History is once again repeating itself. It had happened
before, it is about happening again. Because of man’s short sightedness, and inordinate quest for power and relevance, we often refuse to recognise where our limit ends.
Suffice to say that the activities of some Abuja based Rivers politicians is food for thought going by the seeds of dichotomy between the home-based politicians and those based in Abuja.
This is not a precedence as it has happened before. From historical background, Abuja politicians have a knack for wanting to cause confusion to their home government. This is not limited to Rivers but also in other states of the federation.
However, it is clear that the failure of these set of politicians from controlling Rivers State following their abysmal performance in properly representating the people at home; whether as lawmakers or ministers, even as top civil and public officers, has always alienated them from the people, hence their nefarious plans of intruding in the governance of the home government.
From historical perspective, these shameless political class outside the state had always failed in their evil plans to destabilise the political tranquility at home without considering that the evil plans could make the Rivers masses to loose the benefits other parts of the country are deriving from the democratic dividends.
A little journey to the past will justify this line of argument. Remember in 1979, Chief Melford Okilo emerged as governor of old Rivers State, in spite of all the giant strides he made, the Lagos politicians of that time paid him back with impeachment notice. When this failed, they plotted to stop his second tenure bid.
The arrow heads of that plot were late Mr Ken Green, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Late Engr.Victor Masi, Minister for Works, who like Okilo, were all members of the same party, National Party of Nigeria, (NPN) and were fine and distinguished politicians of their own class. Though they failed, the end result was that many projects earmarked for Rivers State were stopped. When the military struck in 1983, Masi was the only minister who went to jail.
At the resumption of Third Republic neither Masi nor Green was seen at the political arena, while Okilo not only contested and won a senatorial seat in his new state, Bayelsa, but was glorified both by Rivers and Bayelsa governments until his death.
Nevertheless, during the tenure of Dr Peter Odili, the conspirators again raised their head, all kinds of plot were made, he was called ‘Donatus’ or PDP (Peter De Pay) and all that, petitions were raised here and there. This time, the detractors formed an unholy association called Rivers Democratic Movement (RDM), sufficiently sponsored by some members of the National Assembly; despite investing huge resources on the project, they failed woefully.
While Odili completed his second tenure, majority, if not all of them failed to secure a return ticket to their respective offices both in National Assembly and in the state.
Today, most of them are political dead woods, even Federal projects given to them to handle could not be completed. The state and their communities became the losers, as there is nothing to show as the benefit they derived from opposing the government of Dr Odili.
Again history is in the making. This is the turn of Governor Chibuike Amaechi to have the baptism of fire like his predecessors. This time the heat is coming from no less a person other than his kinsman, and former comrade, who is collaborating with outsiders to rubbish the good works he is doing in Rivers State.
The question that cannot escape from being asked is, why all these treachery and backstabbing? The simple answer is: ambition. Francis Bacon, that irrepressible English philosopher has this to say about ambition. According to him, “ambition is like a choler; which is an humour to make men active, earnest, full of alacrity, and steering, if not stopped. But if it be stopped, and cannot have its way, it becomes a lust adust, and therefore malignant and venomous.”
So ambitious men, if they find the way open for their rising inordinate ambition could be and still get forward, they are rather busy, dangerous; but if they be checked in their desires, they became secretly discontent, and look upon men and matters with an evil eye and are best pleased, when things go backward.
However, there should be a word of caution here, and ambition which Shakespear said is a young man’s ladder to success, should not be at the expense of general interest. I have to sound this warning, because the greatest trust between man and man is the trust of giving counsel.
Those in Abuja should not see themselves as more intelligent than those at home, they should co-operate with the leaders at home, to bring in development both to the state and their communities.
Amaechi, may not be the messiah Rivers people desire, but for the fact that he is at helm of affairs today, makes it imperative for everybody to support him, because as the saying goes, all leaders got the blessing of God. Rivers politicians in Abuja should rethink their strategy and allow the peace in the state to subsist.