amaechi.
“He did refer to the fact that the Federal Government’s Ministry of Aviation has not completed the remodeling of the Port Harcourt International Airport, which was started at the same time as Enugu, as Lagos, as Kano and as Calabar.
“He did refer to the fact that Rivers people were being treated like refugees and we have become internally-displaced persons in our own state and our only offence was that we gave the president two million votes in 2011,’’she said.
Source: Nigerian Tribune
