A Needless Outburst …Those Abia Blabs Against Amaechi

More than thrice early this year, Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has cause to lament the increasing rate of criminality orchestrated by low-lives along the Aba-Port Harcourt boundary lines. And so disturbing was the trend that the state government repeadedly requested of its neighbour in Abia to tinker ways of halting the near-frequent cases of kidnap, robbery, killing and dehumanisation of defenceless men, women and children.

Infact, it was common knowledge that most kidnap cases, after the Federal Government’s amnesty pronouncement for Niger Delta Militants were orchestrated by a gang  of dare-devil robbers and common criminals, a situation that tended to diminish the known security successes attained by the Rivers administration. Sadly, within the same period, several Rivers people, including a mobile police man from Ogu, in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of the state on official duty, were killed, some abducted for ransom and countless others brutalised on their way to or from the ever-burstling Ariaria Market.

But what was most worrisome was the fact that, the familiar insecurity known to Abia State, was gradually extending to not only the inter-state boundaries and Federal Highways, but also into remote areas of Etche in Rivers State.

Such security breaches, should naturally disturb Governors of both states, who are constitutionally expected to ensure the safety of lives and property in their states and also fashion inter-state peace, understanding and co-operation in tackling common problems.

If in the case of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, it was the latter that came to that lofty realization, first and indeed started alarms and calls for urgent action which resulted in peace in Abia, what is there to be ashamed of?

Abia State we all know, remains one of very few, if not the only state yet, to twice declare amnesty for common criminals, among them rapists, robbers, kidnappers, child thieves and commercial human parts dealers. Buoyed down by such internal security challenges, was it not most advisable to tackle the immediate before the remote? But if while doing so, neighbouring Rivers feels a negative pinch, should that state’s government wait endlessly while human lives and businesses were being destroyed?

Yes, there are yet, no States Police but that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and which strength depends largely on the level of support individual states oblige the commands in their various domains. It is indeed that fact, that sees the police in some states as better equipped than others and also of more combat-ready work-force, complete with all necessary intelligence gathering, crime detection and prevention service needs.

Even so, it must be understood that given the limits of resources available to states, each naturally fashions a priority list based on individual state’s needs. While is not too clear what Abia’s priorities were, but it was known to most of Nigeria, that Port Harcourt was worse than Abia or Umuahia by October 26, when Governor Amaechi emerged in Brick House, in terms of security challenges.

Those were days when owing to frightening criminality, cult-related violence, senseless bloodletting and a palpable condition of criminal siege, men, women and children walked the streets with hands in the air, while virtually all vehicles were subjected to all manner of dehumanisation along major roads and side streets.

So brazen were the activities of criminals that both commercial activities and the once burstling night life in Port Harcourt were forced to a halt.

These naturally made security, Gov. Amaechi’s first priority, knowing as fact that without it no meaningful development could be achieved. Infact, the Rivers government not only fought criminality and crime to a standstill, it restored night life, encouraged re-opening of closed businesses and checked illegal bunkering which had prior to then resulted in countless loss of human lives.

It was after that feat that what is today being celebrated in the state, a Harvest of development bounties after barely three years, were made possible.

If therefore, a neighbouring state seemed so helpless over threats by criminals as witnessed in Abia in the last eight or so months, and held a likelihood of spilling over or actually spilled over to Rivers, with an equally real or apparent threat to slow down the pace of development, Gov. Amaechi did what was most germaine:  Lend logistics support where needed, offer intelligence when required and fund counter-insurgence projects that seemed imperative.

If after such services, employing the obviously better-equipped Rivers Police Command, Amaechi opts to render accounts of the same to the State’s stakeholders, knowing that funds channeled to such uses were not his personal earnings, in what way did governor offend the Abia state government to prompt the kind of virulous vituperations by the Special Adviser to the Abia Governor on Electronic Media, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezie?

In a desperate attempt to ‘debunk’ the truth, Emezie was quoted by some radio and television stations as saying, ‘Gov. Amaechi should desist from creating problems between the people of Abia and Rivers States through his utterances and should instead channel his energy to serving the people of Rivers State, rather than trying to score cheap political point on the issue of security”.

Emezie did not say that when, the federal government decided to root-out criminals who had not only made Abia State ungovernable but also threatened the peace of other adjourning highways shared with neighbouring states, that Rivers State indeed lent support. Emezie did not deny the fact that men from the better equipped anti-insurgency crack squad in Rivers actually offered the intelligence necessary to free the helpless school children abducted for days and released only on independence eve. Emezie did not deny the fact that the Amaechi government’s tactical and logistic commitment to the restoration of peace in parts of Abia resulted in the return back home, of scores of Abia indigenes who had fled to Rivers both as refugees and compulsive tenants. What, I guess must have annoyed the Abia government, was the fact that Amaechi took his openness and accountability too far by voicing an undeserved credit Orji would have exclusively enjoyed as he battles re-election in his state.

And for that, Emezie fell short of calling Amaechi an un-elected Governor, and labelled him the product of divine intervention and ruling of the Supreme Court. Since then, it remain fuggy if Gov. Orji has called Emezie to order so, and for that, there is no means of telling if it was indeed not Orji’s voice that the ill-advised adviser has been echoing in the past week.

But wait. Amaechi has been of the PDP. Orji has also just joined. Amaechi is not contesting the Abia State governorship neither is Orji Rivers’. Amaechi does not require Abia votes to win re-election in his own state so what cheap political points does he need to score among Abia people or did Emezie mean Rivers people?

I ask because in Rivers, periodic rendering of accounts of stewardship by the governor is a tradition the people have learnt to live with, which  is obviously strange to Abians. Is it why a simple mention of support channeled towards restoration of peace in neighbouring Abia State is today a reason for guideless words war? What is there to be ashamed of? That a state assisted another to achieve security success? Does it by itself translate into weakness or failure on the part of the benefiting state?

I don’t think so. It instead amplifies the needed interdependence and synergy required to solve common problems, particularly since the subject matter is mainly, a federal one, merely requiring states support.

My Agony is that in a bid to take exclusive credit for his own state’s insecurity clean-up operation, the Abia Governor through his Electronic Media Adviser over-reached himself and brief when, he scored such information offcier worthy to trade jabs with Amaechi, Governor of a state like Rivers, Treasure Base of the Nation. This must stop.

Among humans, conflicts should be expected but the responsible way to resolve such conflicts is not through misguided media retractions which benefit none, except the media Adviser whose annual budget, was virtually nil, and naturally required the perilous media voyage, a most soothing financial relief to line his pocket.

Rather than blab on issues he is illiterate of, Emezie should allow his master, Gov Orji tell the Abia people how much the operation to restore peace in Abia cost his government. Not too such that would be a favourable piece of advice because security vote is still a conduct for public funds siphoning, a culture Amaechi opted to break away with.

That might well be the Rivers Governor’s offence but should not be.