Governor Nyesom Wike on Thursday dissolved the Rivers State Executive Council and expressed profound gratitude to the cabinet members for their services to the government and the state.
Wike announced the dissolution after the State Executive Council special valedictory session held in Port Harcourt.
Wike, in a statement issued to newsmen by Kelvin Ebiri, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, directed all the Commissioners to hand over government property in their custody to the Permanent Secretary or most senior Director in their respective ministries.
Wike commended members of the cabinet for their immense sacrifices, commitment and dedication to service, which he said was responsible for the tremendous transformation in the state for the past eight years.
He stated that those who served as cabinet members could confidently return home with their shoulders high having successfully changed the narrative of governance in the country.
“Be happy to say, yes, I participated when they said Rivers State became one of the leading states in this country; when they said there was infrastructure revolution in the state,” he said.
Wike described the immediate past administration before his administration as callous and vicious for looting state assets and not formally handing over to his government.
He however, thanked God for the privilege that he would be successfully handing over to the incoming Governor, Siminialayi Fubara.
The governor implored the cabinet members to conscientiously pray for the success of the incoming administration.
According to him: “All we need is to pray for the incoming government, support them, where he finds you necessary to be part of his cabinet, do not disappoint us by saying no.”
In her remarks, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, the outgoing Deputy Governor of Rivers State, thanked the governor for availing her the privilege to be the first female Deputy Governor to serve the state since its creation in 1967.
Harry-Banigo stated that history would remember Governor Wike for his gender sensitive policy, which also paved way for another woman, Prof. Ngozi Odu, as her successor.
In his remark, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, the former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, said he was proud to be part of the Wike-led transformation government that changed the landscape of the state with impactful infrastructural projects.
Similarly, the Head of Service, Rufus Godwin, noted that the Wike-led administration assumed office in 2015 with purported 54,372 of civil servants on its payroll after the introduction of biometric system reduced to 39,451.
Also, the former Chief of Staff, Government House, Emeka Woke, thanked the governor for giving him the opportunity to serve the State under his administration.
Former Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), said by virtue of his appointment, he had learnt how to apply law for public good.
Prof. Adangor commended Wike for recovering the state’s oil wells from other states through the ministry.
In his speech,George-Kelly Alabo, the former Commissioner for Works, disclosed that over 920 kilometres roads and 600 kilometres of drains were constructed by Governor Wike’s administration since 2015.
