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Tag: Rivers

  • Group to Rivers govt: revitalise vocational centre

    Group to Rivers govt: revitalise vocational centre

    The Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) has urged the Rivers State government to revitalise the abandoned Port Harcourt Technical and Vocational Centre.

    The Chairman of NYPF, Moses Siasia, gave the admonition in Port Harcourt, the Rives state capital, while speaking shortly after he led members of the forum to inspect the abandoned centre and its equipment.

    Siasia said: “This is a training centre that has been abandoned and that is the reason why we are here to plead with the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, and the state government to revisit whatever agreement or negotiations that they have with the facilitators of this institution.

    “I believe that the infrastructure governor of Rivers State will also ensure that he looks at areas that concern human infrastructure, because if you do not build the human beings, it becomes a lot of problems.

    “Today, the world is talking about sustainability for young people, how young people can partner with stakeholders and government across board to ensure that we bring the much-needed development and growth to our people.”

    The chairman of NYPF also stated that when reopened, the school would help in giving vocational and technical training to youths of the state and beyond, thereby reducing crime and other anti-social vices in Rivers.

    He said: “We are here to visit this wonderful centre that has been abandoned since three years ago. We got wind of this information, because we believe that this is one of the training institutions or vocational centres that can be used in building the capacity of young people, who are seen as trustees of prosperity.

    “Every day on the pages of newspapers and in the television, we see young people who are involved in criminality, young people who are involved in social vices and it gives us a lot of concern that the society we find ourselves is being nourished by generations of broken promises.”

    The representatives of the German Association of Vocational Training, Uwe Theimer, while also speaking, stated that the aim of the association, which is partnering Rivers State government in the vocational centre, was to bring German quality of education to the state.

    Theimer said: “Our aim is to bring the same quality of German education to Nigeria and we want to follow the concept, which is over 200 years old.”

    The Head Teacher, Port Harcourt Technical and Vocational Centre, Augustine Awoyesuku, in his remarks, regretted that the state-of-the-art equipment procured for the school had been lying waste for the past three years, which he said must be urgently addressed.

  • Rivers and the menace of kidnapping

    SIR: Kidnapping has indeed become a nagging public nuisance but a lucrative business which has grown into that of an exponentially thriving empire in Rivers State. It has assumed the terrible dimension of a frequent deadly social malady trending on daily basis while government of the day has lost grip of the situation and slumbers on. The list of those kidnapped at the moment is endless. There was panic as a 14-seater bus conveying passengers from Ogba-Egbema, Ndoni to Port-Harcourt was completely torched and the entire occupants whisked away in what the kidnappers according to reports termed exchange for their members arrested by the government.

    What an affront? The worst hit by this endemic marauders are three local governments: Kalabari, Asaritoru, Akukutoru and Degema. The high level of insecurity has forced Rivers people to provide personal security for themselves during weddings and before their dead loved ones could be accorded befitting burial rites. Among  many victims of kidnap cases in the state still in captivity are Ibifaa Youngman, Iworimah Tariah (Mrs.),Ven. Domino, Ven Lawson, Mrs. Somiari and daughter, Dr. Amadi, Dr. Tein Douglas, Mr. Dimkpa to mention a few. At the moment their abductors have placed not less than 100 million Naira as ransom on them. How long shall Rivers continue to live in perpetual fear and this barbarism?

    Before and after the governorship election, it was evident that Rivers State was sitting on a time bomb. The ominous sign that it was a matter of time before the evil seed of discord sowed by politicians germinates and the eventual explosion of the already buried landmine was obvious. Today that seed has unfortunately grown into a Frankenstein monster threatening the well-being of not only the creators but the entire good people of Rivers. The glaring sense of insecurity in our country today is a creation of the political class. Thugs are groomed, supported and sponsored for election rigging only for them to turn out to be the frightening nemesis of the nation at the end of elections. When one is given an AK 47 as a tool for election rigging, what does one do with it at the end?

    According to Kofi Annan, “security means far more than the absence of conflict. We know that lasting peace requires a broader vision encompassing areas such as education, health democracy and human rights, protection against environmental degradation and the proliferation of deadly weapons. We know that we cannot be sure amidst starvation that we build peace without alleviating poverty and that we cannot build freedom on the foundation of injustice. These pillars of what we now understand as the people-centred concept of human security are interrelated and mutually re-enforcing.” Moreover, in the words of Prof. Isaac Mbachu, “human security demands an awareness of the particular needs of individuals as well as the state. It requires thorough consideration of the constituent parts of the society such as rule of law, education, humanitarian and health, commerce, information, military, diplomacy and governance. When human security aspects of national security are adequately addressed, it becomes much easier to guarantee full spectrum of activities that constitute national security.”

    God is the ultimate security provider and people of Rivers now turn to the Omnipotent more than ever for protection and preservation. The people of Rivers have the right to live. They have the right to liberty and freedom of movement. It behooves on government to ensure that the security of lives and properties are guaranteed at all times. This was part of the social contract between the government and the governed. However, security is the business of all because government cannot do it alone. Therefore, Rivers people should be ready and willing to volunteer useful information to security agencies on the activities of kidnappers to enable them nip it in the bud.  Before the state turns out an unspeakable den of armed robbers and kidnappers, all hands must be on deck to save the Treasure Base of the Nation from this mean cataclysm. Kidnapping should be confronted head long and not be allowed to fester any more.

     

    • Sunday OnyemaechiEze,

    sunnyeze02@yahoo.com

  • Police kill ‘warlord’ , five others in Rivers

    Police in Rivers on Saturday night reportedly killed a notorious cultist, identified as Igbudu.
    Igbudu, who was described by his acquaintances as a criminal warlord was reportedly killed together with five of his men near the Popular NNPC filling station along East-West road of Ahoada area around 9:pm, while trying to rob a Port Harcourt bound passenger bus.
    An eyewitness said, the six victims were chasing the bus owned by one of the popular transport companies(Godfrey Agufere), motors, in their SUV Jeep, but their vehicle summersaulted and crashed into the bush.
    The Police van which was on their trail came after them before they could escape and killed them, including their kingpin who attempted to escape into the bush.
    The Spokeman of the state police command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), who confirmed the incident said the criminals faked amnesty offer of the state government, but went back to criminality.
    Omoni assured other criminals whose repentance are not genuine that they will also end up the same way these ones have gone.

  • Gunmen kill bank staff in Rivers

    Gunmen kill bank staff in Rivers

    A senior bank officer based in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, identified as Adewale Adesanya, has been killed by unidentified gunmen in Ahoada area of Rivers State.

    The victim said to be 39-year-old was reportedly killed on Saturday at 3pm by the gunmen who shot at him repeatedly until he died.

    Friends described Wale who hails from Ijebu Ode in Ogun State as a socialite, well known in Yenagoa.

    Wale, who was married with two children with his wife pregnant for the third, was said to be driving his car to Port Harcourt in the company of two others when the assailants swooped on him close to NNPC filling station after Okobe on the East-West road.

    Even when he lost control of the vehicle and skidded into the bush, the hoodlums who were determined to kill him, followed the vehicle and kept shooting at it.

    Persons in the vehicle with the victim identified as Haruna and Samson were said to be known by the family and friends of the deceased.

    The two men reportedly escaped into the bush when they noticed that the gunmen were still coming towards the car as the late banker tried to crawl out with his last strength.

    Samson who later arrived Yenagoa, said that one of the gunmen repeatedly told a member of the gang to “finish him up” and “offload him”,

    A team of policemen from the Ahoada-East Area Command were said to have arrived later at the scene of the incident to remove the corpse and the car.

    Sources who said they were jolted by the gunshots added that the assassins only took the mobile handset of the slain banker.

    It was gathered that the victim with 10 years banking experience, was an account officer to many of the ex-militants on the payroll of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

  • Tears of Rivers waterfronts settlers

    Tears of Rivers waterfronts settlers

    These are not the best of times for waterfronts settlers in Rivers State. Precious Dikewoha examines the unending woes of this set of people

    It was a warning they took serious. Quit your waterfront settlement in seven days or have them demolish, said the Rivers State government. It explained that this was necessary  to rid the state of criminality.

    Some waterfronts have been demolished already while others are expected to be demolished before the recent protest which made Governor Nyesom Wike to call for calm.

    Waterfront settlement under threat for demolition include  Awgu , Afikpo/Awkuzu , Soku,  Elechi Phase I, Abba, Timber, Elechi Phase II, Nanka, Echue, Urualla, Akokwa, Obiodansor, Ojike, Egede and Anozie Water waterfront

    One of the landlords, Elder Belema Amakiri, 92, said every government that came to power had always tried to demolish the waterfronts.

    He noted that Rivers State government in the past, under the leadership of Dr. Peter Odili for eight years allegedly deceived and displaced the people of Rainbow Town waterfront in Port Harcourt.

    He said Rainbow Town was demolished under the pretext of reconstructing and building low-cost housing for the evicted residents, only for the plots of land to be allocated to the rich and powerful in Nigeria, including top officials of Rivers State government.

    Elder Amakiri said:  “Both previous and present government had always carried out demolition  without regard to several International Human Rights Covenants like the Habitat Agenda Commitment and  Nigeria is  signatory to it. It is just that when its concern the poor nobody wants to talk about the law or respect the law. We don’t need to remind government  that there is an existing court order, the state government ought to provide alternative accommodation before the demolition, as recommended by international human rights conventions.

    “Now, how many of these governors have provided an alternative solution or the design of what they intend to build at the waterfront? But it is all about politics.   Dr. Peter Odili deceived and displaced the people of Rainbow Town in Port Harcourt and the land was shared among his political friends. This was under the pretext of reconstructing and building low-cost housing for the evicted resident.”

    Former Governor Celestine  Omehia also ran into heavy political storms with ethnic stakeholders while trying to demolish waterfront settlements,  especially Okrika indigenes, who have  for years claimed to be the aboriginal owners of the waterfront parts of Port Harcourt.

    According to Elder Amakiri,  “ The Politics of waterfront demolition didn’t start today but every governor always try to use his own description and initiative otherwise it may consume them.    Just as most riverine Rivers people wanted the demolition to be halted, most upland commentators urged Omehia to proceed. The Supreme Court removed him from office in November 2007. And the waterfront settlers celebrated; the area already demolished were rebuild in original waterfront jungle way.”

    When  Mr. Rotimi Amaechi came into power  as the governor of Rivers State, there was a temporary respite as he announced that he was staying action on the demolitions. There were widespread jubilations in all the waterfronts because apart from the ethnic claims to ownership and despite its subhuman living conditions, these are the only parts of the oil city where the downtrodden could afford to rent accommodation.

    Many of the inhabitants are seafarers and fishermen who will be cut off from their livelihood if moved. Shortly after his inauguration, Amaechi announced that the waterfronts would no longer be demolished.  A few months later, the governor reversed his pronouncement by declaring that security reports, which confirmed the waterfronts as dens of criminals, prompted him to opt for the demolition, in line with his administration’s urban renewal programme.

    Amaechi admitted having earlier informed Rivers’ people that the waterfronts would not be demolished, but that he decided to take his time to study the situation on the ground, before making up his mind on the sensitive matter. Amaechi also said the Justice Kayode Esho-led Truth and Reconciliation Panel, of which an Okrika person was a member, also recommended the demolition of the waterfronts to check criminal activities.

    He disclosed that there were a lot of arms and ammunition at the waterfronts and that when the areas would be demolished, the army, navy, air-force and riot police personnel would be involved to prevent resistance.

    Another landlord, Mr  Livy Ofurum who escaped arrest during the last protest in Port Harcourt, said Amaechi’s decision on waterfront demolition was not harsh because he gave them enough time and also negotiated with the landlords which led to compensation.

    Ofurum said: “The Amaechi government plan is a little bit different. According to what he told us   the sum of N850million was set aside as bonus for commercial rates to homeowners in the enclaves to seek and acquire choice property in any part of the city. The former  Rivers State Director of the National Orientation Agency and  secretary of a government committee that conducted enumeration in the waterfronts, Chief Andy Nweye, told us as then that  each of the owners of structures in the Bundu and Njemanze Waterfronts  was offered nearly N30 million to encourage them to move out to enable government bulldozers to move in.”

    At a recent protest which was mainly engaged by children and women,  the waterfront settlers described Wike’s action  as  unfair and inhuman treatment. They said before the decision was taken to mobilise for protest the association chairman and few of them went to Government House to see the Commissioner for Urban and Rural Development but they were told that the man was not on seat.

    Mr. Stephen Igoni, one of the landlords who went to the office of the Commissioner to discuss with him, said when they could  not see the commissioner they decided to see the permanent secretary, Ministry of Urban Development who insisted that they should try to see the commissioner before embarking on the protest.

    He said: “Three of our leaders have been arrested and over 27 people wounded, this is very bad. We voted for this government. My family personally voted for him, look at how he is paying us today. We are members of PDP but today the same man doesn’t want to listen to us.”

    Some of the right groups which joined the protest last week include Social Action, Nigerian Slum /Informal Settlement Federation, Justice and empowerment Initiative (JEI) Collaborative Media Advocacy Platform (CMAP) and Stakeholders Democratic Network (SDN).

    At a joint news conference in Port Harcourt over the forceful eviction of waterfront settlers, the groups condemned the Rivers State government action to evict the waterfront settlers without a due process.

    The groups said should the government proceed with its threats, an estimated 60,000 persons will be rendered homeless and driven into poverty by loss of livelihoods and other hardships associated with homelessness and displacement

    They said: “We, the undersigned communities and members of civil society, decry this unlawful and callous threat and call for the Rivers State Government to seriously reconsider its plans before it takes irreversible action that violates the fundamental human rights of 60,000 innocent persons and undermines the security and long-term development goals of all residents of Port Harcourt.

    “Yet, the reality is that the demolitions being carried out are not targeted at actual criminals ; instead, they are a pretext for evicting thousands of innocent children, women, men, and elderly persons who are employed in legitimate businesses through which they eke out their modest livings.”

  • A befitting home for Rivers NDDC

    A befitting home for Rivers NDDC

    After years of operating from a rented apartment, the Rivers State office of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) now has a befitting home, writes Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo established the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) 16 years ago to ensure sustainable development of the crude oil and gas-rich region.

    NDDC is to improve on the performance and activities of the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).

    The Federal Government’s interventionist agency (NDDC) is also to facilitate the rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful, thereby offering lasting solutions to socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta.

    The commission took off from rented apartments in the old Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, before it moved to No. 167, Aba Road, an eight-storey building that belonged to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, before it was taken over by the Rivers government and the commission being its tenant.

    The interventionist agency is still building its permanent corporate headquarters on Eastern Bypass in Port Harcourt, while the construction work started many years ago, with so much work still to be done at the site by the road side.

    NDDC also started operating from rented apartments in the nine offices in the Niger Delta states of Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia and Imo.

    The magnificent and befitting Rivers State office of NDDC, located at No. 125, Olu Obasanjo Road, Port Harcourt, which was inaugurated on July 12, is the first state office of the commission to be completed and inaugurated, and has changed the skyline of Port Harcourt in a good way.

    The Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, who cut the tape to inaugurate the imposing edifice, said it was an indication of the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure real transformation of the Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria.

    Mrs. Semenitari, a former Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, who was appointed as NDDC’s helmsman by President Buhari in December 2015, called for unity and peace, in order to move the Niger Delta forward.

    She said: “We believe that our core mandate, which is to facilitate sustainable development in the Niger Delta region, is to take development to our communities and improve the living conditions of our people.

    “To achieve this, it remains the vision of the NDDC to take development to the people, through projects and initiatives that would have direct positive impact in their lives and help boost traditional livelihoods.

    “To achieve this, we must strengthen our state offices, by providing a befitting edifice that encourages professional conduct, hard work and commitment to duties, as well as decentralising operations.

    “That is why the completion and commissioning of the Rivers State office is very important. We are making a statement about how important our communities are and how we must do the best we can to serve them.”

    The old site of the Rivers state office of NDDC was demolished in March 2014, while work commenced on the new building on May 1, 2014, with the project planned to be completed within nine months.

    In October 2014, within six months of commencement of work, about 80 per cent of builders’ work had been achieved, but the project lost traction in 2015, with the speed of work drastically reduced, due to delayed payments to the contractors by NDDC, occasioned by funding challenge.

    To avoid any hitch during the inauguration of the Rivers state office, with state-of-the-art facilities, the acting managing director of NDDC and some top officials of the commission, on July 11, embarked on pre-inauguration inspection.

    While speaking at the site, she disclosed that the built-to-purpose complex was the first to be completed, as part of efforts to strengthen the presence of the commission in all its mandate states.

    According to Mrs. Semenitari, it was a big relief for NDDC to be able to move into its own property, after sixteen years of working from rented offices.

    She said: “It is very gratifying, as it is one of the things we always wanted to do. Now, we will no longer be chased around by landlords. So, even when we do not have money, we know that at least we can enter into our office space and sleep well. This is why it is such a good feat for us as a commission.

    “Of course, more importantly is the fact that it is a purpose-built structure and our staff will be able to work in a better environment and also deliver better services to the people of the Niger Delta, especially in Rivers State that owns the state office.”

    The CNN award-winning journalist also assured that NDDC would try to ensure that the other state offices across the region were constructed as quickly as possible, for the comfort of staff in the offices, stressing that the new Rivers office would be a model for the other state offices, but with some modifications.

    Mrs. Semenitari revealed that with the Rivers state office of the commission completed; work on the permanent corporate headquarters of NDDC in Port Harcourt would be stepped up.

    She said: “We are going to speed that (work at the permanent corporate headquarters of NDDC) up a bit. It’s been a little slower than we would like, but that has been for several reasons. However, we are going to speed up the process there and we expect that very soon, we should also move into our own property at the headquarters.”

    Taking the NDDC boss round the new Rivers state office, the Acting Director, Project Monitoring and Supervision of the commission, Felix Aomuore, an engineer, revealed that the building is on four floors, with ample space for offices and a basement floor for archiving and car park.

    He said the new building had provisions for many facilities, including a large reception hall, conference/multi-purpose hall for 250 people, staff canteen, sick bay and offices for drivers on the ground floor.

    Aomuore noted that the Rivers state office would accommodate about 120 staff, with unique office suites for the State Representative and the Director of the state office, stressing that provisions were made for some head office directorates, such as Commercial and Industrial Development; Agriculture and Fisheries, Youth, Women and Sports.

    The project consultant, Michael Ukpeh, an architect, pointed out that Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras had been installed to capture activities on all corridors within the imposing edifice and activities on the immediate vicinity of the building, with a control point at the security office.

    Ukpeh noted that besides the two staircases, the building also had an elevator for ease of vertical circulation, with the entry and exit facilitated for the physically challenged, in compliance with the requirements of the National Building Code for public buildings, while the cooling system is centrally coordinated on floor-by-floor controls.

    The project consultant discloses that an internal courtyard complements the large exterior windows to provide ample day lighting in the offices and cross ventilation in case of power failure at the purpose-built office.

    On the inauguration day (July 12), the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike; Mrs. Semenitari; the monarch of Port Harcourt City (Eze Epara Rebisi XII), His Majesty Victor Nnanna Woluchem II and others described the new Rivers office of NDDC as a step in the right direction.

    Wike, who was represented by his Special Adviser on NDDC Matters, Aribitonye Okiri, stated that his administration had not been playing politics with development, making him to be at the elaborate inauguration.

    The Rivers governor, who is a former Minister of State for Education, noted that jobs meant for indigenes of the state, especially persons on Levels 1 to 6, should be given to people of the host communities, to ensure peace.

    While also speaking, the monarch stated that the edifice was the first state office to be inaugurated in the nine states of the Niger Delta, which he said was not by accident, but considering the peaceful nature of the people of the state.

    The royal father noted that the area had not been experiencing youth restiveness or cultism, stressing that the only weapon the people had was negotiation, while lauding President Muhammadu Buhari for the right choice of Mrs. Semenitari as NDDC’s acting managing director, describing her as very hardworking, courageous, disciplined, fearless and of integrity.

    The inauguration was also attended by Rivers Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mrs. Helen Amakiri, and an Assistant Commissioner for Police in Rivers state, Presley Dode.

    In her address, after cutting the tape to inaugurate the building, Mrs. Semenitari said the edifice was designed and completed with the staff members in mind, stressing that it was indeed, workers’ delight.

    The Director of Rivers state office of NDDC, Benson Udo-Asubop, said the building  would enhance the productivity of the workers.

    Udo-Asubop also lauded Mrs. Semenitari for her zeal and commitment to transforming the Niger Delta, in line with the vision of President Buhari and for believing in the abilities of NDDC’s workers at the Rivers state office to ensure service delivery and greater performance.

     

  • INEC and Rivers re-run polls

    It is a tread-bare fact that the rate of inconclusive elections is increasing. Some writers have thus taken as a duty to slam the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over such polls. A national daily published one of such satires recently which caught my attention while doing my usual rituals of flipping through the pages of newspapers. The opinion, “INEC, violence and Rivers re-run,”   authored by one GilberthElechi in Daily Sun captured my mind not because of the striking headline but my eagerness to learn more about  political developments in Rivers State.

    But no sooner I had fully settled down to digest the supposedly compelling piece to further enrich my knowledge on the burning issue of the delayed re-run election in the state thatmy  dispassionate expectation was shattered by the jaundiced diagnosis of  the subject  displayed by the writer.

    It was crystal clear that the writer was on mud-slinging mission to mislead Nigerians that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deliberately tailored the delayed re-run election to soothe some political interests while at the same time absolving the two major political parties in the state – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of any blame for the postponed election.

    While I am not in any way holding brief for INEC or any political party, I think writers like the saidElechi need to be purged of the penchant for ill-concocted theories, misinformation and selective amnesia by objectively drawing their attention to the events that culminated to the postponement of the re-run as according to Wolfgang Von Goethe, “The historian’s duty is to separate the true from the false, the certain from the uncertain, and the doubtful from that which cannot be accepted.”

    For instance, Elechi, in the said write-up was quick to hit hard on the INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for delaying the rerun election in the self-acclaimed ‘peaceful’ Rivers State , but forget  so soon that the same insecurity symptoms and war rhetoric by politicians that were at play in the aborted March re-run election, that led to the loss of lives, including the death of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Okonta Samuel, were openly manifested before INEC decision to postpone the July 31 rerun.

    Should INEC have gone ahead with the election even when the ominous sign of violence were clearly written on the wall with the burning of INEC office in Bori and other political skirmishes across the state? Is the political ambition of any politician or power tussle of politicians worth the lives of Rivers people?  The conduct of elections is invariably a collective venture that involves not just INEC, but also a diverse range of stakeholders, notably security agencies, political parties and their candidates, voters, as well as interest groups. To guarantee credible and transparent polls, there are things that are strictly the responsibility of the electoral body, and the issue of security, which has been the bane of the Rivers rerun, is outside the purview of INEC.

    That was why the immediate past US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, said that INEC is not to be blamed over recurring inconclusive elections in some states. Entwistle made the declaration while having a roundtable, a kind of send-off for him.   Expounding how politicians’ activities force INEC to declare some elections inconclusive, he said, “Politicians often fail to adhere to the principle of non-violence which leads to disruption of the electoral process.”

    He said politicians, rather than INEC, is to be blamed for the recurring impasse in election results in states such as Kogi, Bayelsa, and others. Coincidentally, INEC has come under severe attacks for declaring elections held in some states inconclusive, especially in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

    Nobody is saying that America or Americans are infallible in their views about democracy in general or its application in Nigeria. Politics is a dirty game anywhere in the world, including Uncle Sam. But the difference here in Nigeria is that it is worse than that: Politics is the devil’s game. That’s why some politicians will not hesitate to spill the blood of the people they seek to govern if it will guarantee their chance. They even sometime do so just to undo their opponents.

    Though Elechi admitted that the issue of inconclusive elections first crept into the  nation’s electoral system in  2011 through the supplementary election that saw to the emergence of Governor RochasOkorocha of Imo State, he however misfired  when he said that the  Prof Yakubu’s headship of INEC has eminently entrenched them.  The reason for more cases of inconclusive election under the current INEC chairman is as a result of the desire of the electoral body to ensure that elections in the country are more credible and reflect the wishes of the electorates.

    In other words, INEC new system has made it impossible for election riggers to have their ways through mere allocations of votes or the use of brute force to declare results that negate the wish of the electorates. That personifies integrity, which Yakubu has always stood for.

    While I share in the well-founded paranoia of the Rivers people who are now suffering from lack of adequate representation at both the national and state assemblies, the electoral process will be best served when politicians in the state do away with the dangerous win-at-all cost mentality for the re-run election to hold peacefully instead of passing the blame to  INEC.

     

    • Ukoha, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.
  • Is Rivers ready for elections?

    Is Rivers ready for elections?

    Following the postponement of last weekend’s scheduled re-run elections in Rivers State, political and opinion leaders in the restive state may have come under severe criticism, forcing them to seek ways for ensuring that the much needed rerun elections are held to allow the state have adequate representation at the national assembly. Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports

    OBSERVERS of the politics of restive Rivers State are now of the opinion that the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to conduct elections in the three senatorial districts of the state and about ten federal constituencies, may have enraged some prominent indigenes of the state, leading to several meetings across the state in the last one week to urge the political class to sheath their swords and allow the commission conduct violent free elections in the affected areas.

    INEC had postponed the the re-run elections due to violent activities and the burning down of its office in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of the state. Though the election was still over a week away, hardly had the politicians hit the campaign trails before violence erupted in many parts of the state.

    The Court of Appeal in Abuja, had in December 2015, voided the elections that produced three Senators From Rivers State, Osinakachukwu Idoezu (Rivers South-West Senatorial District), John Olaka-Nwogo (Rivers South-East) and George Thompson Sekibo, representing Rivers East Senatorial District.

    The court, in a judgment, held among others, that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed, in its conduct of the elections, to comply substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Act and other guidelines for the March 28, 2015 National Assembly Election.

    In line with the court ruling INEC shelled and actually held re-run elections in the affected areas in March 2016. But the exercises were so marred with violence and malpractices so much so that a widespread call for the outright cancellation of the results started even before voting commenced.

    Thus, the re-run elections were botched as INEC refused to release any result or declare any winner. The development left the state disadvantaged ass the hope of the people to have their representatives take their seat at the national assembly soon after the botched polls, were again dashed.

    That situation remained same with no hope in sight until INEC announced weeks back that it was eager to conclude all rerun elections across the country in the month of July 2016. Specifically, the commission fixed July 30th for the conduct of election in Rivers State. The people were joyous and politicians hit the trail almost immediately.

    Worrisome stalemate

    Sources in the state told The Nation that the people of the state, especially the elites, are no longer comfortable with happenings in the state, and as such, they are seeking ways of ensuring that the warring political groups in the state are reminded of the harm being done to the socio-political chances of the state by their actions.

    “The situation is now worrisome. That is why some of us are out to discuss with the warring groups to put Rivers first. This move is more of a  mass movement against violence. Just yesterday, our traditional rulers met with the politicians across party lines and warned them against further killings in our state.

    The religious leaders too are involved. go to the churches and listen to the sermons. What we have lost and what we are losing to this unending chaos over election is much and it must top now. The youths, the women and the organized labour movements, they are all seeking and end to the stalemate.

    The bottom line of the new agitation for peaceful elections in the state is the need for us to, like all other states, have meaningful representation in the national assembly. Imagine a state as important as Rivers not having a single senator to speak for us one year after the 8th assembly was inaugurated. We feel that is not good enough, ” a source said.

    Similarly, at the height of the violence that greeted the last attempt at conducting re-run election in the state, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has called on politicians to put an end to the violence and allow for peaceful polls. The youth group regretted that most of the victims were youths in their prime.

    According to a statement issued by IYC Spokesman, Mr Eric Omare in Yenagoa, the group said it strongly believe that the statements of major political players in the days leading to the elections heightened tension and contributed to the violence during the election.

    “Political leaders in Rivers State did not display the high sense of responsibility that was expected of them. The IYC is worried about the way and manner elections are conducted in Nigeria in recent times especially, the Niger Delta region. Elections instead of being an opportunity for the electorate to express their preference for candidates of their choice has become a theatre of war,” he said.

    The IYC Spokesman noted that the trend was dangerous and capable of encouraging and contributing to another round of security challenge in the Niger Delta region. The group then urge politicians to always put the interest of the state above all other interests and ambitions.

    Politicians not ready

    Following the spate of violence and killings trailing rerun elections in Rivers state, south-south Nigeria, another group named Centre for Public Accountability (CPA) has said politicians in the state are not ready for the elections. A statement issued in Abuja by Peter Abah, the Director of Media and Strategy of the group decried killings and destruction of properties that have continued to engulf Rivers state since INEC has been trying to conduct the rerun.

    “Recall the violence that followed the March 19, 2016 rerun of elections in Rivers State which claimed the lives many rivers indigenes and the live of a Youth Corps member, Samuel Okonta.

    “We are aware that this development led to a meeting organized by INEC at the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja on the 30th June, 2016, for stakeholders at various levels culminating in the National Stakeholders Forum on outstanding rerun elections. It was at that venue of the meeting that dates were chosen for the Rivers rerun, Kogi rerun, Kano rerun and Imo rerun.

    “At the meeting, it was agreed that INEC should not under any circumstance put the lives of poll staff, observers, electorates and indeed politicians at risk if there is threat to peace. The Commission was urged to exercise its statutory powers and put off any election where lives would be put at risk.” Abah recalled

    The group further expressed displeasure that having fully agreed to the nonviolence re-run, Rivers politicians have been engaging in violence conducts in the wake of July 30, 2016 re run elections in the state even as it strongly advised INEC to put off election noting that lives of electoral and adhoc poll staff will be in danger.

    “That era can only be found in our history where politicians won elections by any means necessary.” Abah stated.

    Rays of hope

    Encouraged by the ongoing agitation for peaceful elections across the state and gladdened by recent efforts by security agencies as well as the political class in the state, to bring about peace amongst the warring groups, some observers of the politics of the state are of the opinion that the state may finally be ready for peaceful rerun elections soon.

    Bright Nyeche, state chairman of the Centre for Democratic Reforms (CDR), speaking to The Nation on the state of things in the troubled state, said he is optimistic that with the efforts made so far by all stakeholders, the state is now ready for peaceful elections. According to the democracy activist, the current mood in the state is against any form of violence.

    “Even the people appear to have told politicians how tired and sick of violence they are. I see a situation where the people will revolt against anybody still interested in violence during any election in the state. The agitation is serious. The demand for a peaceful election is universal.

    “No true indigene of Rivers is happy that we have no Senator in the national assembly a year after the inauguration of the new parliament. This is a source of serious concern for people in the state. It is one reason why our people are determined to ensure that we hold peaceful rerun elections in affected areas.

    It is my assessment of the current mood in the state that Rivers is finally ready for the rerun elections. I think the police, the security department and the politicians have finally nailed the problem after they realize that the people are sick and tired of electoral violence in any part of the state,”m Nyeche said.

    It would be recalled that days after INEC announced the postponement of the July 30 elections, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS), Alhaji Musa Daura, held a peace meeting with the former governor of the state and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the current governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.

    At the parley, Wike and Amaechi resolved to be irrevocably committed to lasting peace and vouched to play the game by the rules.They also agreed to prevail on their teeming supporters to adhere to their commitment to peace and security in the state. The duo also agreed to convene another meeting that will be aimed at solidifying the commitment reached during the meeting.

    After the parley, Wike said he agreed to a peace accord with his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, because he desires peace in the state, saying he would sincerely implement the resolutions of the deal for the peaceful conduct of rerun elections in the state.

    “I was at the peace meeting because we love peace and want the state to move forward, a spokesperson, Simeon Nwakaudu, quoted the governor as saying at a rally in Degema on Wednesday. I signed an undertaking on your behalf that we are prepared for INEC credible, free and fair elections. It is not in our position to have crisis because we are the ones losing”, he said.

  • I’ll ensure sanity in Rivers, says Wike

    I’ll ensure sanity in Rivers, says Wike

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has restated the commitment of his administration to ensure sanity in the state.

    The governor spoke at a dinner organised by Christ the Redeemer’s Friends International in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    Wike said violence was prevalent across the state before his assumption of office on May 29, last year.

    He said such incidents were being tackled.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, noted that his administration’s war against cultism and kidnapping was a deliberate effort to rid the state of crimes and criminality.

    He said: “We now have a government in Rivers State that will make the people rejoice, as the state will never be the same again.”

    Wike hailed the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, for the vision to reach out to eminent personalities in the society.

    The governor praised the church for its continuous prayers for the government.

    The guest preacher, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, who is also the general overseer of Salvation Ministries, said life without Jesus Christ would be full of crises.

    The cleric noted that for anyone to have salvation, he must be born again and profess Christ.

    On the programme’s theme: Let My People Rejoice, Ibiyeomie urged those in high positions to exemplify responsible leadership, thereby showing greater interest in the affairs of the citizens.

    He said only those who could make others rejoice would be relevant in the society.

    Wife of RCCG’s general overseer, Pastor Folu Adeboye, said the programme was aimed at winning more souls for Christ.

  • Amazing tales from Rivers’ nonagenarian

    Amazing tales from Rivers’ nonagenarian

    Ninety-two-year-old Chief Emmanuel Omuodu Amadi looks strong and healthy. He does almost every chore himself. Life for this man who retired in 1995 as Chief Accountant in the Rivers State Ministry of Finance is filled with amazing tales. PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA met him.

    Tell us your life pattern and how God has been able to keep you.

    My parents were Christians. My father’s name was Jacob Amadi.  I was very young when I saw him worshipping God. He was a very strong Christian and he raised me in that direction. Some of my father’s children died, including the first and the second and when I was born, my parent said: “This one will not die”.  That was the reason why they called me Omuodu , meaning “I will not die”  but  unfortunately  my father  died when I was very small.  But I will not forget that I only knew him when he was serving God as a church usher.   When my father was dying, he called my mother and said to her  “if you don’t train Emmanuel, I will kill you”. That was why my mother decided under suffering to train me by grinding and selling garri at the  Ojukwu market. Then, when I was in standard four at Saint Cyprain in 1943, we used to carry garri from my village to town  and after then, I would  go to school. Before I went to Cambridge in 1951, life was too tough for me. I suffered so much to get to where I am today.

     The style now is dating a lady before marriage, was it the same thing during your time?  

    No, in our own time, when you saw a girl you like, somebody would recommend her to you. In my case, someone recommended my wife   to me and   I went there and saw the girl. We negotiated; then in 1962, she joined me in Lagos. In 1963, we got married.  Our first issue was born in 1965. We got the second one before the Biafra war broke out in 1967. My wife is still alive but she divorced me during the Biafran war. She left me in the refugee camp, where I had to choose another wife. By the time I went back  to see my wife if she was alive or not, another person had married her.

      You didn’t bother to fight and  reconnect with your wife

    No, it is because during the war when we were running away, as a chairman of Christian Association in 1966  when I returned home, we realised  that  Nigerian soldiers had taken over the town  and  all Igbo residents in Port Harcourt sent their wives home to defend Port Harcourt. They came to stay in my village.  In settling in my village what they did was to loot everything in the village but we as Christian Association,  we harboured them in the school, gave them all they needed. But when Nigeria entered to liberate Ogboboro community, the natives just came to my house and searched for me,  but  they  didn’t see me. What they did was to burn my house.  In which case, if I had not left, they would have killed me. By that time, my mother had crossed to Ogbakiri, one of the communities in Rivers. I had left my son, my wife and my small sister in Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government before  I crossed over to Iba. We were there as refugees. Incidentally, when my mother in-law, who was staying with my wife  died, then  my mother came and carried my wife. As they were there, they found out in  the night that my wife was no more there. So, the following morning, before I got there, they had buried my mother in- law. Then their family said I should pay 10 pounds to bury my mother-in-law. But my mother had given them five pounds. I borrowed 5 pounds and gave to them. I told them I had no other money as refugee.  Because of that, they seized my wife. I was there negotiating with them on one Sunday night to release my wife,  when Nigeria  soldiers entered. As I was running away,  my wife refused to follow me.

    How did you remarry?

    Yes, I remarried. That was the best option to take care of my children. I could not come home because my house was burnt. I stayed in the refugee camp from 1969 to 1974. I was there struggling for life.  The war continued until 1970. From 1968 to 1970, I was struggling as a refugee. Fighting and struggling and fortunately for me, God blessed me; I became very rich there through some businesses I was doing and people who could not do or struggle like I was struggling became jealous of my progress and success.

     When said you were very rich, does that mean you were driving expensive car and living in a mansion?

    Nobody was living large.  Everybody was the same. Everyone was a refugee. Nobody was driving a car and that time because of my hardwork, I was getting more money to train my children and to feed them. They regarded me as lord, even the natives started to envy me because I was selling plantain. They arrested me and locked me in. But God being with me, I was rescued; then I  went back again trading.  Fortunately, when I stopped trading, I started selling kai kai. I went to Abua to buy drums of kai kai to supply to soldiers. So, I stopped that of plantain, it was not lucrative as that of kai kai, and I was heavily patronised by soldiers.

    What is the secret behind your strong look?

    The secret is that I was not lazy. I was hardworking. I was carrying plantain from Umudioga to sell at Port Harcourt. What gave me the impetus, being a refugee I used Biafran money to buy two ridges of cassava in the bush. And immediately my wife paid that money we went to her place. After they started running back, I asked my landlady: “did my wife pay that money for the ridges?” She said “yes”. I had to go and ask the woman to use me to uproot the cassava; she collected the cassava and made it into garri in order to get Nigerian money. By the time we finished three ridges, they sold it and I collected the  money to trade. I used that money to  buy plantain at Elele. By trading with plantain, I was successful. What I meant is that suffering in the area of working hard and not staying idol would make you strong because that is  constant exercise. It is better than staying at home.  I was hardworking, I was trading, the condition had made me to trade. Trading under suffering because I had to go to far distance by trekking or riding bicycle made me strong at this age.

    At a certain age, you must study your system. Like now, I can’t eat what you eat.

     I want you to just recall one thing you can never forget in your life

    I have a lot of them but I will pick one.  There are so many in the past and present. When I was in the service, I was Chief Accountant under civil service commission. The last testimony I had, the driver of my commissioner sent some bills for me to pay them. He made some bills for me to pay them for the repair of his master’s car. I paid him with the documents and  I filed it. Another week he brought another one again, I compared that with the previous one and they were both identical. Because of the forgery,  I gave him a query to give reason why he  should not be disciplined for fraudulent behavior. So, he gave that letter to his commissioner and the commissioner was not happy with me. We went to a meeting, because of anger he insulted me. I said “why do you insult me before everybody? Are you not stupid to insult me because I gave your driver query? Did I query you?” Because of that, they gave me a query. I used it to petition them before the secretary. Fortunately for me, the day I submitted that document the secretary and the military governor traveled to Bayelsa for the last visit before he retired. So, the secretary could not take any action. However, the secretary was a man who deceived me when there was opportunity in the ministry. What happened is that   instead of taking my son he used his own brother and sent him to Abuja. Then because he did not give my son what belonged to him, his own brother went to Abuja; on reaching there, they disqualified him. Before he came back, the secretary died. He could not treat my letter. So, the chairman replaced me with another person because I petitioned them. The money I used to give them I refused to give them because the money was too much. So what he did was to bring another person and that person gave him the amount he wanted to travel to Lagos and on reaching Lagos he climbed upstairs and fell down and died.  And before he died, he refused to give me my letter of retirement. I had applied for retirement because of the mess and corruption that was going on and they refused to give me my letter. But when he died, the following Monday they brought another commissioner and that commissioner gave me the letter of retirement.

    names, so my cashier was operating and looting the money and I never knew. When the commissioner got the information the cashier was arrested. They asked him, “Is your master   aware of this thing?” He said “no”. So they disciplined. They called me and asked, “Do you know that your department is fraudulent?” I said “no, there is no fraud in my department because I am a Christian”. I said “I am paying according to what was handed over to me”. All my handover notes were all with me; so all the voucher which I received according to hand over notes   were all with me. So we brought  those hand over notes  and the voucher on which we paid. We started to tick them one by one. Fortunately for me,  I was not involved in any ghost name. So what they did was to discipline that man after checking. They said “Mr Amadi you can go, you are a good man.”

    Again  I was  transferred to Eche Local Government  as sub treasurer. On reaching there, they sent me N400,000 to pay  teachers. That amount in those days, how much was teachers salary? Very small. When I started to pay, I saw a lot of money, surplus and  people were delegated to supervise the payment. I collected the surplus money and sent it to the bank. Then I knew some people who had not received their pay but  I paid them to the bank. So the people who came to supervise said “Mr Amadi why did you send that money to the bank? Do you mean  you  have no problem in your family?” I said  “Even if  I have family problem is it stolen  money that  I will use to  solve the problem?” That was in  1986.