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How I Made Wike Minister, Opara, Deputy Speaker – Amaechi
Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi addressing APC faithful
Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has told the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, the socio-cultural body of Ikwerre people in Rivers State, the role he played in the appointment of the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike as Minister and Chief Austin Opara as Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives in 2003.
Like Amaechi, both Wike and Opara are from the Ikwerre ethnic group, the largest ethnic group in Rivers State.
However, both Wike and Opara are now leading the fight against Amaechi in Rivers State.
Amaechi spoke last Sunday evening at the 199th Convention of the Ikwerre Cultural Oganization, worldwide held at Ahai Ogbakiri in Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
He lamented that, despite his contributions to give the Ikwerre ethnic nationality a face-lift and give it a pride of place in Rivers State and on the national stage, he had been betrayed by his brothers who are conniving with outsiders to fight him for their personal selfish interests.
“Gradually, we are beginning to wind up in government, and I have started counting either my blessings or losses, one-by-one as a Governor of Rivers State for all Rivers people but from Ikwerre ethnic nationality. I have started asking: What have I done for Ikwerre people? And I am convinced that the Ikwerre history cannot be complete if my name is not mentioned.
“I am not saying this because I am the governor. As speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I ensured that most partS of Ikwerre have roads, the ones that didn’t get then, when I became governor, they got roads. Only a few communities may not have roads in Ikwerre now, and before we go, I will make sure they have roads like most parts of the state. We will ensure that those communities have roads. As Speaker, I asked for the grading of this Ogbakiri Road”.
Amaechi said, “you will ask me apart from these, what have you done? The basic thing we need in Ikwerre is empowerment. You will not recognise it until you take the list of our scholarship programme in the state and know how many of our children are overseas studying. They are quite many and I have met them at different airports. How I know them is because, they greet me in Ikwerre when they see me.”
“I have asked myself, apart from those who are fighting me, how many Ikwerre sons and daughters have one way or the other benefitted from me? When you see Nyesom Wike, tell him I nominated him to be minister. I have one witness sitting here today. Chief Sampson Agbaru is my witness. He led other prominent sons and daughters of Ikwerre to see President Goodluck Jonathan and the President told them that he had not known Nyesom Wike from Adam, that when Amaechi brought Wike’s name, he (Jonathan) opposed it, the President opposed the appointment of my former Chief of Staff as minister.”
“He (President Jonathan) opposed him (Wike) and I begged President Jonathan severally and consistently because I wanted Wike to be Minister. But today, Nyesom Wike has betrayed me for selfish reasons.
“Also, by the grace of God, I made Chief Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives. God used me. Prominent politicians met me and told me that there cannot be two captains in a boat, if I make Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker, I might not be the political leader in Ikwerre. But I said, I want my people to benefit, and I picked Austin’s name, and we battled to make him Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives in 2003.”
The state chief executive further lamented how Opara allegedly master minded his arrest and detention in 2006.
“In 2006, I was arrested through the machinery of Austin Opara and was detained for one day, meanwhile, he was supposedly one of my supporters to be governor.
“Among those I have also helped, who are now fighting me, is Prof. Simeon Achinewhu, as Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology. Achinewhu was sick and at the point of death, and I flew him out of the country for medical treatment, but he is now one of those accusing me and writing against me in the papers.
“For those I gave contracts, they are so many for me to mention, but, if they deny, call the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention and summon them, I will come here and mention them one-by-one. For instance, Paul Nwonodi is one of them. He is now fighting me and writing and signing all sorts of petition against me. They are people without character, they have no character. They would easily betray anyone.”
“Also, when Ikwerre people met at Aba-Ndele, and told me they wanted roads, I went to the governor (then Dr Peter Odili) and pushed, and roads were constructed. The ones the governor did not do, when I became governor, I did them in the same way as I was doing the roads in other parts of the state. I have told Chief Andrew Uchendu that before the expiration of my tenure, I will make sure I complete all internal roads in Isiokpo and I am also considering the internal roads in Ogbakiri.”
He equally urged the Ogbakor Ikwerre to join forces with other well-meaning Rivers people to resist the plan by the Federal Government to intimidate and influence the votes through the use of police to harass innocent citizens during the elections.
“We will survive the federal might and the way to survive it is to mobilise our people. We must prepare now to chase away those against our people. The President says, he is an Ijaw man, he should not take the oil wells from the Kalabari people”, Amaechi said.
Amaechi also promised that he would remain a detribalised leader until his tenure expires in 2015.
Speaking, President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, Professor Augustine Ahiazu described the current wave of politicking in the state as alarming, saying that it can cause permanent injury to individuals and the various communities.
“Bitterness in politics can result in undue hatred among friends and relations. It can breed division and polarisation. It can also bring conflict and destruction. Ikwerre sons and daughters should come together to fight any plans for violence in Port Harcourt, because any violence in Port Harcourt is violence in Ikwerre land”, Professor Ahiazu said.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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