The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • 2015…The Anioma dilemma

    Since the expiration of the ultimatum issued by Anioma Congress (AC), pressure group, to Anioma gubernatorial aspirants to declare their gubernatorial interest, many governorship contenders have thrown their hats in the ring.

    Anioma Congress had at the end of an enlarged meeting which held at the palace of the Asagba of Asaba listed seven criteria which any candidate of Anioma extraction seeking to become Delta State Governor in 2015 must possess.

    NDR gathered that candidates aspiring to be governor are expected to write the congress intimating it of their intentions within 30 days.

    Other criterion includes age, educational background, experience in governance, acceptability, record of community empowerment/service achievements in previous offices and performance before the selection committee.

    Also traditional rulers from the Delta North area were mandated to within one month scrutinize the aspirants from their domain who present themselves for the highest public office in the State.

    The Asagba of Asaba, Prof Chike Edozien who presided over the meeting said the secretariat of Anioma Congress and traditional ruler swill meet to pick those that would make the selection committee.

    This done, the selection committee, headed by the Asagba of Asaba, Prof Obi Chike Edozien , will narrow their scrutiny on the preferred candidate.

    But how feasible is this initiative by the pressure group largely made up of traditional rulers and past political office holders of Anioma extraction and other accomplished personalities? Will they be perceived as fair by losing candidates? Would candidates feel bound to accept the outcome reached by the selection committee? Will the group not lose face if their preferred candidate suffers loss? Will the group not back the opposition should they fail to use the ruling PDP as a platform to project their candidate?

    Recall that in the run-up to the 2007 Delta State gubernatorial elections the apex Urhobo socio-political group Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) under the leadership of the late Chief Benjamin Okumagba endorsed NDDC Chairman, Emmanuel Aguariavwodo as the Urhobo candidate. He was schemed out at the PDP primaries at Ogwashi-Uku , Aniocha South L.G.A.

    From the plethora of eminently qualified candidates of Anioma extraction, will the group not buckle under pressure as the election turns essentially a contest for the endorsements of the group?

    It was gathered that the move was in response to the fact that over 12 top contenders have either been identified or have already indicated interest in the 2015 governorship of Delta State.

    The leading names include Victor Ochei, Delta Speaker, Dr Arthur Okowa , Senator ,representing Delta North at the NASS, the ebullient Chief of Staff, Delta Government House, Dr Festus Okubor, ex-presidential aide Clement Ofuani, Chair, Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, Ngozi Olejeme, the lone female entrant , Special Adviser, President Goodluck Jonathan, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof Slyvester Monye, former governorship aspirant, Godswill Obielum.

    Others include ex-Acting Governor, Sam Obi, member representing Ika North East Constituency in the State’s legislature, business mogul, Peter Okocha and Ndudi Elumelu, member representing Anoicha/Oshimili Federal Constituency at the NASS.

    But, a chieftain of the Anioma Congress, who spoke on condition of anonymity, thinks the selection committee may finally arrive at three candidates each representing the three ethnic groups of Ndokwa, Ika and Aniocha/Oshimili that make up Delta North senatorial district for the endorsement of the presidency.

    According to him during the visit of the group to the Presidency at Aso Rock, Abuja, that was the understanding that emerged.

    According to him, it will be unfair to under any guise stop any of the three major ethnic group from contesting, adding that a fairer method would be to present

    But, Tony Ezeagwu, Democratic People’s Party, (DPP) thinks the onus is on governorship aspirants of Anioma extraction to abide by the list of criteria set by the group.

    His words, “It is a welcome development as we speak almost everyone is parading himself or herself as a gubernatorial aspirant .Well the issue is this, if they want the governorship slot in any political party they must present a consensus candidate. With the multitude running around as governorship hopefuls, my fear is that other senatorial district will rally around a strong candidate and may upset the Anioma agenda. So long as they do not want to , the slimmer the chances will become. The earlier they abide by the criteria set out by Anioma Congress the better for them (Anioma politicians)

    But, Director Media and Research, Anioma Agenda, Mr. Oyibosochukwu Nwabueze expresses doubt as to the viability of Anioma Congress ‘s method of selecting a consensus candidate, adding that the point of divergence between both groups is with methodology.

    He says while the Anioma Congress prefers to exclude qualified persons from contesting the governorship race, the Anioma Agenda’s strategy is to “sensitise, and mobilise strategic stakeholders across Delta State”, on the need to present only Deltans of Anioma extraction at the election.

    He wonders whether group has the power to stop any person from exercising his or her constitutional right, adding that Anioma Agenda is not a part of the screening committee.

    His words: “I do not know how they will achieve a consensus candidate. I do not know how the ruling PDP will accommodate their consensus candidate bearing in mind the party will conduct its own primaries. Does a political pressure group have the power to stop a candidate? I think the Anioma Congress would have joined Anioma Agenda, we were working together but we are not part of the screening committee. We at Anioma Agenda feel the best way is to embark on consultative visits and sensitize and mobilize strategic stakeholders across Delta State to achieve the only agenda of producing an Anioma person as governor. Our position is to dialogue with all the political parties including the PDP, our preferred platform, and the All Progressive Congress (APC) to see reason why they should present an Anioma son or daughter to run as governor.”

     

  • Oil spill: Ughoton rejects Dubril’s N2.6m offer

    Efforts by the Edo State Government to intervene in the bickering between Ughoton Community in Ovia North East Local Government and an indigenous oil company, Dubril Oil has hit the rock.

    This followed the rejection of the N2.6m Dubril Oil offered to the community as part payment of the money the company ‘owed’ the community. The community is insisting on the payment of almost N8m as accumulated ‘debt’. The debt covers money for host watch, drugs, elders and christmat gifts.

    Dubril Oil has recorded huge loss in revenue since last December when one of its piplelines at Ughoton ruptured and spilled crude oil on the road. The oil well producing 200 barrels a day was shut and attempts by Dubril to fix the ruptured pipeline have been resisted by the community.

    The community accused Dubril of igniting leadership tussle in the community to stop its Corporate Social Responsibility to them. They said it was their ancestors that answered their prayers for the oil spill to occur.

    At a peace meeting attended by the Edo State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Isimeme Iriogbe, the management of Dubril Oil and members of the community disagreed. The community described as mere palliatives the developmental strides Dubril oil claimed to have recorded at the community.

    In a paper presented to the commissioner by the community through itslawyer, Dele Edokpayi, the community said they have mandated their lawyer to take Dubril to court for environmental hazards its exploration caused the community.

    The community queried why Dubril would always drag them to security agencies each time they demanded what is their.

    Productiom Manager of Dubril Oil, who led some management team to the meeting, Chris Ikorok informed the commissioner that the relationship between the company and the communtity was cordial until recently when leadership tussle began in the community.

    Chris explained that the company was confused on whose leaders to deal with.

    “Who will collect the money? Who are the people to collect the money. Safety concern is our best practices and I know the MD will not fail to address problems in the community.”

    The commissioner expressed disappointment at the social amenities in the community and said he has written to the Benin Monarch to determine who is the rightful head of the community.

    Isimeme assured Ughoton residents that the government would not support the oil company to harrass them and added that investors were equally needed in the state.

    He pleaded for Dubril oil to be allowed to operate and promised that all agreements reached would be honoured.

    Chris, in a phone chat, said the company did not owe the community.

    “They have not agreed on the modality for payment. We do not owe them. We asked them to bring the list of beneficiaries but a faction said we should pay the lawyer while the other faction said we should not pay to the lawyer. What we are appealing is to allow us complete the job.”

     

  • Edo boosts 10,000 jobs with agriculture

    Edo boosts 10,000 jobs with agriculture

    More than 5000 youths in Edo State may soon be taken-off the unemployment market if four companies that recently got over 100 hectares of land to grow different crops commenced operation. Two of the four companies have also indicated interest to establish ethanol refineries at Ehor and Orhionmwon local governments.

    The four companies- Ekha Bio-Chemical Nigeria Limited, Industrial Development Group, Obax Worldwide and Wilbahi Investment Limited last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government and they are to invest over $500m in the agricultural sector of the state.

    Ekha Bio-Chemical applied for 10,000 hectares to grow cassava with a view to producing cassava bye-products such as chips and sweetners at Ehor in Uhunmwode, Industrial Development Group got 20,000 hectares to grow sugar-cane for ethanol production in Owan East, Obax Worldwide also got 20,000 hectares to cassava at Orhionmwon for its ethanol refinery to be built at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha while Wilbahi Investment applied for 50,000 hectares to grow rice, oil palms and cassava at different parts of the state.

    To avoid food shortage especially the popular stable garri which is gotten from cassava, the state government has prepared land for over 5000 outgrowers farmers to grow cassava for the ethanol refineries.

    Commissioner of Agriculture, Abdul Oroh who spoke shortly after signing of the MOU said the state government planned to open up over 300,000 hectares of land within the next three years for cultivation on different areas of agriculture.

    Oroh said the droves with which investors showed interest in the state was part of the gains of the Agribusiness Summit organised by the state government last year adding that the contents ot the MOU provided a win-win situation for the state government, communities and investors.

    The commissioner who warned the investors against land grabbing stated thatbthe benefiting communities ceded the lands to the government and not the investors to prevent a conflict between the companies and the communities.

    According to him, “We are considering giving additional land to existing agro-companies like Okomu and others. We are treating 12 applications from different investors. We are on the verge of signing a MOU with Dangote group because we have identified about 50,000 hectares for rice cultivation in Estako Central. We believe that if some of those new ventures are concluded, Edo State will become one of the richest state in the country and we will contribute over 25% to food export. We import a lot of ethanol from Brasil. We are also going to bridge some gaps there.

    “The MOU we just signed gave a time limit for the investors to develop a substantial part of the land or the investor faces forfeiture on any undeveloped part of the land. We don’t want land grabbers. If we discover the company does not have the capacity or has not done what we agreed. We will revoke the unused land. We want an inclusive process based on free and inform consent of the various communities. We already have the consent of the communities.”

    “One of the things we intend to attach to it is that we want to include out-growers scheme to all these transactions. The company will guarantee a market for the produce. They will also assist the outgrowers in terms of provision of quality seedlings. We are going to do another agreement because we don’t want them having problems with the communities.”

    “There will be a land use charge which will be paid subsequently. We are looking at N2000 per hectare per annum. We have not finalised it but we are working on it and we will now have an agreement to work out method of paying. The state government will collect it and pay part of it to the communities or provide infrastructures for the communities. We have met with the communities and discuss with them. Communities are already worried that the investors are yet to commence. It is based on their willingness to cede the land to the government and not the investor.”

    Chairman of Obax Worldwide, Patrick Obasuyi said they choose Nigeria because the country is the largest producer of cassava. He said over 350 permanent jobs would be created and 2000 jobs during construction of te ethanol refineries.

    He said they would grow cassava to be used by their ethanol refineries to avoid taking food from the existing market adding that the refinery would be completed in 2016.

    Managing Director of Wilbahi Investment, Wilma Aguele said they planned to make the state the food hub of the nation.

  • The violence of zero allocation

    The violence of zero allocation

    Violence is not only when you attack somebody physically; violence is not just about making your opponent helpless through the use of brute force. Blood does not always have to be been shed for an act of violence to have taken place.

    War, no doubt, is violence. What the Niger Delta militants did to get the attention of the federal militants is also violence. The actions of the Boko Haram are clearly violent. The late Festus Iyayi, author and university teacher, made it clear to us all in his novel Violence that violence comes in various form. Blood or wound or even death is not the determinant factor. In the novel, corruption was violence; indolence was violence; mediocrity was violence; anything that involves cutting corner meant violence to the late Iyayi.

    The violence I write of today is that of provocation. This is how it came to light. On Tuesday, everything seemed to have been going on well at the House of Representatives’ Committee on Works’ consideration of the 2014 budget. As Minister of Works Mike Onolememen was speaking, Dakuku Peterside, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), was studying the details of the ministry’s budget for the year. He made a shocking find and suddenly started protesting loudly.

    He shouted that the Federal Government made “zero allocation” to all the road projects in Rivers State, adding that the development confirmed that the Federal Government had declared war on his state.

    “Mr. Chairman, this certainly cannot be a coincidence. All the roads in Rivers State got zero allocation. How did that happen if it is not true that a war has been declared on Rivers State?

    “I just want all of you and the minister to take note of this; it is most unfair. We are all Nigerians.”

    The chairman of the committee, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, interjected:”We are a committee and this is just a proposal. The executive will do their own thing and we are to appropriate as we deem it okay.”

    Peterside was pissed off already and he stormed out of the meeting, saying: “No, no, I cannot continue to sit here.”

    His reaction, for those conversant with this All Progressives Congress (APC) Rep from Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro, should not come as a surprise. Over the years, he has shown that injustice should not be called by any other name. He has also cited the ill-treatment of Rivers by the Federal Government as one of the reasons he left the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). So, it would have been contrary to his belief to sit there and participate in the approval of a budget which seeks to make his people continue to grapple with bad federal roads. The zero budget means that throughout this year, the Federal Government may not carry out repairs on any of its roads in the state, which need urgent attention.

    As a result of Peterside’s protest, Onolememen told the committee that the ministry still had its eyes on the Aba- Port Harcourt Road, which was stalled because the contractors handling the project could not access the funds needed for the purpose.

    He also explained that the ministry withdrew from dualising Ahoda-Omoku road when it discovered that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) listed it as one of the projects it would execute.

    But the issue remains that the ministry has no plans for new roads in Rivers. The Aba-Port Harcourt road is a different arrangement and is even being stalled.

    Last December, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi urged the Federal Government to refund about N105 billion expended by the state on rehabilitation of dilapidated federal roads in the state.

    The governor also complained that the Bonny-Bodo federal road project had been abandoned, adding that work on the Port Harcourt International Airport was very slow, when compared with similar projects going on at other international airports in the country.

    He said there was nothing to show that Rivers people have benefitted from the 2.1 million votes given to President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections.

    As at 2012, the money spent by Rivers was N70 billion. It increased to N105 billion because the Federal Government shirked its responsibility to the state. Now that it has made no provision for road projects in Rivers State, more state funds that should have gone into other areas will go into working on federal roads.

    The Omerelu/Elele/Isiokpo-Airport Road is a Federal Government road that Rivers has been forced to build through Setraco.

    The Prof Tam David-West Boulevard Flyover on Choba Road, which is part of the East-West Road, is another Federal Government road the state government has worked on. The Eleme Junction Flyover is a another Federal Government business, which Rivers has been compelled to complete. There are many of them that the state government is working on and has completed.

    The position of the government is that it cannot leave these roads because Rivers people are the ones that will suffer if they are in bad state. The people will not know which one is federal or state road. All they will say is that the roads are bad and the state government will be deemed irresponsible.

    The state government had written for a refund of what Rivers had spent on federal roads. No answer yet. Now, it will have to spend more.

    The Ministry of Works needs to explain the zero allocation to Rivers’ federal roads. But, not a few have concluded that it is just another chapter in the face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and Amaechi.

    I must point out something here: some weeks back, the people of Bonny Island were in the Villa to see Jonathan. The major reason behind their visit was the Bonny-Bodo. The road, if done, will end the current practice where the people of the rich Island have to depend on speed boat or NLNG vessels to get out of the Island. The road was first awarded during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who Jonathan blamed for the abandonment of the project. He, however, promised to get the work going. But, with no appropriation to Rivers, is their hope that the road will get any attention this year?

    If nothing is done to correct this violence, I suggest the Rivers people also have the right to be violent with their votes. They should direct the anger of their votes to show who their friend is. It is their choice and no one can blame them for it.

  • Last word: IYC…Peace at what cost?

    •Last Word is Niger Delta Report’s verdict on Southsouth affairs

    The post-election crisis which tore the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) apart for about six months, the country was told some days back, is now over. Before then, there were concerns that the crisis could affect the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is Ijaw. So, it was not surprising that when it was resolved, the resolution was attributed to the interest of the 2015 ambition of Jonathan.

    While the crisis raged, it was like the heaven was going to fall. Allegations were bantered. The election, which produced the new leadership, was said to have been rigged. The number of delegates who voted were said to have been more than the accreditted delegates. Offices or age meant nothing to the agitators. They were just ready to rbbish whoever was not on their side. The ordinary people even felt the brunt because on more than one occasion, supporters of the major forces blocked roads in Bayelsa State, with threats flying left and centre.

    Reports indicate that Jonathan’s reelection featured prominently in most of the discussions which finally led to the sheathing of swords. The gladiators were ‘compelled’ to reach an agreement to save Jonathan’s re-election bid. It was said that many were of the opinion that allowing the crisis to continue would affect Jonathan’s electoral fortunes.

    What this means is that the October 2013 election which produced Udens Eradiri as the President of IYC stands. Some weeks back, Eradiri had carpetted an Abuja meeting at the residence of the Ijaw Leader, E.K Clark. The meeting caused many ripples and further divided the youth body. The outcome of the meeting was seen by confidants of Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and Eradiri as dangerous to the Jonathan’s ambition. The meeting announced the dissolution of the structures of IYC.

    The Lagos meeting, which was championed by the Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, persuaded aggrieved candidates to give peace a chance . And it is believed to have worked the miracle.

    Prominent Ijaw leaders, including Clark, former Minister of Police Affairs Broderick Bozimo and Bayelsa State Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs Dr. Felix Tuodolor, played key roles in the new-found peace.

    Commenting on the state of things, Clark, speaking through Bozimo, urged Ijaw people to unite to galvanise support for Jonathan in his re-election bid.

    He said: “We all know that this is indeed a trying times for the Ijaw nation and IYC is the foot soldiers of the Ijaw. There is need for unity among us to be able to rally support for our son, President Goodluck Jonathan in his 2015 re-election bid.

    “I am happy the Ijaw youths have closed ranks and put all their differences behind them. I am happy that Eradiri said the struggle for Ijaw unity would be taken to an intellectual level through capacity building for the youth.”

    Bozimo, speaking for himself, said: “We are totally committed to the Jonathan project. All of us in the Ijaw land are with Jonathan 100 per cent. We are urging him to contest and it has to be done peacefully because he is going to win.”

    Tuodolor said: “The election was controversial, but we thank God we have resolved it. Edwin Clark, Kingsley Kuku and other respectable Ijaw leaders joined the peace process and ensured the crisis was resolved.

    “As we have come together, let us forgive ourselves. Out there, there is a big battle for the Ijaw people. We can only win if we are united.”

    But, the peace was not for nothing. Most of the agitators, especially persons who contested the presidential election against Eradiri, were promised one largesse or the other. What this will cost the Bayelsa State government and the Amnesty Office in naira and kobo will never be made public. In the real sense of it, the peace was bought and not really from the heart of the gladiators. It was a cse of nothing goes for nothing. Some may say what is wrong in that when in the first place, the quest for leadership of the body was all about being properly positioned to benefit from the national cake, which incidentally, is being shared by their son, Jonathan.

  • Akpabio underdeveloped Oron, says ex-commissioner

    Akpabio underdeveloped Oron, says ex-commissioner

    Ita Awak, an Oron man, is a trained aircraft engineer and a former Information Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State under former Governor Victor Attah. He spoke with reporters on the politics of succession and the  alleged marginalisation of Oron Nation in Akwa Ibom State. Kazeem Ibrahym was there. 

    Considering the massive cash inflow into Akwa Ibom State, how would you assess the performance of the state government so far?

    You may not believe it, but I tell you that there is massive hunger in Akwa Ibom State. Like everybody knows, the annual revenue profile of Akwa Ibom State equals that of Lagos State. As a matter of fact, from 2007 till date, it will be interesting to know that Akwa Ibom State is one of the states that have grossed up to or about 2 trillion naira. Such vast volume of money has never entered this state since the creation of this state in 1987. It may also interest you further that what Akwa Ibom State grosses annually from the Federation Account equals the total amount of money that accrues to all the Igbo-speaking states of the Southeastern zone. It does appear also that it is equal to the total amount of money received by all the Hausa-Fulani North eastern states put together. As a matter of fact, in this year’s budget, what we have is about N500 billion, which is about four times the total amount of money that Cross River State is budgeting for this year. So,what are we trying to say? In terms of the revenue we have received compared to our recorded development, there is a wide gap. As it is, Akwa Ibom State is known to be one of the richest states in the country, but the vast majority of the people of Akwa State are pauperised, the economic class in Akwa Ibom State has been reduced to executive beggars. It is a tragedy, a supreme tragedy that we can have this huge amount of money, yet it is not reflected in an improved standard of living of Akwa Ibom people. It will be interesting to know what the current poverty index of Akwa Ibom State is, but I know for sure that there is hunger in this state. Very, very saddening, indeed. Thank you very much.

    But the Governor keeps talking of “Uncommon Transformation” of Akwa Ibom State. How then do you justify this statement with what you have just said?

    In all fairness to my good friend, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio, he has, to all intents and purposes, recorded some measurable structural development within the Uyo metropolis. Please note that Uyo metropolis only constitutes just one local government of the nine Local Governments that make up Uyo Senatorial District. This hyperbolised claim about uncommon transformation can also be seen in a section of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District where my dear governor hails from. That is where you see this so-called uncommon transformation. Have you taken a ride through Eket Senatorial District? It may interest you to know that the petrodollar that drives the economy of Akwa Ibom State all comes from Eket Senatorial District. When you get into Eket Senatorial District, what accosts your sight is the glaring and soulful evidence of uncommon neglect. Then, when you now go to the Oron Nation, where I come from, you will see stark reality of criminal marginalisation of both the natives and the communities. Further, when you get into the 31 LGAs of Akwa Ibom State, all you see is evidence of neglect, plunder and uncommon roguery. That is what is going on in Akwa Ibom State.

    Akwa Ibom State is getting prepared to elect a successor to Governor Godswill Akpabio. The most current situation is that the Executive Council of Akwa Ibom State has recently nominated three persons…

    (interjects)…Is it the duty of the Executive Council of Akwa Ibom State to tell Akwa Ibom people whom to vote for? When has it become the function of the Executive Council of any state in this country to decide those that are to go for election? For me, this is the height of absurdity. This is very absurd and unfortunate. The business of the state executive council of any rational honest government is to articulate, execute, and evaluate government policies in such a way and manner that the greater majority of the people of that state benefits from the activities of government. When we were privileged to serve in the executive council of this state, it was not our business to deliberate or even go to the absurd level of shortlisting those who were to contest as Governor Attah’s successor. It was chiefly our business to struggle for resource control and join our Governor Obong Victor Attah in articulating such enduring developmental projects such as the Akwa Ibom International Airport, the Ibom Independent Power Plant, Ibaka Deep Sea Port, and the Science and Industrial Incubation Center.

    So, what then do you propose for the Oron people? Or do you have a particular Oro man you are supporting for this 2015 Governorship race?

    In Akwa Ibom State, the Ibibios constitute 65 per cent of the population and they have 14 LGAs spread across the three Senatorial Districts and they are predominantly in Uyo Senatorial District of 9 LGAs. For the Oron man to become governor of this state, the Ibibios must bless that venture, they must support it. Without their support, we cannot unilaterally make ourselves governor of this state. Now, because of the current style of Government, the Ibibios feel alienated. Right now, we have a big crisis on our hands. All the ethnic groups in Akwa Ibom State are at daggers drawn with each other.

    I think, and nothing has made me to doubt the uncomfortable feeling that I am having, that it is the determined intention of Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio to amputate the Oron ethnic group as the third leg of the tripod. His decision to completely isolate and exclude the Oro natives from his government is a part of that ploy to incapacitate us and render us totally irrelevant in the political arithmetic of Akwa Ibom State.

    Is Oron really underdeveloped?

    I have said so. The underdevelopment of Oron is the handiwork of the governor. Remember, he said that Oron did not support him. Second, our governor has seen the need to use state funds to dualise federal roads in his own senatorial district; and he gives no regard at all to the state of complete disrepair of the federal roads in Oron Federal Constituency.

  • RCCG lifts school

    RCCG lifts school

    They were at Omudioga, a community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State last year for a gospel/medical crusade. The weeklong event was held in an open field housing a dilapidated structure at the centre of the community.

    But little did they know that the worn-out structure is a school where tomorrow’s leaders were being made.

    It is the State School (2), Omudioga, built in the 50s. The single V-shaped 10-classroom block has passed through generations, without any form renovation until the recent intervention by members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG).

    The school ranks second of the three primary schools in the community , which hosts over 40 oil wells operated by the famous Anglo-Dutch Company, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

    It is a few miles away from Elele, a developing area in the LGA and a little distance away from Ubima community, Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi’s home town.

    The Paramount ruler and Nye-nwe Ali Omudioga, Akpabu and Itu, Eze G.C. Onyeka (SP), lamented the gross neglect of the community by the government.

    He told the Niger Delta Report that the community has no functional healthcare centre. He admitted that the contractor who won the bid for the construction of a health centre abandoned the job and eloped with the funds.

    Dr. Onyeka and his subject expressed deep appreciation to the church. They said the poor state of the school was of great concern to them.

    They described the intervention as the act of God and appealed to the government to assist in furnishing and completing the structure for them.

    The pupils learn sitting on the ground, while the teachers and headmaster have no tables and offices.

    The Pastor, Rivers Provence 2 of the church, Adesoji Oni, explained the reasons for the gesture.

    He said: “It is a simple way of demonstrating the call of God upon the Church. Just as we heard in the message preached that God has called the Church unto good works, coupled with the fact that we cannot ignore the fact that children are the leaders of tomorrow, if we fail to give them their deserved care now, then our future will be bleak.

    “So, as part of our co-operate responsibility therefore, we decided to give the children at least a comfortable place to learn.”

    The school’s headteacher, Wosamma Ezekiel Okedi, narrated how he came in contact with the group.

    Okedi said: “I saw them at a crusade on this very ground we are now. I attended the crusade as an observer. I came in such a way that I would not be recognised. But when I moved round, I discovered that it was not just a mere crusade, but a health mission. Pregnant women were delivered of their babies; some were under labour; some other persons were on drips; a whole lot of activities, such as distribution of cloths, medical consultation, drugs’ dispensation were going on in the place; everybody was busy at the place.

    “I was baffled and at the same time impressed at what I saw. It was this that moved me to introduce myself to one of the pastors I identified at the ground.

    “When he heard that I am the CDC, of the Community and the Headmaster of this school, (pointing at the dilapidated school structure), the Pastor was shocked and asked: ‘Is this a school?’ I said ‘yes’, and explained that there are three schools in this community and this is School 2.

    “Immediately, he directed that I should go and get a carpenter. I was a bit confused, and asked, did you say I should go and get a carpenter and you will provide for us some bundles of roofing zinc? He repeated that I should go and get a carpenter.

    “I rushed out and in with a carpenter. When we got here, he asked me to take the carpenter round to check the structure and come up with an estimate.

    “At the end of the day, the carpenter estimated 35 bundles of local zinc, the pastor rejected the local zinc, insisting on Cameroun zinc. I became agitated in my mind on the reality of efforts. The Pastors now asked that the facial boards be completely changed also. Today we have this better structure to learn. This is indeed the work of God Almighty.”

    The President-General of Omudioga Youths Association, Akpri Nnamdi Akpiri, said his administration planned to patch parts of the leaking roof before the intervention.

    “Let me, at this point, say that government expects all corporate bodies to be alive to their responsibilities to their host communities.

    “They are expected to engage in one activity or the other to show their supports to governments’ policies. One of such is education.”

     

  • Otuoke varsity prepares for 2016 NUGA games

    Otuoke varsity prepares for 2016 NUGA games

    The Federal University, Otuoke is thinking beyond its recent matriculation of 383 students. Its eyes are set on the Nigerian Universities Game Association (NUGA), 2016.

    Despite its teething problems, the ambitious university was recently awarded the South-South zonal hosting rights for the universities’ competitive games in 2016 and it accepted the honour.

    So, the university located in President Goodluck Jonathan’s hometown in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, is thinking of how to build recreational facilities to successfully host the event.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, said the development has not ruffled the feathers of the institution. Aluko who spoke to Niger Delta Reports shortly after conducting the matriculation said the university would begin by building recreational facilities.

    But the frank Aluko said the university would not engage in all the sports as it lacked resources to build all sporting facilities.”Any other facility that we are not able to do, we will work with the University of Port Harcourt and even the Niger Delta University”, Prof. Aluko said.

    Beyond the games, the matriculation was a successful event. Fresh students beamed with smiles as they posed for pictures. Most of them were happy that they got an opportunity to study in a university founded in a small community of President Jonathan.

    Part of the benefits would be perhaps having the privilege to sight Mr. President each time he visits home and maybe their could be an opportunity to shake hands with the number one citizen of the country.

    Besides, they may be given some presidential treatments on some scholarly issues. With such ideas running into their brains, they danced around and shouted with ecstasy.

    For the university, it was the third matriculation since it took off academic activities. With the newly admitted 167 female and 216 male students, the population of the institution has increased to 1040.

    The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences which has two departments and six programmes has already welcomed additional 202 students while the Faculty of Science and Engineering with three departments and six programmes received 181 fresh students.

    The students have opportunities to study 12 programmes comprising English and Communication studies, History and International Relations, Accounting and Finance, Economics and Development, Sociology and Anthropology, Political Science and Strategic Studies, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry, Mathematics with Statistics, Computer Science and Informatics and Physics with Electronics/Power.

    But Aluko insisted that the students must justify their admissions in character, civility and academic excellence. While asking them t enjoy the fun offered by the university, he insisted they must do so responsibly.

    He was specific. He asked them to avoid cultism, violence and other vices.

    He said: “What we have truly begun to create here at Otuoke is a citadel of learning, teaching, research and community service for the generation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge (in consonance with our mission), so that in the shortest possible time, we can gain and maintain a reputation as a world-class university that challenges all its students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal growth, to promote sustainable development, as well as contribute purposeful and ethical service to the nation and mankind”.

    Prof. Aluko disclosed that two new faculties (Engineering and Technology as well as Business and Management Sciences) will be added to the suite.

    He said a Graduate School to offer postgraduate degrees will commence by September.

    “Our research focus of oil and gas studies, energy and environment, marine and wetland studies, human dynamics and conflict resolution, and entrepreneurship will guide our applied research and collaborative efforts as a tertiary academic geared towards the socioeconomic development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria”, he said.

    The Vice Chancellor further noted that the total bandwidth in the university would be increased to 10 Mbps. He hoped the development would help the institution join the NGREN (Nigerian Research Network) once it is open to new universities.

    He disclosed that “that there is wireless access in most parts of the campus with fiber-optics, satellite and radio links within and across the campus.

    He also hinted that the university has established a 52-seater Language Laboratory and an Entrepreneurial and Skills Development Unit (ESDU) to act as catalyst for future Faculty of Business and Management Sciences.

    He said the university will play host to an Achebe “Arrow of God” Colloquium on March 29. He, however, said that not all the departments have been accredited.

    But he maintained that the aim of the institution was to ensure that the “programs are accredited before those admitted will graduate”.

  • Agony of Bakassi returnees

    Agony of Bakassi returnees

    Exactly one year ago today, they woke up to pandemonium. It was sheer agony for the Nigerians living in Efut Obot Ikot in the ceded Bakassi Peninsula.

    These Nigerians, Bakassi indigenes, recounted that on this day Cameroonian gendarmes allegedly invaded their community in the wee hours, forcing them to leave their land. Houses were burnt, people were killed and loved ones went missing, they lamented.

    For those who survived the alleged onslaught, they mostly arrived from Efut Obot Ikot by six hour canoe trip to Ifiang community in Akpabuyo from where they embarked on another two hour trek through the bushes to the St Marks Primary School, Akwa Ikot Edem in Akpabuyo local government area where they are presently huddled.

    As a result of school being in session, the returnees had to give up some of the classrooms they were sleeping in to accommodate the pupils. A secondary school nearby offered some of its classrooms for the people to reside, hence presently they people are in two camps in Akpabuyo.

    Now most of the over 2, 000 returnees sleep on the cold, hard floors of exposed primary and secondary school classrooms exposed to the elements.

    Although the federal and state governments have made efforts to assuage their pains, they still have witnessed a fair share of grief. Individuals such as Florence Ita-Giwa from the area have also contributed their lot in making life easier for the people. They have temporary refuge, but their agony still runs deep.

    Presently, the state government through the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) bears the main burden of taking care of their basic needs through the provision relief materials and foodstuff, mostly staple. SEMA has also facilitated the registration of the returnee’s children in primary and secondary schools in Akpabuyo. Some drugs are also made available for them by the state government.

    But parents at the camp say their children ask them a simple question they cannot answer, “When are we going to stop begging SEMA food and have our own place?” Camp leader, Etim Ene, said, “Honestly I don’t know what to answer when my children ask me that. I think that question should be meant for the Federal Government to answer.”

    Ene said so far 38 babies have been delivered in the camp while 15 are heavily pregnant. Meanwhile, the sanitary conditions leave so much to be desired.

    So far one death has been recorded in the camp, and the returnees fingered the poor sanitary conditions of the environment.

    Fifteen year old Blessing Okon died in October last year. Blessing who was huddling up with other returnees in the classrooms, developed a strange ailment in April which left her a distended stomach and swollen feet.

    Father of the deceased, Mr Edet Okon, lamented being abandoned by relevant authorities when he approached them for help when his daughter was ill.

    Okon, who said his daughter died at the Paediatric section of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), said he had written to the state government through the relevant ministry and made other spirited efforts to raise funds for the treatment of his daughter but to no avail.

    He said when they first noticed that their daughter was not feeling fine, she was first of all taken to the St Joseph Hospital in Akpabuyo before she was referred the UCTH, where she died.

    He said having been displaced they did not have any money surviving only on relief materials provided by the government and other agencies at their camp.

    He said he borrowed over N600, 000 which was not sufficient to save his daughter from death.

    Okon’s grief did not end with his daughter’s death. One of his creditors he borrowed N200, 000 from he said, has “seized” another daughter of his, 12-year old Mary as collateral. He said he could not afford to pay the money now.

    His words: “The man I collected the money from collected my second daughter as guarantor. She is there working for the man and not going to school. The government was supposed to help me but they are not even listening to me now. I need my daughter back so that she can go back to school. That is my problem. I spent so much even after she died. I paid for her funeral. The people of the land said I had to buy a goat and bought land for her to be buried and so on. I spent so much.”

    The camp leader, Ene, said they had wanted to carry the corpse in protest to the governor’s office and dump it there but they were seriously warned by the SSS not to attempt it.

    He said: “It is a terrible situation. One sister has died and if another sister dies as a result of the hard labour she is under now, her blood would be on the head of the Health Commissioner whose responsibility it is to handle this. Something should be done about it and urgently.”

    From natural disasters to outbreaks of diseases, especially among the children in the camp due to the poor sanitary conditions, the returnees feel they have had enough and the only prayer the people need answered now is the need for proper resettlement in an environment that make them thrive in their business, which is fishing.

    They rued the seeming foot-dragging of the Federal Government to resettle them in Dayspring which they say is a seaward area that would aid them carry on with their lives.

    Ene said: “We need our heritage. We need a home and empowerment. We are not getting any of these at the moment. What we need is proper resettlement. We are suffering here. They should empower us. They should employ some of our youths. We may not gave graduates but we have carpenters, iron benders, seamstresses and so on and these people are good. They should take us to Dayspring. Even if they cannot develop it, let them give us building materials we would do it on our own before they come in. they should also give us fishing materials to enable us carry on with our occupation and be independent.

    “Some of us had children in the universities but they have all dropped out because we have nothing. We are doing nothing so we have nothing. If we are empowered we would be able to send our children to school.”

    Other returnees, who spoke with this reporter, also stressed the need for them to be resettled permanently.

     

  • Who is who in battle for Rivers’ future

    Who is who in battle for Rivers’ future

    The gladiators in the deepening political crisis in Rivers State, ahead of the 2015 elections, are in two camps. BISI OLANIYI in Port Harcourt writes that the Abuja forces are led by President Goodluck Jonathan. The home-based politicians have as leader the youthful Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    The former lecturer-turned-politician, President Goodluck Jonathan, is an indigene of Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and was born on November 20, 1957. In 1998, he was picked as the running mate to the Bayelsa’s former Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

    On September 15, 2005, Alamieysegha was arrested by the London Metropolitan Police for an alleged money laundering and was made to stand trials. He jumped bail and returned to Nigeria on November 21, 2005.

    A chain of events saw him emerging governor, vice-president, acting president and president. He is seeking re-election in 2015, but many persons are saying that he has not performed up to Nigerians’ expectations.

    The President is not comfortable with Amaechi as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and his recent defection to the main opposition All progressives Congress (APC). He is working to cut Amaechi to size.

    Peter Odili

    Dr. Peter Otunuya Odili, a medical doctor-turned-politician, is a former Governor of Rivers State (1999 to 2007), when Amaechi, his former Personal Assistant, was the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    The Ndoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA-born Odili, who was born on August 15, 1948 was the thirteenth Governor of Rivers state. He is a member of the ruling PDP and owns Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Limited, Port Harcourt. Odili is married to Justice (Mrs.) Mary Okaego Odili (nee Nzenwa, born on May 12, 1952), a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The former governor graduated from the Medical School of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and pursued post-graduate work in Tropical Medicine at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. In 1988/89, Odili was elected member and leader of the Rivers State Delegates to the Constituent Assembly.

    In 1992, he was elected as the deputy governor of Rivers state to Chief Rufus Ada-George, who hails from Okrika. After the third republic ended, Odili was again elected to the National Constitutional Conference and became the Conference Committee Chairman on State Creation and thereafter became the National Secretary of the defunct Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN). He was elected governor of Rivers state in April 1999 and was re-elected in April 2003.

    Odili was a forerunner in the presidential race of 2007, but intrigues and power-plays led to the emergence of the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua as the PDP’s presidential candidate.

    The medical doctor was later nominated as Yar’Adua’s running mate, only to be dropped dramatically at the convention venue in Abuja, through a complex power game between the then President Olusegun Obasanjo and a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu.

    The former governor had moved from being a frontrunner in the 2007 presidential race to a sure bet as Yar’Adua’s running mate, but eventually emerged with nothing at the end of the day and felt so pained over the humiliation by ex-President Obasanjo, whom he has not forgiven.

    Odili, a famous politician, in his new biography titled: “Conscience and History: My Story,” described Amaechi as an ingrate.

    On why he was stopped from the presidential race, the former governor said he was later informed that Ribadu had told Obasanjo that some foreign missions in Abuja would not be happy to see him on the PDP ticket, on the basis of the “EFCC interim report.”

    In the book, the former governor also narrated how his anointed successor and current governor of the state (Amaechi) was disqualified from the governorship race, but lamented that bad blood later generated between Amaechi and him.

    Odili has scores to settle with his political son (Amaechi), thereby teaming up with President Goodluck Jonathan to fight him, while also capitalising on his closeness to the President’s wife, Dame Patience, to deal with the Rivers governor.

    Patience Jonathan

    The wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Faka, was born on October 25, 1957 and hails from Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers state.

    Dame Jonathan prefers the representative of the Rivers East Senatorial District, Senator George Thompson Sekibo, to succeed Amaechi in 2015, in order to teach the youthful governor a political lesson for embarrassing him at Okrika in August 2010, during his two-day official visit to Rivers state.

    The visit ended on a sour note at Okrika, when Amaechi repeated his decision to demolish Port Harcourt’s over forty waterfront settlements, mostly occupied by Okrika people.

    The President’s wife decided to fight for her Okrika people by grabbing the microphone from the governor, while still speaking and told him: “Listen. You must listen to me. I want you to get me clearly.

    “I am from here (Okrika). I know the problems of my people, especially land. So, I know what I am talking about. What I am telling you is that you always say you must demolish. That word ‘must’ you are using is not good. It is by pleading. You appeal to the owners of the compounds, because they will not go to exile.”

    Listening to their daughter defending them, Okrika people were very happy, but Amaechi was highly embarrassed. To avoid further humiliation or altercation with Dame Jonathan, the governor quietly left the venue of the elaborate Okrika ceremony and moved to his official vehicle, parked nearby, where he stayed till the end of the programme. The President’s wife also cancelled other programmes lined up for the visit and quickly returned to Abuja.

    Rotimi Amaechi

    Amaechi’s place of birth is Umuordu-Ubima in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers State and he was born on May 27, 1965. He attended St. Theresa’s Primary School, Ubima (1976); Okolobiri Grammar School in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State (1982) and the University of Port Harcourt (1987), where he read English. He is married to Dame Judith and they are blessed with children.

    Amaechi was the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Limited, Port Harcourt, owned by Dr. Peter Odili (1988); the Special Assistant to Odili (1992) and was the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly for eight years (1999 to 2007), during which he doubled as the Chairman of Nigerian Speakers’ Conference and performed excellently, before becoming governor on October 26, 2007 through the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment of the previous day.

    Amaechi’s cousin, Sir Celestine Omehia, from the same Ubima, was inaugurated as governor on May 29, 2007, having benefitted from the infamous K-leg of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other leaders of the PDP, but sacked by the Supreme Court on October 25, 2007 and since then, has refused to reconcile with the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    Omehia contested for Rivers governorship on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2011, just like his counterpart of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dr. Abiye Sekibo, a former Transport Minister and an ex-Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) in the Odili’s administration.

    Surprisingly, Omehia and Sekibo were “defeated” by Amaechi. With the emergence of Chief Felix Obuah as the new Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both of them returned to the ruling PDP and will join forces to fight the NGF chairman, who earlier dealt with them during the 2011 campaigns and elections, especially for sealing off the Sekibo’s campaign office at the new Government Reservation Area (GRA), Port Harcourt.

    The Rivers governor performed well during his first term, especially in the education, health, agriculture and power sectors, with most Rivers people now complaining that he has relaxed and almost gone to sleep in his second tenure, as well as stopping his surprise routine inspection of projects, said to have been caused by his NGF chairmanship distraction of always travelling.

    Amaechi said it would only be fair to allow somebody from another ethnic group, to be the next occupant of the Brick House (Government House), Port Harcourt.

    The Rivers governor was recently accused by the sacked Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, of poor performance and using the state’s funds to bribe people all over Nigeria, with Port Harcourt, the state capital, now a slum, while Amaechi described the Delta State-born ex-minister as a failure.

    Orubebe later visited Amaechi at the Government House, Port Harcourt, as a strategy to resolve their differences.

    The NGF chairman recently defected to the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and vowed that he would never allow the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, to succeed him in 2015, accusing him of betrayal, which he denied.

    Nyesom Wike

    Wike, a lawyer, is from Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state was the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and also doubled as the Director-General of Amaechi Campaign Organisation in 2011, before being inaugurated as Minister of State for Education on July 14, 2011.

    The ex-chief of staff was elected twice as the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. While in office as the council’s boss, he also served as the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Local Governments Forum (CLGF).

    Amaechi, probably in an attempt to appease Wike, early 2012, appointed his wife, Eberechi Suzzette, as a judge in the Rivers State judiciary. While appearing on the radio programme in Port Harcourt, the minister of state for education said: “Rivers government is playing politics with federal presence in the state. People should not play politics with every issue. Federal Government should be appreciated.

    “I supported Amaechi in 2011. My LGA (Obio/Akpor) gave Amaechi the highest votes during the 2011 governorship election. I do not have personal problems with Amaechi. We may disagree on certain issues. I risked my life for Amaechi when it mattered most and I almost lost my life. I lost my driver to assassins. I stood firmly with Amaechi and stuck my neck.

    “My choice is Felix Obuah (PDP Chairman in Rivers State). He purchased form. I have no regret about supporting Obuah. I am not standing against somebody (Amaechi) I fought for in 2007. I supported Amaechi in 2007 and we fought till the end. I was the Commander-in-Chief of that era. I also supported Amaechi in 2011. Obuah should not be denied his rightful position. I never sponsored Ake’s (Chief Godspower, sacked Chairman of the PDP) election.”

    Magnus Abe

    The representative of the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in the National Assembly, born on May 24, 1965 hails from Bera, Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area of the state. He represents Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in the National Assembly. He is also eyeing the governorship seat during the next election, in order to make history as the first Ogoni man to be the governor of the state, created on May 27, 1967.

    The youthful Senator (Abe) was the Rivers Information Commissioner, in the administration of Dr. Peter Odili, having earlier been in the state’s House of Assembly between 1999 and 2003, where he was the Minority Leader and then in the All Peoples Party (APP)/All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

    In order to compensate hardwork, loyalty and commitment to a worthy cause, Amaechi, shortly after his October 26, 2007 inauguration, made Abe the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), the position he held before moving to the National Assembly in 2011.

    Some claim if Abe emerges as the next governor, he will make it a bit difficult for the Bori State dream of Ogoni people and their neighbours to be realised.

    The former SSG insisted that Rivers State would be governed by person who would provide electricity, good roads and well-equipped schools like Amaechi is doing.

    Abe said: “Somebody (Chief Felix Obuah, aka Go Round, being backed by Wike and also a former Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers state, where the ex-Governor, Dr. Peter Odili hails from) who neither picked form nor contested election, is now the Chairman of PDP in Rivers state.

    “Rivers people, hold your peace. Do not go for war. Judiciary has done it before and will do it again. The will of Rivers people and the will of God will be done.”

    George Sekibo

    The representative of Rivers East Senatorial District was in April 2003 elected into the House of Representatives to represent Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Federal Constituency.

    In 2007, Sekibo was again elected for a higher responsibility, to represent the Rivers East Senatorial District.

    The incumbent governor is not comfortable with the ambition of Sekibo to be governor since they are from the same senatorial district and the senator is close to Dame Patience Jonathan, who hails from Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika Local Government Area in Rivers state, to get the PDP’s governorship ticket, which will amount to survival of the fittest, considering Wike’s ambition of also becoming governor in 2015..

    Dakuku Peterside

    The representative of Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, 43, hails from coastal Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    Amaechi has soft spot for Peterside, who is also the Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Petroleum (Downstream).

    Peterside, who is Rivers State’s immediate past Commissioner for Works, is loved by most stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC), considering Rivers upland/riverine dichotomy in the choice of a governor and his closeness to the helmsman. Amaechi is from the upland part of the state.

    Otelemaba Amachree

    The Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, a Kalabari man, became the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly in 2011 and succeeded the late Tonye Harry, also from Kalabari part of the state.

    The Assembly’s April 22 last year’s decision to suspend the Chairman of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Timothy Nsirim, his deputy, Solomon Eke, and all the 17 councillors who are some of the loyalists of the minister of state for education, Chief Nyesom Wike, in government, is still being condemned by PDP leaders and other stakeholders, who accused the speaker and the pro-Amaechi lawmakers as rubber-stamp.

    The move by the 25 members of Rivers House of Assembly loyal to Amaechi to suspend the six lawmakers loyal to Wike, will put the speaker on the spot and he may not survive the aftermath, considering the Obuah-led PDP executive’s April 29, 2013 suspension of the pro-Amaechi lawmakers, including the speaker.

    Godspower Ake

    Ake, a former National Vice Chairman, Southsouth, of the PDP, hails from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers state. He was removed along with members of his executive on April 15 last year, through the judgment of an Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Ishaq Bello, but he expressed optimism of emerging victorious at the appellate court.

    The sacked chairman said: “It is disheartening for people to build a house and turn round to destroy it. I met Go Round (Obuah) sometime in the past and he told me that Wike invited him to destroy Amaechi’s structure.

    “Wike is not alone in the fight against Amaechi. There are others ‘at the top’, conspiring to destroy Amaechi’s structure. The party is actually not the target, but the Rivers State Government.”

    The sacked Chairman of the PDP earlier in Port Harcourt received members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers state chapter, led by its Chairman, Chimbiko Iche Akarolo, who is also the Mayor of Port Harcourt City LG, who paid him solidarity visit.

    The Rivers ALGON chairman earlier noted that as members of the PDP, they were aware of a judgment in Ake’s favour in Rivers High Court, Okehi, Etche Local Government Area, which had not been set aside and also aware that the sacked chairman had appealed the judgment over his “purported” removal by the Abuja High Court.

    Felix Obuah

    The Chairman of the PDP in Rivers State, aka Go Round, who is a former Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of Rivers state, was inaugurated in Abuja on April 16 last year and welcomed to Port Harcourt by a mammoth crowd on April 19, said: “I do not have any weapon to destroy any structure, built on solid rock.”

    The new chairman also pleaded with his teeming supporters and PDP members in Rivers state to remain calm and law-abiding.

    Lee Meaba

    Meaba, an Ogoni, until 2011, represented the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in the National Assembly. He fell out with Amaechi, who preferred his confidant, Magnus Ngei Abe, to him during the last election and currently representing the district.

    The anger of being deprived representation might have made Meaba to fight Amaechi in the PDP, where he is strategising to be Rivers governor in 2015.

    Tele Ikuru

    Ikuru, an engineer, who hails from Ikuru Town in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, is Amaechi’s deputy. He has been quiet on his 2015 ambition, but he may not be ruled out of the governorship or senatorial race. He spoke with anger, while addressing the teeming supporters of Amaechi in front of the Government House, Port Harcourt.

    If Ikuru does not get the governorship or senatorial ticket of the PDP, as a loyal deputy, Amaechi may nominate him for ministerial or ambassadorial appointment.

    During elections in Rivers state, especially governorship, the upland/riverine dichotomy is always played up. The next polls may not be different.

    Ikuru is loyal to Amaechi and there is the likelihood of his remaining loyal to the end, having joined the Rivers governor to the APC, not minding the fact that his political father, Prince Uche Secondus, from the same Ikuru town in Andoni LGA is the Deputy national Chairman of the PDP.

    Last word

    Prominent Nigerians are, however, making moves to reconcile President Jonathan and the chairman of the NGF, to put an end to the political crisis.

    While strategising towards the 2015 elections, politicians and their supporters in Rivers state should sheathe their swords and give peace a chance, since without peace, there cannot be development, especially considering the deepening crisis.