Rivers State  governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, has  said   that the painful general  hardship flowing from the country’s  economic crisis affects all Nigerians, hence all hands must be on deck to resolve  the  challenges.

Gov. Wike

He also said that his administration had already established a working framework  to shield the people of Rivers State  from the  effects of the economic downturn.

He spoke, yesterday, at Saint Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, during the inter-denominational church service to mark Nigeria’s 56th Independence Anniversary.

He said: “The hardship  that flows from the economic downturn affects all Nigerians, irrespective  of  the political party they belong to, or whether they don’t belong to political  parties.

“That is why we must work together to ensure that we end the economic recession.  It is in our interest as a nation that we continue to  build alliances, as this economic  recession  cannot  be resolved through methods that exclude  other stakeholders.”

The governor added that Rivers State  will continue  to  be viable with the state government executing pro-people projects, whether or not Nigeria  is in recession.

He urged Nigerians  to  celebrate  the  fact that the country was still united despite the different challenges  that it had faced over the years.

He  called for more prayers for the country to make sustained progress in the coming years.

In his sermon, Bishop of Anglican Niger Diocese, Rt. Reverend Raphael Ebirien, urged the Federal Government to focus on resolving the current economic recession as Nigerians were suffering.

He also called for justice, fair play and equitable  distribution  of  resources to reduce the level of marginalisation  under the current situation in the country.

The interdenominational church service was attended by leading clerics in Rivers State, service Commanders and  officials of the Rivers State Government.