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Rivers United For Wike And Development: It’s Wike Or Wike
An editor friend of mine called me yesterday and asked what is this “Operation Kick Out Wike” that the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said he would execute between Monday and Thursday of election week? I simply told him that the financially induced activity would be of no consequence. It is an exercise in futility. A choreographed failed act of political “notice me” from a powerless war monger.
This is the last kick of a dying horse. Even a five year old knows that since 2014, Amaechi and his associates have worked day and night to kick out Wike. They have deployed all means, including shedding innocent Rivers blood, but they have failed every step of the way.
They used SARs horribly to intimidate, kill, maim and snatch results, but Rivers people stood their ground. They declared, it is Wike or Wike.
They instituted several propaganda methods, buying front pages of countless newspapers, but Rivers people declared overwhelmingly, it is Wike or Wike.
During the rerun legislative elections, about 25 seats of the Rivers State House of Assembly were up for grabs. Amaechi told the world that he would collect all the seats and impeach Governor Wike using the State House of Assembly.
The failed APC Federal Government released over 70, 000 security personnel to the Minister of Transportation. He operated like a Garrison Commander. The security forces released fighter jets, fighter helicopters, war vessels , dogs and horses for the forceful acquisition of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Before the rerun elections, the security agencies engaged on a daily show of force to intimidate the people. Rivers people watched, but they were not intimidated.
The rerun elections came. The soldiers, SARs, Air Force and other security forces attacked polling units, collation centres and arrested countles PDP leaders. As they did, more people sprang up to defend their votes and constituencies.
At the end of the day, Rivers State triumphed. The people insisted that they preferred Governor Wike and the PDP. The House of Assembly was secured by the people, in the interest of Rivers State.
Since 2015, Amaechi has made elections a profit revolving scheme. An avenue to enrich himself by tricking the Federal Government and the NDDC to release billions to him to kick out Wike. While Amaechi smiled to the bank, all the schemes met with failure. This latest scheme will fail like the others.
This latest scheme by Amaechi and his partners-in-crime is not targeted at any elections, but a scheme to instigate widespread violence to disrupt the elections.
The 58 Governorship Candidates who re-affirmed their endorsement of Governor Wike mentioned the plot by the APC and their associates to disrupt elections through violence.
They said: “We are not in support of the evil that INEC is conniving with APC to disrupt the Governorship/ State Assembly elections on March 9. The APC knowing they are not on the ballot , plan to perpetrate evil and ensure that elections don’t hold”.
If Amaechi and his treacherous associates want to test their popularity, they should meet the PDP at the polling units on Saturday March 9, 2019. Anything short of that is simply an attempt to disorganise the security framework of the state for the reasons stated above.
There are 3,215,273 registered voters in Rivers State, according to INEC. The onus is on Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, his associates in the embattled APC and any other party they have chosen to support to canvass for votes.
Governor Wike has campaigned in all the 23 Local Government Areas , selling himself and the PDP. He has met with different socio-cultural groups, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations and religious bodies. He has discussed his programmes with the non-indigenes. In all these engagements, the people have spoken with one voice that it is Wike they prefer.
In all the 4442 polling units of Rivers State, unit leaders and members of the PDP have canvassed for votes. Governor Wike has unit liaison officers across the state who have been empowered through employment to work for the development of the state. There is an interface with a sections of the state. The pulse of Wike’s government is felt at the grassroots. This has never been the case.
Governor Wike started his journey to a second term from May 29, 2015. He resumed office prepared and launched the Operation Zero Potholes in Port Harcourt minutes after his administration was inaugurated. Since then, he has delivered projects across the 23 Local Government Areas, changing the developmental narrative of the state. He has weathered the storm, defending the interests of Rivers State every step of the way. He has stood with the people and remained their voice.
For Wike, it has always been Rivers first. He has never betrayed the state. Despite the economic trap set by Amaechi who prophesied that Wike will not do projects or pay salaries because of the precarious economic conditions he left the state, Wike has made Rivers State the envy of all states.
It is not by chance that the APC or their cornered affiliates have no developmental accusations against Governor Wike. The performing Governor has silenced his critics with outstanding projects delivery, promoting selfless governance. He has made good governance a way of life in Rivers State. Seamlessly, pro-people projects are rolled out for the people.
Like it is stated in the Bible, surely the anti-Rivers agents will gather. But they will always fail because God has ordained Governor Wike to lift Rivers State from the doldrums of under-development. According to Isaiah 54:15 : “Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake”.
The sponsored protests will be of no value, other than to help the embattled Minister canvass for appointments. It is nothing more than a cry of a diminished politician, craving for attention.
Like Governor Wike advised, Rivers APC and their leaders should wait for 2023. The decision for 2019 has been made. The people are with Governor Wike and they will confirm by re-electing him on March 9.
A few politicians promoting an anti-Rivers agenda will not alter the will of the people. Those who have illicit resources deployed to create crisis will not succeed because the people have their eyes on the ball. They will re-elect Governor Wike. They will defend their votes and they will defeat any manipulator who tries to rig the process.
Rivers people are United for development. No intimidation will suffice. Rivers people are United for the re-election of Governor Wike. This is about the people. Power belongs to God and God uses the people to elect leaders at every given time. As they say, the voice of the people is the voice of God. And Rivers people have declared: it’s Wike or Wike.
Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media.
Simeon Nwakaudu
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.