Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who has been criticized by some stakeholders for building luxury houses and buying exotic cars for judges in the state has explained the reason he is doing so.
The Governor, at the commissioning of the newly built Industrial Court judges quarters at old GRA on Thursday, said what a senior judge went through some years ago motivated him to provide suitable accommodation for them.
Wike said, when he was Chief of Staff to Former Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Ameachi, a federal judge called him in the middle of the night and complained that his landlord locked him out for not paying his rent for five years.
He said the unforgettable experience was an embarrassment to the judge, adding that judges should not be exposed to such dangers.
“What an embarrassment to a judge! Judges shouldn’t be exposed to dangers like that. We thank God for the opportunity to serve and do this,” he said.
“The landlord was owed for 5 years, and we couldn’t reach him till 2 AM.
“The Federal Government believes in the autonomy of the judiciary, but as we speak, Federal High Court judges are owing house rent in their official quarters for years now. So, who would pay?” he added.
