Politics

Tonye Harry, Living Even In Death

Published

9 years ago

October 14, 2013

Cross section of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on a condolence visit to the family of their former Speaker, Late Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry, last Wednesday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga.

Rt Hon. Tonye Harry will
be dearly missed. He was a thorough and distinguished legislator, an astute politician who believes that politics and public office should be about service to the people.
“Over the years, he worked very hard and diligently to make Rivers State a better place. His contributions to the legislative development of the state were indeed enormous.
“We worked together, very closely; he was a friend, and brother that will be dearly missed. He has left a vacuum that will be very difficult to fill.”
These were the words of the Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, when he paid a condolence visit to the wife and family of the late lawmaker last Tuesday.
On his part, the Deputy Governor of the state, Engr. Tele Ikuru, has this to say: “The death of Tonye Harry has robbed the state and nation of an erudite politician par excellence, whose contributions to the growth of democracy cannot be quantified.”
Also, Senator Magnus Abe described him as “a methodical lawmaker, reliable friend, brother, team player and an astute politician whose wealth of experience furthered the stabilisation of the fourth Assembly, and contributed immensely to the development of Rivers State.”
The Senator served as the Minority Leader of the Fourth Assembly when the late Harry was Deputy Speaker and the incumbent Governor was the Speaker.
The encomiums on the late former speaker has not ceased . In fact, from all indications, they will not cease for a long time, even after he has been laid to rest in his final abode, such is the life of this great Harry’s Town born Rivers lawmaker who seemed to have touched so many lives in virtually everywhere he sojourned.
Former United States of America President, Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “the test of our progress (as a nation) is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little .” These words seem to be at the back of Tonye Harry’s mind in what could be termed his political adventure.
Right from his days as an Accountant in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, from where he joined politics and was elected as member of the Assembly, representing Degema Constituency in 1999, he had showed such commitment to the welfare of others that made him the only of his peers.
It could be said that it was the same trait that endeared him to his colleagues in the Hallowed Chambers of the Fourth Assembly and made them elect him Deputy Speaker to Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi.
Even as a Deputy, he was an enigma of some sort, defining and redefining lawmaking in the state, while also effectively holding forth for his principal each time the need arose.
This seems to be the explanation to what Governor Amaechi said that “over the years, he worked very hard and diligently to make Rivers State a better place. His contribution to the legislative development of the state were indeed enormous.”
From his community, Harry’s Town, thorough his primary constituency (Degema Local Government Area), to the state, Harry touched so many lives, directly or indirectly, especially through various levels of empowerment initiatives.
It was, therefore, not surprising that when the tenure of Amaechi ended as Speaker in 2007, Harry it was who stepped into the big shoes of his predecessor.
From then on he seemed to be guided by what the philosopher, Bruce Barton, believed in, through his saying that “Nothng splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.”
He worked assiduously, not only to effectively represent his primary constituency and the Kalabaris, but also to enhance good governance in the state with Rt. Hon. Chibuike at the helm of affairs as Governor. Though continuity in governance is widely believed to be alien, in Nigeria, Rt. Hon Tonye Harry, continued from the standard set by his predecessor in the legislative arm of government, and improved on it.
Through the matured leadership of the state House of Assembly by the late Harry, the House was able to create a cordial relationship between the legislative and executive arms of government in the state to the envy of other states in the federation.
As a demonstration of his uncommon leadership traits and impliedly his acceptance as a world leader, he was made the chairman of speakers of parliaments in all the commonwealth countries during the four years he served as speaker of the Rivers Assembly.
During the same period, the state Assembly passed various landmark laws which have so far stood the test of time over two years after the expiration of his speakership.
The laws include: Rivers State Bureau of Public Preocurement law No. 4 of 2008, Rivers State Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority N0.2 of 2009; land Use prohibition of Extortion law No.5 OF 2010; and Rivers State Micro-Finance Agency Law No.6 of 2008.
Also included are” Rivers State Traffic Law No.6 of 2009, Rivers State contributory pension law in public service No.7 of 2009, and Rivers State University Education Law No.8 of 2010, All of these Laws have proved to be cardinal to the growth and maintenance of law and order in the state.
It is obviously due to these and several other innumerable achievements that the on-going encomiums have been showered on the late legislative icon. But the praises did not just come at his death, it started long before his untimely demise on Friday, October 4, 2013.
In 2010, three years into his reign as speaker, Mrs. Manuelas. George Izunwa, then Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, described him as “an enigma, seasoned bureaucrat, level-headed fellow, unassuming but very strict to details when it comes to work.
“His commitment to the new Rivers State of which we all are trying to build under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi the Governor of our dear state, is unrivalled.”
To buttress Tonye Harry’s empowerment programmes, Chief Ngo Martyns- Yellowe, publisher of Top News, a local tabloid, said he is “a popular and compassionate leader. He has core supporters whose belief in him is unshaken and he is liked by a Large section of Degema population for his humility, generosity and generally kind disposition.
“He has empowered a lot of people across Degema LGA by providing employment for them and also has a large number of them under his payroll.”
In fact, words on the streets of Rivers State are more lamentations than cries. The rhetorical questions on the streets boils down to “who will carry us along after Tonye?.
From the foregoing it is not a surprise that the incumbent speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree, described the late iconic legislator as “a stabilising factor,” noting that he died when his presence was most needed, referring to the current crisis rocking the state Assembly.
The reasoning in several quarters currently is that if Harry could so positively affect lives, it goes to show that if his colleagues could borrow a leaf from his legacy, Rivers State will be best off and the same factor that has kept him alive, even in death, will keep all of them alive when their time comes, just as he will remain in the lives of all those he has touched directly or indirectly.

Politics

Rivers Gov’ship: Obuah Congratulates Fubara, Hails Rivers People

Published

5 days ago

March 22, 2023

The Tide

The Director-General of the 2023 Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Bro Felix Obuah, has congratulated the Governor-elect, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, on his resounding victory at the March 18, Governorship election in the State.
Bro. Obuah in his congratulatory statement commended the calm disposition and the steady mobilizing spirit of the Governor-elect throughout the electioneering campaign which endeared him the more to the electorate as demonstrated by their massive votes.
Rivers people, Bro. Obuah noted, cannot but thank God for the successful polls in the face of daunting tasks.
Bro Obuah who is also the immediate past State PDP Chairman expressed greater joy that the winning streak of his regime has continued to bear fruit in the State.
According to him, Sir Sim Fubara is another choice rightly made by the people to continue to enjoy good governance and dividends of democracy at its best which is the result of the choice of His Excellency, Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
“I give kudos to our Rivers people for their appreciation of all the good works of our indefatigable ‘Mr. Quality Projects’ which they expressed through their massive votes for our Governor-elect and all the PDP candidates in the just concluded elections,” Bro Obuah expressed.
He said the PDP-led government in the state is spurred by the people’s gratitude and poised to do more for the people as a new political dispensation gets underway.
He thanked Governor Wike for his foresight, courage and unwavering spirit to raise the bar of political leadership in the State which is gradually taking roots in the land as a tradition.
Bro Obuah also commended the community heads, traditional rulers, women groups, religious groups, and the youths for listening to the voice of reason which contributed to making the 2023 election in the state a good one.
The Director-General of the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council also congratulated the 32 candidates of the PDP that won the 32 seats in the State House of Assembly and all National Assembly members elected on the platform of the PDP.
He said now that the elections were over, it was time for all hands to be on deck for the much desired peaceful atmosphere necessary for good governance.
He dedicated the PDP victory to all Rivers people and pledged his usual fatherly support to the leadership for a more united and better Rivers State.

Politics

Abia Gov’ship Election Result: Social Media Report Fake, Says INEC

Published

5 days ago

March 22, 2023

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has denounced an online report accusing its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu of attempts to violate its guidelines and consequently distort the Governorship election result in Abia State.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi said the only communication sent to the State Returning Officer was the commission’s directive suspending further collation of results.
He said; “The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu never called the Returning Officer to give her a directive. Rather, the Returning Officer wanted the official communication on the Commission’s decision to suspend the collation of results in Abia State. The Chairman then directed that pending the delivery of the hard copies, the soft copies of the Commission’s letter be forwarded immediately to the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Enugu State and the Administrative Secretary of Abia State.
“The Returning Officer for Abia State then directed that the contents of the letter be read aloud by the Administrative Secretary in the presence of agents of political parties, observers, the media and security personnel at the Collation Centre.
“This is what is now being mischievously interpreted as a directive to the Returning Officer on some phantom criteria at variance with the approved guidelines. There is nothing like that.
“In fact, the content of the letter is basically the same as the Commission’s Press Release dated Monday 20th March 2023 which has since been uploaded to the Commission’s social media platforms and is already in the public domain.
“The public should disregard the story as fake news”, said Oyekanmi.
A portal, Strenuous Blog, had quoted the Returning Officer as alleging that she was being forced to do the wrong thing.
According to the portal; “The INEC Presiding Officer In Abia State Nnenna Oti had this to say…’I’m Professor Nnenna Oti from Afikpo. I am the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, The people’s mandate shall stand. I have spent all my adult life in pursuit of the ideals of good governance. We shall stand by the these principles. The pastor in me (she is a Pastor with the RCCG) and the mother in me will not permit me to do anything that will adversely affect the future of our children. I shall do right by God and by man!’
“Then to the shock and surprise of everyone in the hall, she said that the INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, personally called her and gave her directives on guidelines to follow in ensuring that Abia governorship election results were collated based on some criteria but that on her own she has decided that the will of Abia voters would not be subverted under her watch.
“At that point, she asked the Administrative Secretary to read the message she said that came from the INEC headquarters Abuja”.
Checks by The Tide source revealed that the commission has no such nomenclature as “State INEC Presiding Officer”.

Politics

Declare Binani Adamawa Governor-Elect, WPF Urges INEC

Published

5 days ago

March 22, 2023

The Tide

The Women in Politics Forum, WPF, said Nigerian women will not allow history to repeat itself in the ongoing gubernatorial election in Adamawa State.
The WPF, a non partisan organization for women with membership across the 36 states and FCT, stated this in a statement, yesterday.
The group said Nigerian women are aware that results from 20 local government areas had been collated, giving the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Aishatu Binani an early and consistent lead.
The WPF advised the Independent National Electoral Commision, INEC, to ensure the results are not manipulated and that Senator Binani is given her mandate and declared as the winner of the election.
In a press release signed by the National President of the women forum, Ebere Ifendu, the forum noted that there was great misconduct in the election results collation center which she said followed the refusal by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa, to collate governorship results from Fufore local government area.
Ifendu said, “We will not accept a repeat of history. In 2011, Her Excellency, Dame Pauline Tallen contested for the Plateau State Governorship election and was cruising to Victory when announcing of results suddenly stopped, and when it was finally announced, they had stolen her mandate. This was exactly the fate of Senator Aisha Al Hassan ( mama Taraba). Her victory was also stolen. We can no longer watch our collective mandate stolen from us.
“Nigerian Women have worked hard and waited patiently for this victory and woe betide that person that will be used against the wishes and aspirations of Adamawa people and Nigerian women.
“We can confirm from our agents in Adamawa State that Senator Aishatu Binani is having overwhelming lead in Fufore Local Government.
“We are aware of the manipulation going on in the state and the role of Governor fintiri who had earlier used his state powers to frustrate Senator Binani’s campaign and has further gone ahead to tamper with the figures coming from Fufore LGA;
“…which undoubtedly is Senator Binani’s strong hold ,and originally in favour of the APC candidate, and using the state INEC officials and media to fabricate stories and raising false allegations against her .
“This is a grossly condemnable act and we are raising our voices as Nigerian women to seek immediate intervention to prohibit and abort the manipulation against Senator Binani as we see this as a daylight robbery of her mandate and an affront to Nigerian Women.
“Nigerian women are calling on INEC to ensure that the results are not manipulated and that Senator Aishatu Binani is given her mandate and declared the winner of the election.
“We are also using this medium to call on security agencies to be more effective in protecting the public against attacks by political thugs.
“We have received reports of violent attacks on innocent citizens of the state. We demand that the perpetrators of violence should be arrested and prosecuted while the police is more vigilant and proactive to prevent violence.”