Birth Of Nigeria’s Oil State: Dreamers And  Influencers

Rivers State was created on May 27, 1967, following the promulgation of Decree 14 by the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) who thought it wise to accede to the request of the founding fathers of the oil-rich state after a protracted agitation that caused them pain, blood and tears.
Rivers State which could pass as the “Venice” of Nigeria is situated in the Southern part of the country and proudly owned by the people of Ikwerre, Emohua, Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme, Degema, Asari-Toru, Akuku- Toru, Bonny, Opobo, Andoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Abua-Odual, Ahaoda East, Ahaoda West, Etche, Omuma, Okrika, Ogu/Bolo and Oyigbo.
Named after many rivers that border its territory, Rivers State was part of the Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 to 1893 when it became part of the Niger Coast Protectorate. In 1900, the region was merged with the chartered territories of the Royal Niger Company to form the Colony of Southern Nigeria.
In the early days of colonialism in Nigeria, several protection treaties were signed between the British imperialists and the indigenous communities. Between 1941 and 1952, the agitation for the creation of Rivers province began with the formation of the Ijaw Rivers People’s League. In 1953, the Council of Rivers Chiefs was birthed as a replacement for the League. The Council of Rivers Chiefs was later renamed in 1954 as Rivers Chiefs and People’s Congress, and in 1956, the organisation became known as Rivers Chiefs and People’s Conference. Until 1958, hopes of an independent state resonated in the region and lingered continuously in the minds of the natives.
According to Professor Claude Ake, the events of 1953 and 1954 gave vent to minority struggles in Nigeria. From that moment the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta of Eastern region and the Middle Belt began to demand vehemently for a state of their own.
There was also the agitation for the Calabar-Ogoja- Rivers (COR) State which enjoyed the backing of Action Group (AG) led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo following the dramatic return of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to the East to displace Professor Eyo Ita who was to become the premier of the region. The overbearing demeanour and indiscretion exhibited by Dr. Azikiwe generated anger and heightened the apprehension among the minorities in the Eastern region.
Thereafter, the British Colonial government set up a commission led by Sir Henry Willink to look into the misgivings of these autochthons. At the end of its assignments the commission came up with a report that highlighted the fears of the minority groups of the Eastern region and identified them as very distinct with a different culture from the dominant Igbo group.
The report proposed an “Area for a Rivers State to be comprised of the whole of the Rivers province which will include the Divisions of Brass, Degema, Ogoni, Port Harcourt and Ahaoda together with the Western Ijaw Division from the Western Region and two small sections in Eastern Region from outside the Rivers province, Opobo and Andoni being one, Ndoki the other”.
The Willink Commission also identified the conception of the Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB). The purpose was to tackle the problems of under-development, but the NDDB could not meet the expectations of the people of the Niger Delta.
It is pertinent to note that the Rivers Chiefs and People’s Conference of 1956 served as the umbrella body for all the political parties and ethnic configurations that clamoured for the creation of Rivers State.
One of the earlier movements for the creation of Rivers State was the Niger Delta Congress led by the duo of Chiefs Melford Okilo and Harold Dappa Biriye and ably supported by the Northern People’s Congress.
At the time of the initial struggle, the Rivers people made several petitions and demands for state creation, but they were all rejected on the floor of the Federal Parliament. The reason given was that it was not viable to create Rivers State in spite of its abundant resources and the commercial activities that were going on in the area. Okilo who was then the Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Tafawa Belewa wept openly when those decisions were taken.
After much discontent, some ebullient youths-cum-activists decided to take drastic measures to achieve their goals. Therefore, in February 1966, some University undergraduates who saw themselves as freedom fighters took the bull by the horn and declared the Niger Delta Republic. The rebellion which lasted for 12 days was orchestrated by Isaac Adaka Boro in conjunction with Sam Owonari, Nottingham Dick, Nyanyo and Okumaye. The young men were arrested and charged with treason for taking up arms against the Federal Military Government. There is no gainsaying the fact that the rebellion helped in drawing the attention of the authorities to attend to the issue of state creation for Rivers people.
Leveraging the dissatisfaction of the minority groups in the Eastern region, coupled with the fact that oil had been discovered at Olobiri (in the present Bayelsa State which was carved out of Rivers State in 1996), General Yakubu Gowon in a tactical move divided the East into three states to prevent Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Ojukwu from spreading his administrative tentacles into the oil-rich Rivers State that was created three days to the Nigerian civil war.
The five Rivers sons who signed the final memorandum that was submitted to the Federal Military Government for the creation of the state were Dr. I.J. Fiberesima for Degema Divison, Hon. Nwobidike Nwonodi for Ahaoda and Port Harcourt Divisions, Chief E.N. Kobani for Ogoni Division, R.P.G Okara for Brass Division and Chief G.B.C. Otoko for Adoni and Opobo Division.
However, there were other Rivers sons who canvassed and contributed to the content of the memorandum for the creation of the state. Among whom were Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Chief Emmanuel Oriji, Chief Wenike Briggs and Prince E.N.B Opurum as he then was.
Worthy of mention was the invaluable contribution of the Chiefs and People’s of Rivers State to the struggle. Chief P.G Warmate was a prominent member of this forum that provided the wherewithal for the representation of Rivers people at the Constitutional Conference in London in 1957. The agitation for the creation of Rivers State had taken different phases with so many people from every part of the state contributing in one way or the other to the birth of the golden goose which the state has become to the Nigerian nation.
Lt. Cmdr. Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff was appointed the First Military Governor of Rivers State, but because of the Nigerian civil war that broke out few days after his appointment he administered the state from No.24 Queen Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos State, until the 1st of September, 1968, when he took up office in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
Lt. Cmdr. Diete-Spiff knew what was expected of him by his people and addressed his mind to the infrastructure development of the state as well as the socio-economic growth of the people. The young military governor with the assistance of some seasoned administrators and technocrats who were members of his cabinet came up with a Master Plan for the state and executed ambitious projects that made the state the envy of other sections of the country.
The Diete-Spiff administration built the best secretariat complex, two 5-star hotels, Catering Rest Houses in all the local government areas, primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, canals in the riverine area, good road network, 30- bed hospitals in all the local government headquarters, etc.
He also gave scholarships to Rivers indigenes for higher education and vocational training in Nigeria and abroad to provide the requisite manpower for the nascent state. Having laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of a city-state, it was easy for his successors to hit the ground running by improving on his legacies.
Ironically, the Rivers State that was dismissed as not viable has become the goose that lays the golden egg, providing almost 70 percent of Nigeria’s income. A state that was created shortly before the civil war is the hub of oil and gas and the second largest economy in Nigeria after Lagos.
Unfortunately, the wealth enjoyed by the whole country is yet to be beneficially applied to the people of the state. The development of Rivers State requires a lot of money which is beyond the financial projection of the state government. Lagos Island, Victoria, Apapa are all Islands connected to Ikeja, the Lagos State capital, in the mainland with the resources from the Niger Delta states. The Federal Government should be fair enough by replicating what was done in Lagos in Rivers State.
As we celebrate the 57th anniversary of the creation of Rivers State, we should reflect on the goals and aspirations of the founding fathers and plan for the future as a united people with one destiny
There is need for ethnic groups irrespective of size and tongue to close ranks and see themselves as equal stakeholders in the affairs of the state. They fought together for their emancipation and attained the dream of a multi-ethnic state without dominant power.
Today, no ethnic group on its own can form a government or impose a government on the people. Rivers State is a microcosm of the Nigerian state whose strength is drawn from its diversity. Therefore, the new generation of the youths should share and sustain the vision of the founding fathers by emphasizing on those ideals that have kept them together. Evidently, that widely acclaimed Rivers spirit of love and commitment to self-less service has waned significantly, leaving in about its stead, threat to public peace activated by political greed, selfishness and unguarded quest for personal and sectional aggrandisement.
Therefore, the political class in Rivers State should remind themselves that it took selfless services, personal denials and unrelenting activism from the founding fathers and other well-meaning Nigerians to have a state that they can now call their own.
They should embrace peace and seek lawful means to address all grievances and disagreements, because strife and aggressive engagements will only destroy the time-endured bonds of togetherness that have bound them for years.
The founding fathers’ relentless struggle to question the imbalance and injustice of the Nigerian federation remains the philosophy behind the creation of the state. Their mission and vision were to ensure that Rivers State was given its pride of place in the geo-political entity called Nigeria. The question till date, however, remains whether their aspirations and goals have been achieved or not.
Fortunately, the current Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, is a man who has drunk from the fountain of wisdom of the founding fathers of the state. Barely one year in office, he has shown understanding, capacity and courage in addressing the issues of development and governance to the admiration of the overwhelming majority of Rivers people. Clearly, he has maintained a governance structure that is all-inclusive and also ensured that all sections of the state are carried along in every sphere of development.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara is obviously playing his part in line with the vision of the founding fathers of the state. However, more needs be done. With the right atmosphere of peace and cooperation of all sections of the state, the present administration will certainly finish strong.
It behoves the new generation of youths to re-enact the feat of the founding fathers and successive administrations by working hard to take Rivers State to greater heights.
Finally, we salute the founding fathers, Ieaders of thought, traditional rulers, politicians, civil servants, civil society groups and men of goodwill that identified with the struggle that birthed the premier oil and gas State in Nigeria. Well done!

Reward Akwu