“By providing meaningful welfare and conducive work environment for public servants”, You are a fighter of corruption – Says Bola Tinubu

..“Whatever you say about owing or no owing, I’m very grateful to the man who brought me here” – Asiwaju

..My fear is lack of maintenance culture for Big projects – Wike

NIGERIA’s President-Elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu on Thursday described Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state as a fighter of corruption in his provision of meaningful welfare and conducive work environment for public servants, particularly in the state’s judiciary.

Tinubu while commissioning the new 24 court rooms Rivers State Magistrate Court build by the Wike administration in Port Harcourt, revealed that the Rivers governor’s was by his commitment to good working conditions for judiciary workers preempting reforms he would carry out in that arm of government when he assumes office.

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.”

Tibunu 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.

My Worry Over My Legacy Projects -Wike

Expressing worry over the challenge with maintaining his numerous milestone projects after his exit from office, Governor Wike said, “I feel so bad that you build a structure as this, and those responsible for maintaining it make a mess of it when you come back in six months and you ask yourself why did I even have to build it.

“We lack maintenance culture. Just like when we handed over the Law School to the Council of Legal Education. The state government gave N400M, to say put it in an account for maintenance of this structure. We provided revenue generating properties to make the school self sustaining.

“We never wanted a situation where they will make excuses, to say federal government has not released subventions or that the money released is too small. So we say let federal government pay you salaries, but take these incentives and ensure proper maintenance of the place. But I was told the other day there was no light, no water in the school. I can’t understand our system.”

Wike assured the State Chief Judge of a monthly maintenance allowance of N20Million for the State Magistrate Court for the next one year, warning that he would not be happy with the authorities if he visits the court within the period and see meet place unkempt.