It was a touching moment when Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, did not only have his stewardship publicly appreciated but was also begged to act fast to rescue Nigeria from the dungeon by contesting the 2015 presidential election as the only panacea to the present sad state of affairs in the country.
The plea was made by the cousin of Chief Nyesom Wike and a leading light of the Rumuepirikom community, Barr. Tasie Wike, during Amaechi’s resumed Meet-the-People Tour of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in the state.
This request, according to Barr Wike, is borne out of the fact that Governor Amaechi has contributed immensely to the economic development of the state and the country in general and in view of his administration’s landmark achievements which speak for themselves.
Presenting his community’s address, Barr. Wike said: “We are convinced that despite the huge effort put in place by our detractors to run you down, history and providence will speak volumes of your track records of infrastructural development which are unprecedented in the annals of Rivers State, and indeed, Nigeria. We must sincerely commend and congratulate you for putting Rumuepirikom clan on the threshold of history of Rivers State – indeed Nigeria – in the elevation of our traditional stool and influencing the appointment of one of our sons as a Minister of State for Education in the person of Chief Nyesom Wike, as well as Chief Promise Onuoha and Chief Cyprian Chukwu as members of Rivers State Local Government Service Commission, not minding that none of these are members of APC and are now constituting themselves as nuisance and stumbling block to further developments of our community.
“Your other areas of intervention in our community include construction of the Ada-George Road, Epirikom/Rumuolumeni Road, Rumuepirikom Health Centre, Rumuepirikom Community Secondary School, Elioparanwo Primary School, among other great feats. All these notwithstanding, we wish to express our huge disappointment over our son, Chief Nyesom Wike, for failing to fix internal roads in our community while he was given 100 per cent on the contracts by the Amaechi-led administration to execute these road projects. It is worthy to recall that Rumuepirikom internal road network was awarded to Chief Nyesom Wike. Your Excellency, after we visited D/Line area of Port Harcourt and saw the internal road network constructed there, and compared them with what was done in our community by our own son, we wept. Our governor, there is need to revisit the slipshod construction done on our internal roads by Nyesom Wike. Imagine what a man has unleashed on his own community. What a dastardly act.”
Responding, Governor Amaechi thanked the people for their support, and assured them of more developmental projects, including the construction of Rumuagholu Road in Ward 7 and completion of Rumuomoi Road in Ward 12 as well as construction of Eliohani/Eneka Road in Ward 1.
The governor said: “I thank all of you for the opportunity to address you. It’s basically for the interest of Rivers State that we are here. There is no village in Rivers State you will go to that you won’t see either a model primary school or health centre that I built. It is our responsibility, not about politics. And if you like, you can vote APC or you can vote PDP or any other political party but to meet your needs is my responsibility. I am paid salary for it, and it is the reason for which I drive a free car, use free fuel, eat free food and enjoy free sleep.”
The communities visited by the governor and his team in the course of the week included Rumuepirikom, Eliparanwo, Rukpokwu, Eneka, Rukpakwolusi, Eligbolo, Awalama, Rumuagholu, Elieke, Ekinigbo, Orosi, Rumuadaolu, Rumuola, Rumuokwuta, Oroigwe, Rumunduru, Eliozu, and Elimgbu, among others, al in wards 9, 1, 12, 7 and 13.
In Amaechi’s team during the tour were members of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dakuku Peterside; Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke; Majority Leader, state House of Assembly, Hon Chidi Lloyd; the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Sir Tony Okocha; the Rivers State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ikanya; Obio/Akpor CTC Chairman, Lawrence Chukwu, among others.
Chief of Staff, Chief Tony Okocha, in a symbolic gesture led the team to walk the one-kilometre route to the venue of the event from Chief Nyesom Wike’s family compound.
He described the successful outing in Wike’s community as the fall of the wall of Jerico and collapse of whatever maybe the myth or political power base of the junior minister.
It would be recalled that Governor Amaechi had suspended the tour on 13th August, 2014 in honour of the erstwhile Mayor of Port Harcourt, Hon. Charles Paul Ejekwu, who died that day, even as PDP thugs attacked APC supporters mobilising to receive the governor.

Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi (right) consolling the wife of late Port Harcourt City Local Government CTC Chairman , Hon Charles Paul Ejekwu, during the funeral service at St Thomas Anglican Church, Diobu, last Saturday