Barely 24 hours after their inauguration as new or returnee Governors have some of had these State Chief Executives declared war on the Nigerian polity. Some for the good reasons for the inane.

 

Oyo Gov tangos with LG Chairmen, civil servants

Newly inaugurated Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde kicked off governance by declaring war on both local government chairmen and civil servants in the State.

 

He dissolved all local government councils in the State and also declared he cannot pay the new minimum wage of N30,000.

 

The new minimum wage was passed into law by the National Assembly and assented to by President Muhamadu Buhari after approval by the National Council of State.

 

Makinde further disclosed that he would increase tax collection and reduce government spending, two decisions that have instantly caused a scare for civil servants in the State.

 

Against the fact that the Supreme Court has barred Governors from tampering with elected local government chairmen, Seyi Makinde has etched his name in the annals of infamy by undermining on his first day in office the sanctity of the third tier of government.

 

Imo: Ihedioha goes after okorocha

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, who was sworn in as the 6^th Executive Govenror of Imo State, hit the ground running by going after the legacies of his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha.

 

Though he has denied it owing to public outcry across the State but officials of the State Government were seen accompanied by soldiers pulling down one of the monuments referred to as ‘Akachi’ built by Okorocha and commissioned weeks ago by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

 

Imo indigenes vehemently condemned the action, stating the monument was constructed with public funds and should not be pulled down to spite the former administration.

 

The Akachi tower, which was built on a reclaimed dumpsite that was abandoned by previous administrations, is one of the many tourist attractions built by Okorocha.

A statement by a Special Adviser to the Governor, Steve Osuji, said the governor was not aware of the demolition of any structure and never gave such directive.

 

Lagos: Sanwo-olu goes after refuse defaulters

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu started his stint in office with marching orders to the State Public Works Corporation, Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Office of Drainage Services in the State Ministry of the Environment to get to work to fix the State.

 

He ordered the Public Works Corporation to begin repairs of critical roads by rehabilitating them.

 

To the LASTMA, Sanwo-Olu ordered them to run at least two shifts and work till 11pm to ease traffic on Lagos roads.

 

And then the Office of Drainage Services in the State Ministry of the Environment was ordered to aggressively clean all secondary and tertiary drainage systems across the state to ensure the free flow of rainwater during the rainy season.

 

These orders were contained in his first executive order signed on his first day on the seat as Governor.

 

Sanwo-Olu also visited the Apapa port to ascertain the extent of compliance with the federal government’s directive for decongestion of the port and evacuation of trucks and trailers littering the area and causing gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.

 

Adamawa: fintiri tackles civil servants

In Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri put civil servants, especially permanent secretaries in the State to shun politics and face their work with a caveat that any erring one among them will face the music from his administration.

Fintiri, who was obviously referring to those that worked against his emergence during the 2019 polls, gave this warning on Thursday in Yola while receiving permanent secretaries who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House.

 

Though he assured them of his readiness to work together with them for the peace and development of the state, he, however, put some of them who were allegedly partisan during the elections, on notice that all is not well.

 

Fintiri frowned at the lackadaisical attitude of some permanent secretaries infamous for abdicating their responsibilities, disclosing that he would soon unfold his administration’s agenda and focus assuring them that it would not be business as usual.

 

Rivers: We won’t bow to FG – Wike

In Rivers State, Nyesom Wike stopped short of declaring his State an independent entity in his inaugural address before a mammoth crowd that witnessed his second term inauguration at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt.

 

Though he claimed Rivers State was not at war with the federal government, he said the State would not subscribe to a “headmaster/pupil power relationship”.

 

Hear him: “We are not in opposition to the Federal Government and we seek their partnership to move Rivers State and Nigeria forward.”

 

“But we are not a conquered people and we will never surrender our freedoms to anybody or entity, whether internal or external.”

 

“We will therefore not accept to be subjugated to a headmaster and pupil power relationship; neither will we abandon the collective interest of Rivers State for the sake of political expediency”.

 

“We are for the rule of law, democracy and mutual respect as autonomous State entities and co-building blocks of the Nigerian federation.”

 

Already, this statement of his at the debut of his second term has triggered discourse on what it implies for the polity, especially, should other states assume same combative instead of cooperative stance to the federal government.