If  Amaechi had campaigned for votes and laced it with political promises, perhaps nobody would have believed his manifestoes.

Indeed if he had paraded an agenda that would introduce far-reaching reforms and sweeping social changes, still skeptics and unrepentant critics would have cried foul of commercial terrorism.

If he had traversed the nooks and crannies of Rivers State in search of votes to occupy the Brick House, many would not have hesitated to doubt his transformational power and administrative sagacity.

Incidentally, all these speculations were driven into oblivion by the court which saved his usurped mandate to swing the administrative pendulum of the state which doubles as the pivot on which the economic wheel of the nation rotates.

Though he has no aristocratic status neither does he belong to a dynasty of kings (Nyewelis) yet he had instituted silent revolution in multifarious sectors of the state economy. Today analysts, commentators and critics of public affairs cannot deny the fact that he has impacted positively on many lives.

Brooks Atkinson, an American essayist and social critic had Rivers State in mind when he wrote that: “We need supermen to rule us; the job is so vast and the need for wise judgment so urgent, but alas there are no supermen”.

He emerged as a heavyweight champion to prove that there are supermen to pull out the state from underdevelopment status.

Today he has achieved infrastructural revival and social renewal, contrary to the expectations of Rivers men and women.

In recent decades, thought of a dual carriage of roads like Rumuola-Rumuokwuta, Rumuomasi-Rumuobiakani, Woji, Oginigba, Elekahia, Rumuokwuta-Choba was synonymous with asking for the moon.

Eleme junction was a daily headache to motorists and pedestrians alike because of its endemic traffic logjam. Admittedly, it was a nightmare to all categories of road users on Wednesdays.

A journey across Eliozu via Airforce in few minutes was hitherto a mirage. Unity road in the Ogoni cum Andoni axis of Rivers State was impracticable.

Interestingly, all these have become history. The proliferation of illegal structures, markets and mobile shopping malls have also been laid to rest. Criminal dens have been converted to civilian ends, bridges and fly-overs which were before now eyesore are now beautiful sights to behold.

All these Moses-like activities leave observers in no doubt that the Ikwerre-born governor is not only a leader with power and authority but a courageous, compassionate and development-oriented leader.

As a visionary leader, he has demonstrated financial discipline, blazed trail with innovations, positive sweeping social changes and administrative excellence.

He has moved the state from development aspiration to action, rhetorics to reality and mirage to milestone. This has destroyed the usual toga of kleptomania which has often characterised modem Nigeria governors.

He has demonstrated the qualities of a leader not office holder or manager. Thomas Cronin once observed that a leader does the right thing while a manager does things right.

Office holders acquire chieftaincy titles at the expense of tax payers money. They donate money and vehicles meant for development purposes to friends and foes of the state. They turn the state to Mecca for political jobbers and demagogues alike. All these constitute travesty of development.

Over four decades of existence as a state, a development history impossible to wipe out has been written by Amaechi.

As a reformer of infrastructures, this administration has been focused, purposeful, people-oriented, people-centred and people-driven. An intelligent combatant designs a comprehensive plan of where and how to conquer.

This underscores the mission statement of his historic administration.

A development agenda which revolve around reconstruction, rehabilitation, rebuilding, reshaping, reorganising and restructuring the state physical infrastructures to meet modem standards.

Governor Sir, this makes you a permanent guest of development history. Today, you occupy a vantage position in the pantheon of heroes of the state.

Your triumphs and travails are eloquent testimonies of divine mandate.

Our primary schools and health centres which were before now orphans, operating under tattered roofs are today beneficiaries of modem, magnificent structures.

The ultimate measure of a leader is not how many fraudulent awards and chieftaincy titles he bags, but the impact of programmes and projects on the practical lives of the subjects.

I salute your courage and leadership qualities with the five most important words in leadership circle thus: “I am proud of you”.

Your people-centred policies and programmes, civility, simplicity and Marxist philosophy as asserted during your appearance in the NTA programme, ‘One On One’. All these find expression in the words of Lao Tsu, a sixth century Chinese philosopher, about 2,500 years ago when he said: A leader is best when people rarely know he exists, not so good when people serve and acclaim him; worst when they despise him, fail to honour people, they fail to honour you. But of a good leader who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say, “we did this ourselves”.

Agi resides in Port Harcourt.

Friday Agi