Wike, Fighter Of Corruption, Says Tinubu

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect, said on Thursday that Governor Nyesom Wike of the state of Rivers had fought corruption by giving public employees significant benefits and a pleasant workplace, particularly in the state’s court.

When Tinubu opened the 24 new courtroom Rivers State Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt built by the Wike administration, he made it clear that the governor of Rivers was foregoing reforms he would implement in that branch of government once he took office because of his commitment to providing good working conditions for judges.

READ ALSO: Presidential Poll: Tinubu Commends Wike, Says I Couldn’t Have Won Without You

Tinubu at the sight of the Magistrate Court project and listening to testimonies of Wike’s improved welfare packages for judges said, “To look at a different angle to what Wike has done here today, he is fighting corruption. This is the way to fight corruption. You don’t expect your judges to operate, dispense justice in squalor.

“This is part of the changes necessary in our policy tink tank. We must fight corruption, looking at the other side of the coin. If you don’t want your judges to be corrupt, pay attention to their welfare. You want fair dispensation of justice, then don’t let them work in hazardous conditions.

“Let’s think value for value. If I don’t have consumer credit and you want me to pay for the car I needed, at say N5M, N6M, that’s very big temptation for corruption. But if you have consumer credit, that will reduce the propensity for corruption.”

Tinubu who said he has also done so much in creating reforms for satisfactory conditions for judiciary workers, emphasised that, “We don’t want our judges, justices, to play foul, compromise justice. Not just the books, but do something. I promise we are going to review all of these in our policy tink tank.”

On the conflicting feedbacks from his “I don’t owe you anything” response, the day before, to Wike’s request for federal refund of moneys spent by Rivers State Government on upgrade of federal roads, the President-Elect said Wike was in order against any shade of interpretation the public gives to it.

“Whatever you say about owing or no owing, I’m very grateful to the man (Wike) who brought me here. He didn’t ask for personal commitment. He asked for a policy commitment that an incoming President has no authority to offer and approve.

“There can only be one President at a time. I cannot commit to expenditure on behalf of the outgoing President when my tenure has not started. Get educated, be informed, please”, the President elect told Nigerians as he concluded his two day visit to his new political friend in Wike.”