Governor Wike

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has cautioned youths in the Niger Delta currently blowing up pipelines for whatever grievances.

He said they are shooting themselves in the foot and causing more economic hardships to the people of the Niger Delta region.

Wike vowed that he will never support youths who resort to bombing of pipelines for whatever grievances they have against the state because that would mean supporting criminality.

Governor Wike was speaking on a Channels Television programme, monitored in Port Harcourt.

He cautioned that”Any person planning to take up arms and to blow up pipelines should know that it will not be in the interest of the state so they should not participate in that.In one way or the other who would suffer at the end of the day? We will suffer.

“Why do you do something that you know that your people will suffer if you say you are protesting in our own interest? You may have grievances but by some actions you take, you become criminal.You will be criminalising the entire thing and I would not be a party to it.”

“If you have grievances you tell me. As a Governor I will have opportunity of bringing the issue to Mr President.”

Wike said states depend on revenue from crude oil sales to develop the states.

“So I will not support blowing up of flow stations or pipelines. So whatever grievances you have let us know and I will present it.I am one man that will always defend my people no matter what it will cost me in life. What is important is that we must protect the interest of our people in a legitimate way”, Wike said.

Rivers APC had accused Wike of supporting the blowing up crude oil pipelines.