Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has directed Permanent Secretaries in the state to produce full account details of their Ministries’ expenditure in the last eighteen months.
Wike also charged the permanent secretaries to shun partisan politics as career civil servants, saying the roles some of them played in the closing days of the immediate past administration were politically motivated.
Addressing permanent secretaries during a meeting at Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Wike regretted that some of the permanent secretaries helped the immediate past administration to illegally withdraw funds from the State Government coffers even a day to the swearing in of a new governor. 2015.
“I want full details and print out of every ministry’s account in the last 18 months. I will not accept any handover note without an accompanying account details.
“The government was coming to a close and some of you were busy signing cheques on 26, 27 and 28 of May. On 28 of May, the Transition Committee called most of you and you refused to cooperate because they told you I will not be sworn-in,” Wike disclosed.
The governor noted that he will not witch hunt any civil servant irrespective of his/her role in the electioneering period . He, however, said that no civil servant would be allowed to sabotage the efforts of his administration.
He urged the permanent secretaries to work with his administration to revive the state and put back smile on the faces of the people.
“Those of you who want to work with us to develop Rivers State will get the necessary support. You are career civil servants and not politicians. As civil servants, don’t play the role of politicians “, he warned.
The Rivers State Governor pointed out that the back-dated employments and indiscriminate issuance of certificates of occupancy by the immediate past administration would be re-visited.
He specifically directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Survey to produce the relevant land documents for examination.
The permanent secretaries were led to the meeting by the Head of Service, Barrister Samuel LongJohn.
Others who attended the meeting were the former Minister of Sports, Dr Tammy Danagogo, Former Deputy governor, Tele Ikuru and Secretary of the Transition Committee, Barrister Frank Owhor.
It will be recalled on his inauguration day last Friday at the Liberation Stadium, Wike had promised to carry out a forensic auditing of the financial activities of the last government.
