Opinion

A Plea To President Trump

Published

5 years ago

November 16, 2020

His name is Donald John Trump or DJT, for short. He was born on June 14, 1946 and grew to become a very successful businessman before running election in 2016 to become the 45th President of the United States (POTUS).
Trump is said to hail from the US Mid-Atlantic State of New York. Until his present sojourn in the White House, he was known to preside over a hugely successful family business and was once host of the primetime business mentorship boot camp, The Enterprise, where he made popular his catch phrase ‘You Are Fired!’ while evicting trainees who fell short of his usually tall corporate expectations.
His conglomerate, the Trump Organisation, is headquartered at the Trump World Tower in New York City and has since diversified into about 500 ventures, including education (Trump University), food processing (Trump Steaks), distilleries (Trump Vodka), real estate, professional sports, hotels and resorts across the world.
Regarding sports, it cannot be readily ascertained here whether Trump has a stake in Mr. Vince McMahon’s professional wrestling enterprise; but he once featured in a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) event in which both men wagered over two professional wrestlers (Bobby Lashley and Umaga) as to determine which of the two bettors would take a mandatory hair cut from the other if his preferred athlete lost.
Trump’s choice wrestler won the bout, of course. And McMahon got a merciless hair shave on public television from his billionaire friend.
Those who understood the gamble suspected that Vince was already overdue for a pruning and was only keen to dramatise it for the benefit of his WWE Universe. Else, who would imagine that (for whatever its worth) Trump would take the risk of losing a bet and thereafter have his globally unique hairstyle destroyed before a world television audience. Impossible, if you asked me!
For many who come from this part of the world, these were probably the few times they had heard of Mr. Trump before he filed out with Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson and a few other Republicans to contest the party’s presidential primaries in 2016.
Trump did not just defeat his GOP rivals, he practically rode roughshod over them and emerged to face his ultimate challenger and the Democratic Party’s nominee, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, in an election that was tainted by much bitterness, rancour and alleged foreign meddlesomeness.
While the former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State was adjudged to have run a decent campaign, Trump’s outing was deemed to have fallen far short of expectation. He did not only malign his main opponent with half truths and outright falsehoods but consistently referred to her as a ‘Nasty Woman’ or ‘Nasty Hillary’, among other utterly disparaging qualifiers.
And as if that was not bad enough, the US Electoral College system still awarded the Presidency to the latter even though Clinton amassed more popular votes on Election Day. Pity!
Looking exhausted, bruised and overtly outsmarted, she nevertheless congratulated the presumptive winner and proceeded to address some of her teeming supporters who braved the chilly post-election night to show solidarity.
For me, the most interesting part of the American presidential election process lies in the contestants’ concession and acceptance speeches. It is the crowning glory of this four-year seasonal outing. Listening to such speeches gives me goose skin. The oratory, tributes, encomiums, anecdotes, pledges, acknowledgements, forgiveness, reconciliation, invitation, total surrender and, above all, the reaffirmation of belief in God, family and country; they overwhelm me. Each sentence pulls a chord in me. It’s like they should never stop speaking.
And to think that they do this extemporaneously! Even when they use teleprompters, the rise and fall of their voices continues to wow. After all, even when provided such electronic aids, our political leaders down here still flop big time.
Among recent US presidential candidates whose speeches resonated with me are Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Mitt Romney and, of course, our own Barack Obama.
Following his long projected electoral triumph and given his victory speech immediately after garnering the requisite 270 electoral votes, the 2020 Democratic Party Presidential Candidate, Senator Joe Biden, appeared capable of acquitting himself on this count. His speech surely contained the kind of lines that bring me those tears and bumps.
For instance, “…I pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide, but to unify. Who doesn’t see Red and Blue states, but a United States. And who will work with all my heart to win the confidence of the whole people. For that is what America is about: The People.”
Also this: “Kamala, Doug (referring to his VP-Elect and her husband), like it or not, you’re family. You have become honorary Bidens and there’s no way out…”
Not one to be kept in suspense for too long, I hereby plead with President Trump to reconsider his refusal to concede defeat as to enable me listen to the remainder of Biden’s elevated rhetoric. As for the incumbent, his acceptance speech in 2016 and even that at his inauguration in 2017 hardly impressed. So, I don’t expect a moving concession speech if and when it eventually arrives.
But come to think of it, is Trump saying there was poll fraud in God’s Own Country? If so, let him spend the rest of his tenure to fish out the perpetrators of such heinous crime and banish them to Nigeria where there is no shortage of their ilk. Failing to do so, he should immediately vacate his standing order on visa denial to suspected election fraudsters in Nigeria. Period!
Finally, Trump should quit behaving like a head hunter who wouldn’t tolerate the sight of even a blunt machete near his head. As stated earlier, his 2016 election was marred by fraud, yet the Democrats let go not minding that they received more popular ballots. In the present situation, neither the popular votes nor Electoral College tally favours Mr. Trump.
With only 232 electors for the President and 306 for his Democratic challenger, it is already evident that Trump goes nowhere even if Mr. Biden subtracts the mandatory 270 votes and lends him the remainder. Let me ask again: Why does this man thrive in controversy?

By: Ibelema Jumbo

Opinion

Trans-Kalabari Road: Work In Progress

Published

9 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Quote:”This Dream project is one of the best things that have happened to the people and residents of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas in recent times.”

This is the concluding part of this story featured in our last edition.

Good road network helps farmers to convey their agro-allied products to commercial hubs where buyers and sellers meet periodically to transact business. Road network engineers and motivates people resident in unfriendly geographical terrains, like riverine areas, to own property and shuttle home with ease. Some people will prefer living in their own houses in a more serene and nature-blessed communities to living in the city that is fraught with pollution, and other environmental, social and economic hazards. Prior to the cult epidemic that ravaged parts of Rivers State, the Emohuas, Elemes, Ogonis, and Etches were known for rural dwelling. Most public servants from these areas do their official and private transactions from their villages. For them it was comparatively easier to live in the village and engage in a diversified economic endeavours through farming, fishing or other lucrative business without outrageous charges and embarrassment associated with doing business in Port Harcourt, where land is as scarce as the traditional needle.

That is why the decision to construct the Trans-Kalabari Road by the administration of Dr. Peter Odili was one of the best decisions that administration took. When Dr. Odili vacated office as the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi took over and awarded contracts for continuation of the road project which in my considered view is the felt need of the people of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas. Unfortunately, Rt. Hon. Amaechi’s efforts to drive the project was sabotaged by some contractors some of whom are Kalabari people. The main Trans-Kalabari Road is one project that is dear to the people and residents of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas of Rivers State. This is because through the road commuters can easily access several communities in the three local government areas. For instance, the road when completed will enable access to eight of the ten communities in Degema Local Government Area, namely: Bukuma, Tombia, Bakana, Oguruama, Obuama, Usokun, Degema town and the Degema Consulate. It will also link 15 of the 16 communities in Asari Toru Local Government Area. The communities are: Buguma, the local government headquarters, Ido, Abalama, Tema, Sama, Okpo, Ilelema, Ifoko, Tema, Sangama, Krakrama, Omekwe-Ama, Angulama. The road will also connect 14 of 17 wards in Akuku Toru Local Government Area, and other settlements. It is interesting to note that It is faster, and far more convenient and economical for the catchment Communities on the Trans-Kalabari Road network to go to the State Capital than the East West Road. The people of the three local government areas will prefer to work or do their transactions in Port Harcourt from their respective communities to staying in Port Harcourt where the house rent and the general cost of living is astronomically high.

Consequently, development will seamlessly spread to the 28 out of 34 communities of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas. The only Communities that are not linked by the road project are Oporoama in Asari Toru, the Ke and Bille Communities in Degema Local Government Area and the “Oceania” communities of Abissa, Kula, Soku, Idama, Elem Sangama of Akuku Toru Local Government Area. But because of the economic value of the unlinked Communities to Nigeria, (they produce substantial oil and gas in the area), the Federal, State Governments and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), can extend the road network to those areas just as Bonny is linked to Port Harcourt and the Lagos Mainland Bridge is connecting several towns in Lagos and neighbouring States.Kudos to previous administrations who had constructed the Central Group axis.

However, what is said to be the First Phase of the Trans-Kalabari Road project is actually a linkage of the “Central Group” Communities which consists of Krakrama, Angulama, Omekwe. Ama, Omekwe Tari Ama, Ifoko, Tema, Sangama. It is the peripheral of the Trans-Kalabari Road. The completion of the Main Trans Kalabari project will free Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor areas from congestion. It will motivate residents and people of the three local areas to contribute to the development of their Communities. If the Ogonis, Etches, Emohuas, Oyigbos, Okrikas, Elemes can feel comfortable doing business in Port Harcourt from home, residents and people whose communities are linked to Port Harcourt through the Trans-Kalabari Road will no doubt, do likewise. The vast arable virgin land of the Bukuma people can be open for development and sustainable agricultural ventures by Local, State and Federal Government.

It is necessary to recall that the Bukuma community was host to the Federal Government’s Graduate Farmers’ Scheme and the Rivers State Government moribund School-to-Land Scheme under Governor Fidelis Oyakhilome. Bukuma was the only community in Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas that has the capacity to carry those agricultural programmes. However the lack of road to transport farm produce to Port Harcourt and facilitate the movement of the beneficiaries of the scheme who lived in the community which is several miles away from the farms, hampered the sustainability of the programme. The main Trans-Kalabari Road remains the best gift to the people of Degema, Asari Toru, and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas. Kudos to Sir Siminilayi Fubara.

By: Igbiki Benibo

Opinion

That U.S. Capture of Maduro

Published

9 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Quote:”Strategic convenience does not nullify sovereignty. Political frustration does not authorise military abduction.”

The first part of this story was published in our last edition.

In Africa and the Middle East, regime change—whether by invasion, proxy warfare, or sanctions—has often left behind fractured states, weakened institutions, and prolonged instability. Washington’s motivations in Venezuela are widely understood: vast oil reserves, alliances with U.S. rivals, and symbolic defiance of American influence in the Western Hemisphere. But none of these reasons confer legal or moral legitimacy. Strategic convenience does not nullify sovereignty. Political frustration does not authorise military abduction. If every powerful nation acted on its grievances in this manner, global chaos would inevitably follow. International law provides mechanisms for accountability. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), individuals accused of crimes against humanity or other grave offences are subject to investigation and prosecution through judicial processes.

Likewise, extradition treaties, mutual legal assistance agreements, and Interpol mechanisms exist to ensure accountability while respecting due process. These frameworks were designed precisely to prevent unilateral enforcement of “justice” by military force. The most profound consequence of America’s action may not be in Caracas, but in the precedent it sets. If the world accepts that a superpower can unilaterally depose another country’s president, then the foundation of the international system is weakened. Sovereignty becomes conditional—no longer a right, but a privilege tolerated at the discretion of the powerful. Going forward, if another country invades its neighbour, will the United States retain the moral authority to impose sanctions or demand restraint? Some analysts already warn that parallels between Russia’s actions in Ukraine and America’s conduct in Venezuela risk further eroding global norms. Selective adherence to international law breeds cynicism and accelerates the drift toward a world governed by force rather than rules.

Power—military, economic, or political—should serve human progress and collective well-being, not domination and destruction. For African nations, many of which emerged from colonial rule through bitter struggle, this precedent is especially alarming. Sovereignty is not an abstract legal concept; it is a hard-won shield against external domination. Any erosion of that principle anywhere weakens it everywhere. Africa’s painful history of foreign interference makes this lesson especially urgent. For me, the real issue is not whether Nicolás Maduro is a good or bad leader. That judgment belongs, first and foremost, to the Venezuelan people. The larger issue is whether the international system still operates on law—or has quietly reverted to hierarchy. If America insists it is defending global order, it must ask itself a difficult question: can an order survive when its most powerful guardian feels entitled to violate it? Until that question is answered honestly, the capture of a foreign president will remain not a triumph of justice, but a troubling symbol of a world drifting from law toward force.

If the United States felt so strongly about the allegations of terrorism, drug trafficking against Maduro, were there no other lawful options? Judicial accountability, diplomacy, regional mediation, and multilateral pressure may be slow and imperfect, but they reflect respect for international law and sovereign equality. Military seizure is a blunt instrument. It humiliates institutions, radicalizes populations, and hardens resistance. It may remove a leader, but it rarely resolves the underlying crisis. History teaches that military interventions seldom result in stable democratic outcomes. More often, they breed resentment, resistance, and long-term instability. For the sake of global order and the rule of law, the United States should reconsider this path and recommit to diplomacy, legal cooperation, and respect for the sovereign equality of states. Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly described the invasion of Venezuela as “unlawful and unwise,” warning that such actions “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.” Her words reflect a growing recognition, even within the United States, that force without legitimacy undermines both moral authority and global stability.

Should what happened in Venezuela serve as a wake-up call for corrupt African leaders who undermine the people’s right to choose their leaders? The answer is yes. The capture of Maduro should alarm African leaders who manipulate elections, weaken institutions, suppress opposition, undermine citizens’ rights, or cling to power at all costs. Venezuela faced widespread criticism over disputed elections and repression long before this episode, and that context shaped how the world reacted. This does not justify foreign military intervention, but it highlights an uncomfortable truth: prolonged democratic decay isolates nations and invites external pressure—from sanctions to diplomatic censure. Global opinion matters, and legitimacy at home strengthens sovereignty abroad. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and several African leaders have rightly condemned the events in Venezuela, invoking the principles of sovereignty and non-interference enshrined in international and regional law.

Beyond condemnation, however, African leaders must look inward. The continent’s future cannot be built on repression, constitutional manipulation, and personal greed. Leadership must reflect the will of the people, not desperation for power. Two days ago, a social commentator on a radio station argued that Trump’s action—though condemnable—demonstrates how far a leader can go for his country’s interest. According to this view, he did not intervene in Venezuela for personal enrichment, but to strengthen his nation. In stark contrast, many African leaders plunder their own countries. They siphon public resources, impose crushing taxes and harmful policies, and leave their citizens poorer—all for selfish gain. That contradiction is the deeper lesson Africa must confront.True sovereignty is protected not only by international law, but by accountable leadership at home.

By: Calista Ezeaku

Opinion

Kudos Gov Fubara

Published

1 week ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Please permit me to use this medium to appreciate our able governor, Siminalayi Fubara for the inauguration of the 14.2-kilometre Obodhi–Ozochi Road in Ahoada-East Local Government Area. This inauguration marks a significant milestone in the history of our communities and deserves commendation. We, the people of Ozochi, are particularly happy because this project has brought long-awaited relief after years of isolation and hardship.

The expression of our traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Eze Prince Ike Ehie, JP, during the inauguration captured the joy of our people. He said, “our isolation is over.” That reflects the profound impact of this road on daily life, economic activities, and social integration of the people of Ozochi and other neighbouring communities. The road will no doubt ease transportation, improve access to markets and healthcare, and strengthen links between Ahoada, Omoku, and other parts of Rivers State.

The people of Ahoada, Omoku, and indeed Rivers State as a whole are grateful to our dear governor for this laudable achievement and wish him many more successful years in office. We pray that God endows him with more wisdom and strength to continue to pilot the affairs of the state for the benefit of all. As citizens, we should rally behind the governor and support his development agenda. Our politicians and stakeholders should embrace peace and cooperation, as no meaningful progress can be achieved in an atmosphere of conflict. Sustainable development in the state can only thrive where peace prevails.

Samuel Ebiye