Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has released a statement denying claims that he was a sponsor of Niger Delta Avengers. A faction of the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers had released a statement over the weekend that himself and some politicians including former President Goodluck Jonathan and some others were sponsors of their activities.
In a statement by his spokesman Simeon Nwakandu, Wike described the group’s claim as “false media propaganda.” The statement reads;
“Our attention has been drawn to yet another false media propaganda wherein it was claimed that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is one of the sponsors of the militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers. We nequivocally deny this false report which was fabricated with the aim of diverting attention from the superlative performance of Governor Wike. Any close observer of this propaganda machine would have noticed that all they do is concoct lies about Rivers State. We urge all well-meaning persons to disregard this current falsehood credited to a faceless splinter group of NDA.
This falsehood may not be unconnected to Governor Wike’s speech at the just-concluded conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors where he publicly declared that he and other stakeholders in the state have prevented militant groups from sabotaging oil installations as is the case elsewhere. Not happy with this declaration, they resolved to concoct another ill-conceived report trying to mislead the people. Nigerians already know what these propagandists represent. They represent retrogression , deliberate falsehood, under-development and biased unprofessional journalism. Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is a patriotic leader, committed to the sustenance and improvement of the nation’s democracy and economy. He is a promoter of security and good governance. He cannot be disparaged by concocted publications from APC media agents.”