The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday commended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for “standing and defending what is right in the state” and also supporting him and President Bola Tinubu.
Wike said the House of Assembly members have demonstrated trust and the capacity to lead while upholding the right principles.
He gave the commendation during a visit to the lawmakers at the House of Assembly Quarters in Port Harcourt.
Wike urged them to continue to stand for what is right, adding that they have distinguished themselves in the country as a beacon of democracy.
He criticised the moves that led to the withholding of their entitlements by the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, prior to the declaration of the State of Emergency.
The minister said: “It is important to come to members of the State House of Assembly to say thank you for what you have done for us and the people of Rivers State. I say thank you for the car gift too.
“A man is strong; a woman is strong based on your spouses. I’ve seen men who are not men and I’ve also seen women who are not women. I’m saying so because if you have not had the opportunity to be in the corridors of power, you will not understand that a man can be influenced negatively by his spouse and a woman can be influenced negatively by her spouse.
“But here in the State House of Assembly all of them have shown that they are working together for the development of the state.
“I have been in politics actively and I have seen it all. This is the first time I have seen legislators telling the world what they stand for and standing firm, showing that we are a different arm of government, not a department of government. There are those who are very courageous and those who can say no when things are wrong. There are those privileged to be in the position you are in; they will find one means or another to do all manner of things.
“We thank God Almighty for giving us life. We thank God for using people to get to where we are. We are very grateful and we are not ungrateful people. Everybody believes money is everything and that you can buy everybody over. I’ve told people who care that money has a boundary and there is a limitation; when it gets to that point, it stops. Money does not walk on its own; somebody has to carry the money.
“So today you stood out in this country as the beacon of democracy. How could elected persons be denied their entitlements simply because they disagreed with you? Your families stood firm with you.
“It would be unfair on our part to reach 2026 because in 2025, all those who stood with you, all those who worked with you, you did not tell them thank you, and you need to tell them thank you. When I came in here, I was emotionally touched. Anybody who entered this complex would have thought by now it would have been overgrown with weeds.
“I don’t know any state that would say their state assembly quarters are as neat as this. What does it show? Leadership. Once you have the right leadership, things will move well.”
