From Precious W. Ahiakwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
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Non-Indigenes in Rivers State who always cry out about victimization and segregation will now breathe a sigh of relief as the Rivers State Government has declared that it is now among those campaigning against state indegeneship in Nigeria.
Governor Amaechi has revealed that at least 170 non-indigenes residing in Rivers State will be admitted into the new Eleme Secondary School with free boarding facilities and a free lap top per student.
Amaechi stated this on Monday in a press briefing with journalists at the government house auditorium in Port Harcourt.
He said “in the area of secondary school, the Eleme Secondary School opening soon will admit 470 Rivers Indigenes and 170 Rivers indigenes who are not biologically from the State: what you people call non-indigenes. I am among those that says stop this indigeneship and become citizens. That way, there will be no Rivers citizen and there can always be Nigeria Citizen.”
The Rivers State Governor also explained that no one born and breed in the State who is not biologically an indigene should be denied citizenship.
“ i have battles now with the civil servants why non-indigenes are not employed in the state civil service. I said those people regarded as non-indigenes live here, pay their taxes here and some of them are born here: in fact there’s someone i ask to apply for scholarship and i’ll grant it without going to the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) because if you are born here and did your primary, secondary and University education here, who should deny you Citizenship?. Nigerians must move from I’m and indigene of Sokoto, I’m an indigene Kwara, Rivers or Nigeria state and move to citizenship. So those people you call non-indigenes who live and do business or schooled here, we have given them about 170 admission opportunities, 72 will be Nigerians: each state will give us two persons including Abuja. ” he said.
