Business
Amaechi: The Govt House Correspondent’s Perspective
The mere mention of
the name Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi sparks different images in the minds of Rivers people and Nigerians in general. A vibrant, bold and fearless man, Amaechi is a shrewd but blunt politician, who combines activism with governance.
Often times, the amiable governor has said that he wants to demystify governance. He frowns at every bit of protocol and bureaucracy. He views simplicity as a far side of complexity. But the more one seeks to study the simplicity that surrounds him, the more one is confounded by his altruistic nature.
Naturally, the governor is blunt, straight-forward and open to a fault. It is these attributes that imbue him with some element of mystery. He confounds his political opponents and thinks ahead of them, an attribute that has made him survive the treacherous Nigerian political landscape.
Rt Hon Amaechi has, over the years, learnt the political rope fast and adeptly. One phoney aspect of his political journey is that the governor has always leaned to the left. He is a tough Marxist who believes governance should serve the general good of society based on a welfarist policy of free education, health and provision of employment.
For instance, at a time when majority of Rivers men and women were tilted to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the governor was in the National Republican Convention (NRC).His minority stand later paid off, when Dr Peter Odili became deputy governor and he was appointed a Special Assistant on Student Matters. He later joined the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) along with his political mentor, Odili who was then angling for the governorship of the state.
As if nature was ever smiling to him, Dr. Odili won the governorship in 1999 and Amaechi again trounced his opponents and later emerged as the first Ikwerre man to become the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. Eight years later, he became the first Ikwerre man to become governor of the state. A man of many firsts that is! And now, the governor has joined other progressives in the All Progressives Congress (APC), considered to be a leftist party.
Recently, he told traditional rulers who visited him under the banner of Supreme Council of Ikwerre Traditional Rulers Council that though his kinsmen had considered him a sell-out and working against the Ikwerre interest at that time, now it has paid off.
Amaechi began to nurture a socialist prism which was honed by Marxist university academics like late Prof Claude Ake, Prof Ndemili, Nkem Okoh and others at the University of Port Harcourt where he studied English and Literary Studies. He saw the university environment as a preparatory ground to launch into full time politics to pursue his quest for an egalitarian society. He became a student activist, first as a member of the Students Coalition Against Apartheid in South Africa and later President of National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS). It was the presidency of NURSS that actually exposed him to actual political currents.
Whatever prism one views the chief executive of Rivers State, one thing is glaringly true of him: he is not a pretender and he embodies simplicity.
Two weeks ago , the young and vibrant governor drove off without any security detail in the early morning of Friday, 16th May, 2014 to go and buy fruits at the Fruit Garden Market in D-Line, Port Harcourt. On reaching there, he was nearly mobbed by women who were excited by the rare opportunity of engaging in business transaction with the governor.
Later same day, while playing host to women politicians of the APC, he explained why he took the action. “ I had told the kitchen to buy me fruits and vegetables because I was told by my doctor friend that if I take fruits and vegetables morning and evening without eating anything, this stomach will go down. So when I told them to buy me fruits and vegetables for three weeks, they did nothing. So, this morning, I asked for fruits and vegetables and nobody gave me anything.
“ A week ago, I had talked to my wife and said you are not the wife of the governor, you are the wife of Amaechi, can you buy me fruits and vegetables? She said no problem, I will buy for you. But this morning, there were no fruits and vegetables and without her knowing, I went to the fruits market. So I have bought fruits and vegetables for myself. If they don’t want to wash it, I will wash it myself because at the end of the day, first and foremost, the governor is a human being”, Amaechi stated.
That indeed is Rt. Hon Amaechi; blunt, active and ‘response-able’. Unlike most governors, he inspects projects, points out specifications and chides contractors who fail to meet expectations. During one of the inspection tours to Artillery, he ordered a contractor to pull down the drains and start afresh. He also arrested a top politician along Aba Road for traffic offence. He, on several occasions, stops his convoy and controls traffic. He also drives himself. A great enigma indeed!
The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh said this at the 8th annual induction and conference of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN).
He explained that abandoned projects continue to lock up public funds that could have been used for infrastructure development, industrial growth, job creation and essential social services.
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Chris Osa Isokpunwu, he said the impact goes beyond financial losses, as incomplete projects affect communities and limit access to important public services
He cited examples of that remain unopened, schools that cannot accommodate students, roads that fail to connect communities and electricity projects that have not delivered their intended benefits.
The Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer of CIPMN, Henry Ifeanyi Mbadiwe, also identified poor project management as a major challenge affecting development in Nigeria.
He revealed that the institute had developed a project management curriculum for Nigerian universities, which has received approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The programme is expected to enable universities to offer project management as a bachelor’s degree.
Mbadiwe further referenced findings by the Presidential Projects Assessment Committee, which identified 11,886 ongoing federal capital projects in 2011, with an estimated financial commitment of ?7.78 trillion.
He noted that inadequate planning, supervision, accountability and implementation were among the factors contributing to the abandonment of projects across the country.
The minister called for stronger project management structures across ministries, departments and agencies to improve planning, monitoring and evaluation.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment had introduced a 90-day implementation reporting cycle to strengthen transparency and monitor the progress of government programmes.
Ikenga said the company remained committed to Nigeria’s power sector and would continue investing in its operations despite the challenging business environment.
He spoke in Lagos at the third edition of the Shell Power Conference, themed “Powering Nigeria’s Progress: Turning Ambition and Action into Sustainable Impact”.
The Transcorp Power chief said the company would sustain electricity generation, invest in its facilities and deliver value to shareholders.
“Transcorp Power is a long-term player, not a short-term player. This year has been challenging, but what is important is getting power to schools, hospitals and businesses to power progress,” he said.
Ikenga said the company’s focus on operational efficiency and investment had strengthened its contribution to Nigeria’s electricity supply.
He disclosed that since acquiring the Ughelli Power Plant in Delta State in 2013, Transcorp Power had quadrupled its available generation capacity.
He also said the company became the first privatised power generation firm to receive a post-privatisation discharge certificate after fulfilling all its privatisation obligations.
The company’s unaudited results for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, showed a profit before tax of N83.1 billion, while its profit-before-tax margin rose to 31.2 per cent from 29.6 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
Its total assets rose to 11.7 per cent amounting to N629.5 billion, while shareholders’ funds grew 8.9 per cent to N199.8 billion. Cash and cash equivalents also rose to N10.3 billion, supported by improved collections.
On the company’s contribution to grid stability, Ikenga said Transcorp Power’s black-start capability enabled it to restart operations without relying on electricity from the national grid.
He explained that the capability allowed the company to support power restoration following grid disturbances, helping to restore electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries.
Ikenga noted that Nigeria had an installed electricity generation capacity of about 13,000 megawatts, with an estimated potential of 50 gigawatts, adding that realising the potential would require effective coordination across the entire value chain.
“Everything in the value chain has to work,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration among federal and state governments, regulators and private-sector operators, alongside increased private investment, to build a sustainable electricity market.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Communications and Press Secretary, Maryann Duke.
The statement said Oyedele pointed to “improved digital systems, including electronic invoicing, as a key driver behind a record of N33tn in government revenue collected between January and October 2026.”
The minister said the performance demonstrated the potential of technology to improve revenue administration, strengthen compliance and increase efficiency across government institutions.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Digital Sovereignty and Ethics: Guarding the Economy for the Next Generation,’ Oyedele warned that Nigeria risked losing substantial economic opportunities if it continued to depend heavily on foreign digital infrastructure.
Citing Nigerian Communications Commission figures, he disclosed that the country recorded more than 157 million active internet subscriptions as of May 2026.
He explained that these connections generated significant volumes of information through financial transactions, healthcare, education and taxation.
However, citing estimates from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Oyedele said as much as 90 per cent of the country’s data was hosted abroad.
According to him, the situation has implications for foreign exchange expenditure, employment opportunities, technological skills and Nigeria’s control over information generated by its citizens.
He compared the country’s reliance on foreign digital infrastructure with its historical dependence on imported refined petroleum products, warning against a situation where Nigerian data would be processed abroad and the resulting services sold back to domestic users.
The minister consequently advocated greater investment in local data infrastructure, technical expertise, cybersecurity and predictable regulations to enable Nigerian businesses to capture more value from the digital economy.
He clarified that digital sovereignty should not translate into technological isolation but should strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to participate competitively in international markets.
Addressing graduating students, Oyedele urged young Nigerians to become developers of technological solutions rather than remain primarily consumers of products created elsewhere.
He identified artificial intelligence as both a disruptive force and an opportunity for innovation, advising graduates to acquire relevant digital skills alongside critical thinking, creativity, sound judgement and integrity.
The minister also cautioned against irresponsible online behaviour, explaining that digital footprints increasingly influence employment prospects, commercial relationships and professional credibility.
Oyedele outlined five priorities for graduates, including continuous learning, value creation, integrity, responsible digital citizenship and active participation in national development.
“Your degree is evidence of what you have learned. Your competence will demonstrate what you can do. Your character will reveal who you truly are,” he told the graduating students.
-
Politics17 hours agoLG CITY BOY COORDINATOR HAILS WIKE’S SUPPORT FOR ONYESOH, TINUBU
-
Politics17 hours ago
DIRI INAUGURATES APC CAMPAIGN COUNCIL, SETS MILLION VOTES TARGET FOR TINUBU
-
Politics17 hours agoNDC Candidate Urges Oborevwori To Probe Asaba Political Violence
-
Rivers4 days ago
NUJ Set To Attend UNIPORT’s 217th Inaugural Lecture
-
News21 hours agoArmy Recovers X Account After Hack Attempt
-
News4 days agoNJC Suspends Three Judges, Sanctions Eight Others
-
Politics4 days ago
Atiku Kicks-Off 2027 Campaign, Promises To Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges
-
Featured4 days agoAPC Presidential Campaign Storms PH, ‘Morrow