Wike dissolves cabinet

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has dissolved his cabinet.

Simeon Nwakaudu, his special assistant on electronic media, announced this in a statement issued on Saturday.

The governor directed all former commissioners to hand over to the permanent secretaries in their ministries.

He also thanked them for their service and wished them well in their future endeavours.

The development comes one day after Austin Tam-George resigned his appointment as commissioner for information and communication.

He tendered his resignation less than 24 hours after Harrison Iheanyichukwu, the state commissioner for works, was sacked.

“I wish to resign my appointment as commissioner for information and communication with effect from today, June 23, 2017,” his resignation letter read.

“I have handed over officially to the director of administration in the ministry.”

Tam-George thanked Wike for the opportunity given him to serve the state.

Wike has moved against at least 10 members of his cabinet since he took office in May 2015.

In February, he fired Theophilus Ndagene, the commissioner for health.

Ndagene’s removal preceded that of Kevin Wachuku, who served as commissioner for works before Iheanyichukwu.

The governor had accused Wachuku of living below expectation.

“I have a covenant with the people of Rivers state to develop this state. And anybody who is going to work with me must work at my speed and not at your own speed,” he had said while announcing the ex-commissioner’s sack.

“Nobody should come and drag me back like the former commissioner. Wachukwu is intelligent, but he could not meet up with the pace of work at the ministry.”

Five months after making that utterance, Wike suspended four commissioners, head of service and his special adviser on lands.