Wike To Appoint 100,000 Additional Special Assistants, Say Its Part Of Stomach Infrastructure

The Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has disclosed plans to appoint additional 100,000 special assistants for political units in the state to make a total of 200,000.

Naija News reports that the new appointment comes barely 24 hours after he inaugurated the first set of the previous 100,000 appointees.

Wike, at the inauguration of the second batch of the 100,000 appointees at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Omagwa in Ikwerre Local Government Area today, said he decided to increase the number to accommodate more people, who had shown a willingness to work for him.

The governor noted that the move was part of the stomach infrastructure he promised the state.

He tasked local government chairmen to go back to their domains and identify more people for appointments.

He said: “As I speak to you, my mailbox almost crashed. People are sending text messages saying ‘why are you leaving us alone, the job is too much. This number cannot do the work’.

“Therefore, a lot of Rivers people are volunteering to be part of this work. And I can announce to you today, we have increased the number from 100,000 to 200,000.”

Wike advanced that the appointment was in line with his promise to begin implementation of the policy of stomach infrastructure, noting that his administration was not taking the remaining few months for granted saying that the appointees would help his administration to finish well.

The governor said “Many people have said why am I appointing 100,000 special assistants? What are they going to do? I told them you are not the one that is appointing. It is me, who is appointing. It is me that wears the shoes that know where it pinches. I know what it takes and I know that these people are going to help me. Now that I am finishing, I want to finish well.

“Remember when we inaugurated the Rebisi Flyover when Fashola came, remember I told you we had done a lot of infrastructure and there will come a time when we do stomach infrastructure.

“This is part of the stomach infrastructure. It is Rivers State money. If I invest Rivers State money in Rivers people, what did I do wrong?

“All the local government, go home, identify your people to be part of this job to help Rivers State to see where we are in the comity of nations. It is very important.

“At the end of this month, you are taking your first salary. If they have what it takes, tell them to challenge us.

“Your job is to go back to your units and find out what your people are saying in the various units. Are we doing well or we are not doing well? What do they want? What are they lacking? Above all they should tell us the feelings of Rivers people because we don’t want to make any mistake,” Wike submitted.