Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has threatened to depose any traditional ruler in the state who attends functions without his staff of office.
The governor said this at a quarterly meeting with the leaders in the state. In a rather disparaging tone, Wike warned the leaders to desist from attending functions without their staff of office.
As commonly done in primary schools, Wike ordered those without their staffs to rise while he battered them in the presence of all present.
“I hope you understand the implication of staff of office. I cannot be addressing you and some of you are using your ordinary walking stick when you come here. Since you don’t want to have your staff of office, i’ll give it to other people.
“You don’t know the authority it carries. You are coming for your quarterly meeting and what identifies you is your staff of office. Any person can carry ya walking staff but your staff of office shows that this is a government-recognised chief [sic].
So next time i come to address you or you are coming to Government House or for a function and you carry ordinary walking stick, then another person will have that staff of office. Sometimes you just want something, you don’t even know the implication of it,” he said.
“It’s not for you to keep in your bedroom or your shrine, for those of you worship in various shrines.”
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