Donald Duke, former governor of Cross Rivers State, has said that he stopped embarking on new projects six months before leaving office so that he doesn’t create complications for his successor.
“In my time 6 months before I left the office I ceased to do anything new, I didn’t want to leave any problem for my successor,” the ex-governor said in a video (see clip) at the Flag off of the reconstruction of Alode-Onne road, construction of internal roads by the Governor of Rivers State Barr. Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt Rivers State.
Duke, who is the Campaign Council Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Cross River State told indigenes of Rivers state that in his time as Governor, six months before he left the office that he would cease to do anything new.
He said the only problem was that their pockets were different. “I had a small pocket like the one made in front of trousers. I don’t know if such trousers still exist.”
Duke also took on another view when he said, “But that’s not the point, it is not in the depth of your pocket, the point is in the heart you put into that pocket.”
The campaign chairman argued that there is no state, perhaps no Government in Africa that he knows where literally day in and day out, there is something to celebrate except this one.
He remarked that “but I don’t take this so lightly and I say with all sense of responsibility. Most states have abdicated governance to politics now.”
Mr. Duke who will be leading the 1080-man PDP State campaign council in the 2023 general elections recalled how Governor Wike said to him in the next 23 days he will be commissioning projects.
His words, “You said to me, in the next 23 days that you would be commissioning one project or another. That’s not the norm in our society particularly when you are winding down.
“On our way here, we saw the crowd and smiles on their faces to receive and welcome us to this occasion. I said to him that you cannot buy that smile or buy the joy that is being expressed.
“And we came to an agreement that politics is very simple, do the right thing. People are not asking you to take them to space, just make life wealthy for them.
“In Rivers State. I think this is the hub’s bed of crock of Nigerian politics today. You have not allowed that to digress your primary responsibility which is governance.
“Perhaps your biggest problem is to find people to come and commission one project or another, I can imagine the kind of calculus that goes in, who do I call this time?
“In my time 6 months before I left the office I ceased to do anything new, I didn’t want to leave any problem for my successor.
“Every day in day out in the next 23 days you are going to be doing something and that takes you away from the politics because you are taking it. You stood for what is right and what is objective.
Pouring encomium on Mr. Projects, Donald Duke said, “The beauty of governor Nyesom Wike is, you can not be indifferent to him. You are either for or against it. But in being for or against you judge yourself because it tells the nature of the person you are. Even your worse critics cannot take this away from you. You have brought development to your own state. You have become the standard upon which others could be judged.”
He also remarked that in the last 5-10 years the population of Rivers has increased at least by 25%. Adding that he could imagine if the kind of infrastructure he is putting in were not there. This would have been one of the most unlivable places in Nigeria today.
While he urged the people of Rivers not to take the projects for granted. The Campaign Council Chairman noted that “What the eye do not see the heart do not crave. If you didn’t see it probably you would have thought that is normal. Governments come and go but Wike is saying this is your entitlement. So I am going to give it to you.”
According to him, “I also believe that he has set a challenge to his successor, so he would be riding on the back and learning the tutelage he has gathered from him. We always hope and pray that those that come after us are better.” He said.
Credit: TVC News/YouTube