Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has explained why his administration consistently share
car gifts and other items to judicial officers, especially judges.
A statement released by Wike’s media, Kelvin Ebiri, on Friday, January 29 revealed that the clarification followed a lawsuit filed against the Rivers state government by a Port Harcourt lawyer.
Wike said in the statement that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice told him one lawyer in Port Harcourt went to court against the State Government.
The lawyer said Rivers government had no business in building houses for judges or providing cars for them. “He said we have no business in building courts for federal institutions and that I have no right to even contribute to the structures in Nigeria law School.” In his reply to the lawsuit, Governor Wike explained that his reason was to help improve the administration of justice in the oil-rich south-south state.
Wike queried: “What will be our contribution to the administration of justice when the structures are dilapidated? That lawyer is saying that what we are doing is not budgeted for. Everybody parades as if they know the law even when they don’t know the law. “People who are ignorant about the budget will just wake up in the morning and tell you the governor has no right to donate money somewhere. They make all kinds of allegations without having the facts.”
In a video also shared on his personal Facebook page, the governor knocked those he described as misguided people who were spreading wrong information about his action.
“These misinformed lawyers politicise issues of justice administration and sometimes resort to legal battles without a clear understanding of the position of the law on such matters.”
Goldennationblog.com recently reported that Governor Wike told judges in Rivers state to shun acts of corruption.
He made the call on Monday, August 3, 2020, while presenting cars to judges in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
Wike also accused some judges of insubordination and negligence of duty.
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