Wike Gives Reasons For Sacking Environment Commissioner

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said he sacked the Commissioner for Environment, Igbiks Tamuno, because the commissioner ordered construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria to stop work in the state without his approval.

Wike stated this shortly after he signed a contract for the construction of the Trans-Kalabari and Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono road projects on Wednesday.

The governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the sacked commissioner had written to Julius Berger which was handling several state government project to stop work without his approval.

Wike was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how a commissioner can write to a company to stop work without my approval. And Julius Berger in that matter, to stop construction in the entire state. I have never heard of such thing before. I didn’t know that commissioners have so much power like that. This is a contractor working for the state government. He (Tamuno) never interfaced with the Ministry of Works. We have paid Julius Berger and you ask them to stop work, so that they will come and ask for variation later?”

Speaking further, the governor said the signing of the contracts for the Trans -Kalabari Road project phase one, and the Saakpenwa-Bori -Kono Road project phase two showed the importance his administration places on opening up more rural communities for development.

The statement said those who signed for the Rivers State Government were the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor; Commissioner for Works, Elloka Tasie-Amadi; and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Ebere Emenike.

The General Manager of CCECC, Zou Xiaowei and his Deputy, Gao Qiang, the General Manager of Lubrik Construction Company, Rabih Elramedi and Kennedy Odogbo signed for their respective companies.