Politics
Birthday: Wike In A Nutshell
Don’t just count your years, make your years count”. The immortal admonition of George Meredith appears to have been taken to heart by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike whose life clearly tells of a man who determined very early to make a remarkable difference in the social, political, economic and administrative circumstance of his environment.
Born December 13, to Rev and Mrs Nlemanya Wike of Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike holds degrees in law from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt now Rivers State University and Political and Administrative Studies from the University of Port Harcourt, Choba.
After a brief private practice, Chief Wike’s illustrious political career kicked off on a high when he was elected Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council at the advent of Nigeria’s present democratic journey in 1999. That tenure ended in 2002. He was re-elected into the same office in 2004 for another three-year tenure.
While in office as local government chairman, Chief Wike was elected Deputy President and later President of the Association of Local governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and also represented Africa on the executive committee of the Commonwealth Local Government’s Forum. He was voted the best performing local government chairman and played pioneering roles in national security and primary healthcare in the country.
From October 26, 2007 and May 28, 2011, Chief Wike served as Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt with Rt Hon Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi as governor. However, on July 14, 2011, he moved up to the national stage when he was appointed Minister of State for Education by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Consequent upon a federal cabinet re-organisation, Chief Wike transformed into Nigeria’s Supervising Minister of Education on September 12, 2013. On the saddle, he introduced for reaching reforms in the basic as well as the tertiary education sub-sectors.
Under his watch, the federal government of Nigeria established four new federal polytechnics, with one sited in Bonny, Rivers State. It is also on record that he facilitated the immovative N1.3trillion intervention fund revive public universities in Nigeria. To this end, no fewer than 51 federal and state owned polytechnics had life lives in infrastructural development while colleges of education had micro-teaching laboratories constructed for them.
For his efforts, the Nigerian Pilot Newspaper named him the Best Performing Minister of the Federation in 2011 while the African Network Campaign on Education for AU (ANCEFA) awarded him the Policy Champion Award for Africa in appreciation his roles in the creation of quality access to education for Nigerian children.
According to Richele Goodrich “You were born and with you endless possibilities, very few ever to be realised. It’s okay. Life was never about what you could do, but what you would do.” Preparatory to the general election in 2015, Chief Wike resigned his ministerial appointment in 2014 and joined the race for the Rivers State gubernatorial contest. Of course, he won the election and was subsequently sworn in as the 6th democratically elected governor of Rivers State on May 29, 2015.
That mandate was renewed in 2019 consequent upon a superlative performance that saw his detractors as well as admirers labeling him Nigeria’s “Mr Projects”.
As chief executive officer of Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has garnered a surplus number of awards, recognitions and conferment’s in celebration of his excellent service delivery credentials in outstanding administration, focused and visionary leadership and an uncommon display of political acumen from within and outside the shores of the country.
The latest of his recognitions and endowments is the “Dike Oha I” of Ikwerre Land” conferred on him by the entire chiefs and people of Ikwerre ethnic nationality on Saturday, December 7, 2019 in Port Harcourt.
“To me, a birthday means celebrating the presence of an individual in our lives”, so says Meeena Bajaj and this is true of not just the immediate family of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike who turns 53 today but also for Nigerians in general and Rivers people especially who have had the benefits of his mida’s touch.
By: Opaka Dokubo
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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