In a recent interview on an online channel TV360, the current Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi stated that President Jonathan and his wife were bent on removing him from office as Governor of Rivers State.
See video here http://tv360nigeria.com/tv30-exclusive-my-problems-with-president-jonathan-amaechi/
As indigenes of Rivers state and people who understand the origin and nature of the current crisis in Rivers State, We were in awe and were rudely shocked. We could not believe that the elected governor of our state and one who is supposed to be the political leader of the ruling party in Rivers state would denigrate himself to so lie during a recorded media interview. It was a shameful thing to watch and more than anything else, gave us another reason to add to many others that Amaechi was not fit to be a political leader who should have built the political skills to manage men and relationships.
Even though many of us have known that his strategy was to rope-in the President and win cheap sympathy from a section of the media in the South-West and Lagos specifically, this direct affront on the President was clearly a no-brainer and a dirty below the belt hit which portrayed Rivers people in poor light as being run by a very flippant governor who does not think before he talks.
We have listened to some of his colleagues such as Jigawa’s Sule Lamido and Ekiti’s Kayode Fayemi and none of them talks as recklessly as our Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Ekiti’s Kayode Fayemi is a lot more cultured, intellect founded and careful with words. Not so with the Governor from Rivers State who incidentally graduated with a degree in English Language from the University of Port Harcourt.
We have heard Amaechi gave just too many reasons why he thinks the Presidency is fighting him. We have heard him say it is because he had previous disagreements with the President’s wife bordering on the demolition of certain waterfronts in Rivers State. We have also heard him say that it is because the President’s wife wants him to confer with her on certain state policies. We have also heard him say that it is because of his stance on establishment of the sovereign wealth fund. We have also heard him say that it is because of his stand of the over bloated fuel subsidy claims. We have also heard him say that it is because of his decision to run for NGF Governorship. Not done yet, we have also heard him say that it because the Presidency suspects that he intends to run for the Presidency or is Vice Presidency in 2015?
How many reasons will Amaechi give on why he thinks the Presidency is fighting him?
Curiously, in all his vicious and nauseous attempt to rope-in and incriminate the Presidency in the crisis in Rivers State through his very reckless rhetoric, we have never for once heard Governor Rotimi Amaechi explain to Rivers people or Nigerians why he is at war with his former Chief of Staff and now Minister of State for Education Chief Nyesom Wike. Rotimi Amaechi has cunningly and deliberately refused to tell Rivers people and Nigerians why there is lost love with his former confidant Nyesom Wike. Neither has he ever explained why Nyesom Wike is bent on bringing him down in spite of Nyesom Wike’s very loud and defiant media briefings where he has directly attacked Amaechi. The question is, why is Amaechi scared of hitting at Nyesom Wike? What is he afraid of?
It was at a youth program in Ekiti state that Governor Amaechi said that Nigerians are too timid for a revolution and that the nation is almost in a dictatorship.
How ironic. Are Rivers people also too timid for a revolution? Does he think that Rivers people are happy about the tens of billions of naira wasted so far on the proposed Rivers Mega Hospital which is yet to get off the ground? Does he think that Rivers people are happy about the fact that a project which was supposed to be a (Public-Private-Partnership) PPP project has suddenly become a contract awarded to the supposed PPP partner Clinotech Canada?
Does Governor Amaechi think that Rivers people are happy about the more than N20 bn already spent on the Rivers Monorail for a less than 5 km stretch and just pillars to show thus far? Aren’t these good enough reasons for Rivers people to begin a revolution?
How many people know that the initial PPP partner for the monorail project, a company called STI Group and facilitated by a former Governor of Rivers State General Anthony Ukpo had chickened out of the project because they felt Rivers State was not yet ready for that kind of heavy financial drag down and the existing support infrastructure constraints?
More than 90 per cent of internal roads in Port Harcourt are at various stages of hopeless disrepair. From Mile One Diobu to Mile Two to Mile Three and then Old GRA and even the New GRA are over burdened with bad internal roads even though billions of naira had been previously budgeted for these roads. Isn’t this a good enough reason for Rivers people to begin a revolution against Governor Amaechi’s government?
Whatever happened to the hundreds of millions earmarked for the Operation Zero Pothole Project? Did Amaechi punish the Commissioner of Works who was responsible for such a scam? No. Instead, the Commissioner was sent to the house of representatives where he is now House Chairman overseeing the Downstream Commitee.
Infact, Governor Amaechi had himself told a group of clergymen at the Royal House of Grace Church or so that the Operation Zero Pothole was used as an opportunity by some to embezzle money. The question again is, did he punish those who were responsible? Again, NO.
Visitors to Port Harcourt have seen some fancy model school buildings strategically located at visible parts of Port Harcourt township. They look very good. They were built at the cost of One hundred and twenty (120) million naira each and there is one in almost each community in Rivers State.
The truth is that apart from those in Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs such as Tai & Eleme, the others (in the hinterlands) are at varying levels of decay and abandonment. Some have been abandoned while others were improperly completed and left to decay. Some have even been overrun by grasses and bushed. I am sure the people in these communities are a little too timid else they would have begun their own revolution by now.
At the Ekiti Program, Governor Amaechi also used the opportunity to tag the Jonathan administration as some sort of dictatorship.
Some of us find that funny coming from a character such as Governor Amaechi. It was Governor Amaechi who suspended local government chairmen because they were having a meeting with someone who he considered his opponent. It was Governor Amaechi who revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of buildings that he perceived were being used by opposition elements for meetings in Rivers State. It was Governor Amaechi who suspended a local government chairman for being loyal to the Minister of State for Education.
So how can an Amaechi call a Jonathan a dictator? It beats us.
We have other questions. Infact too many to list out here.
Was it President Jonathan or his wife that caused Amaechi to fall out with his former confidant and Chief of Staff?
Was it President Jonathan or his wife that caused Amaechi to be at war with many of the elders and key stakeholders of Rivers State PDP?
If the President is behind the crisis in Rivers State, would he have just five (5) house members behind him?
We believe that Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi have set out to gravely undermine the office and person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and this is not a good thing.
It is not in the nature and tradition of Rivers people to disrespect, undermine or malign those who have set to provide leadership over us and if Governor does not retrace his step and apologise to the President immediately, we will have no choice but to mobilise Rivers youths to publicly disrespect, undermine and disgrace him.
The truth is, time will tell IF Amaechi is his own worst enemy.
Written By : The New Rivers Alliance (TNRA)
Douglas Akarolo – President, River Redemption Group & Leader, TNRA
Eben Amadi – President, Rivers Youth Coalition & Sec-General TNRA