How Amaechi Redefined Governance (I)

Some radicals are ‘propelled by nothing more than self-
flaunting, a blatant showmanship; others are mere impostors riding on the wave of radicalism to achieve their selfish agenda. But only in rare cases .does radicalism coincide with altruism, with a burning desire to align with the communal spirit, to .advance the common good. Such’ a rare instance is found in Chibuike R. Amaechi. But don’t, take my word for it.’ Send out your  feelers and see’ what they bring back.
A case in point: a young  Man recently returned from overseas studies in Canada and called at his ‘family home in Rumuomasi in Obio Akpor Local Government Area within greater Port Harcourt. It took only the beacon of the Shell Industrial Area and a strong desire not to ask the taxi driver questions for him to finally locate his ancestral home. He stood transfixed, taking in the fresh oxygen from the specie of palms lining the centre pavement portioning the road linking Aba Road/Market  Junction to Nkpogu Junction in Port Harcourt City LGA into ‘to’ and ‘fro’ segments. The young man marveled. He had heard of the term ‘garden city’ in connection with the Rivers state capital but by the time he left on State government scholarship to England three years ago in a programme that ultimately enabled him to earn his doctorate degree in Canada, Port Harcourt and its environs were like’ enclaves emerging from war, and nothing in. them suggested anything close to garden. To complete his marvel, the street lights soon came on as evening approached. At some point it took the motley crowd of black and familiar faces for him to reassure himself he was not back to Ottawa. His interactions on the internet with some friends back in Nigeria had suggested that Amaechi was all about politics and opposition and that nothing was going on in Rivers State. Now he knew better, especially after he discovered that that road which actually connects Peter Odili Road to the east was not an isolated case. Across the State, roads’ with – modern drainage systems were either under . construction or already ‘aglow with walkways, well-marked packing directions, street lights and modern directional signs. Welcome to the garden city.
Unarguably, this is the first time a radical is occupying the Rivers State Government House and his rule, however it ends, has already created a phenomenon in leadership and development. Amaechi clearly knew the circumstances of his emergence as governor – that it was clearly a divinely orchestrated event backed by the people. That must explain why he set out to please only. too constituencies: God and the masses. He had every opportunity to play politics as ‘business as usual’ and ,he knew he stood to gain a lot personally. But he shunned that in favour of the’ road less travelled. In following this option, he obviously knew he would come against a great obstacle, but he probably could not have envisaged the extent of the challenge. He had one ‘masterstroke: aligning with the people, the masses of the people of Rivers State and, the residents.
This has been, and will continue to be his staying power. Across the country, people believe that a governor must ‘chop,’ their main grouse is when all that he has to show for his governance is  ‘chopping’ the state down to dilapidation, a reign of kleptocracy.
This was the scene across the country and more so in Rivers State before Amaechi’s emergence as governor.  The first thing he did was to sweep away the Augean Stable. Gathering a team’ of mostly young
technocrats but also socially conscious bureaucrats, he set about with a clear, unmistakable Vision and Mission. Unfortunately the old aristocrats, the wheelers and dealers who had profited unconscionably from the old order could not read the handwriting on the wall. They did not understand that Amaechi have encircled his thought with positive change of heart.”Drop the last year into the silence limbo of the past let it go .for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go” Brooks A”tkinson. ‘They thought that he was merely posturing and that he would turn the bend and behave true to type. That was their error. They did not know that the one they were up against was working  ‘under the firm conviction that,’ like Karl Marx’s proletariat, he, together with the Rivers State masses,  ‘have nothing to lose but their chains; they have a world to win.’
It may seem out of place to connect what Amaechi has done in Rivers state, in particular his philosophy and modus operandi with the concept of class suicide, but it  ‘is not a far-fetched’ possibility., Truly, he may have had plebeian roots, but series .of social circumstances had thrust him up as a de facto patriarch right from when he was a two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly under the administration of Governor Peter Odili. Did he wheel’ and deal? Maybe. Maybe’ not. But that is now a moot point. The issue is: when he got the opportunity – whether on a platter of gold, silver or wood, did he deliver? You bet. For the first time in recent history, civil servants, in particular, teachers, could proudly claim that they are workers. The children of the poor and downtrodden can afford to -go-to schools and actually handle computers! What the Ubima man has done is to create a level playing field where, to draw a parallel from the evergreen Martin Luther King, one is no longer judged by the circumstances of his birth but by the content of his  ‘character, the degree of greyness of his or her grey matter. The scholarships funds which until recently was managed by the incorruptible icon Elechi Amadi ‘has seen the children of the rich and poor alike scramble for scholarship opportunities with only hard work and brain power as the determinants of who gets what. There is hardly any reason not to believe that the new management will tow that noble line. To ‘furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is the greatest benefit that can  ‘be conferred upon mankind it prolongs life’ itself and enlarges the sphere of existence” John Quincy Adams. The results of such experiments in normalcy in an overall abnormal national setting are not too far away. Soon there will emerge in Rivers State a class of leaders, intelligent, radical, with a pro-people orientation and with an unwavering commitment to the common good but who, unlike before, would not be too poor as to be marginalised or disregarded.
Amaechi’s initial alignment with the downtrodden may have been done out of mere radicalism, but it has proved to be the governor’s ultimate benefit as his Party of convenience, the All People’s, Congress battles with the Peoples. Democratic Party and other entrenched interests for the soul of Rivers State Increasingly, most indicators are pointing to victory to the Amaechi camp in the titanic , battles ahead. “A positive attitude can destroy every negative obstacle” Terry Mark.
Dr. Jackson is Chancellor, International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights.

Omenazu Jackson