By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT— Leaders and people of the Niger Delta will always strive to defend the unity of Nigeria, because to them, the country remaining as one indivisible entity is not negotiable and of paramount importance, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said.

This came as the governor, in his New Year message, called on  the Federal Government to drop its alleged vindictive actions against Rivers State  this year and give it due attention on matters of development.

Wike, who spoke in Sokoto when he paid a visit to Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar IV at his palace, said the interest of Nigerians and Africans would be better served with Nigeria remaining as one strong and united nation.

Wike

He said: “Let me first of all sincerely thank you, our father, the Sultan, for what you are doing for this country, working tirelessly to bring peace and to bring unity to the people. So, for all of us this is what is meant by one Nigeria. We cannot run away from this country. The unity of this country is very paramount. The unity of this country is non-negotiable. I am from the Niger Delta, from Rivers State to be specific so I cannot see us in a divided country. No way. We stand for the unity of this country.

“In Rivers State you hardly find instances of pipeline vandalism. We are working at all times to protect national assets in our state. In my state, I am governor for all the people living in the state. I am not a governor of a particular political party, but a governor for all the people of Rivers State.”

While commending the Sultan for his leadership of the Muslim community in Nigeria, Wike said he was in Sokoto to felicitate with his colleague, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who gave out his daughter in marriage on Saturday.

He equally dispelled the notion that his relationship with Tambuwal had political connotation, saying they had been friends for a long time, “long before politics defined who we are now.”

“Tambuwal has been my friend for a long time. If anything affects him, it affects me also. If he gives out his daughter in marriage, I have to be here to support him. If any problem happens to him, it affects me as well. Your Eminence, I am here to seek your royal blessing. You have blessed me before, that is why I am growing. So let me wish you a prosperous New Year ahead,” he added.

In their remarks, both the host governor and the Sultan implored Nigerians to live in peace with one another, and wished their countrymen and women a year full of happiness and blessings.

Meanwhile, in his New Year  message, Wike said year 2016 was characterised with some bitter experiences which included loss of lives during the last re-run elections.

“We pray that the New Year will usher in a new hope that the era of vindictiveness has ended and Rivers State will be justly treated and accorded its fair share of development projects and attention by the Federal Government,” he said.

Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State; Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, during Wike’s visit to the Sultan in Sokoto.

He recalled the successes recorded by his government in several areas, noting that the new year will be an opportunity to consolidate on the gains of his administration so far.

He charged people of the state to be hopeful and called for unity among them.

“Although it is difficult to forget the low and painful moments of 2016, especially the continuing economic difficulties and associated misery being experienced by ordinary people, as a result of the prostrate state of our national economy, as well as the extreme brutalization, bloodshed and losses that characterised the re-run legislative elections, there is still much progress to look back on over the last 12 months.

So, as we come to the conclusion of a largely challenging but fruitful year, we wish to assure you that we are right on course and things can only get better for every Rivers person as we strive to consolidate on our achievements and take our State to the next level of growth and development.”