Almost two months after the former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, left office for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, there are still a lot of fears in many quarters that the former governor, who is now jostling for ministerial appointment in Abuja, is still in charge of affairs in Port Harcourt.
In interviews conducted by our team, some citizens especially of Ijaw extraction, expressed their disappointment at what they described as a betrayal on the part of those controlling the power structure of the state.
Fubara had become governor of the state on the plank of a transfer of power from the upland part of Rivers State to the riverine who had not produced a governor since the return to civil rule 24 years ago.
In expressing their disappointment, the Ijaws recalled that the riverine people were in charge of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party on the return to civil rule in 1998/99. The late Elder Marshall Harry was the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party. The late Alabo T.O.G. Graham-Douglas was calling the shots at the national level.
It was a golden opportunity to swing the governorship ticket towards the riverine. But in their magnanimity, the Ijaw party leaders decided to give the governorship ticket to Sir (Dr.) Peter Odili of the upland extraction, Ndoni to be precise.
At the end of Odili’s tenure, there were widespread agitations led by the late Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas and the likes of Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe that power should rotate to the riverine part of Rivers State. But the powers that be at the time joined hands with Sir Peter Odili to frustrate the power shift.
Chief amongst the plot against the riverine people of the state was Rotimi Amaechi who was the prime beneficiary as the plotters succeeded. In 2007, the Odili/Amaechi group put forward a pseudo-logic that power in Rivers State will not be shared any more on the basis of upland/riverine dichotomy but on the basis of senatorial district by senatorial district.
This pseudo-logic of the Odili/Amaechi group at the time was convenient and sounded credible. They claimed that Governor Odili had already represented Rivers West Senatorial District. Unfortunately, Rivers State stakeholders who were agitating for the governorship were mostly from the Kalabari speaking local government areas of Degema, Asari-Toru and Akuku Toru who were all part of the Rivers West Senatorial District.
It was very convenient and fitting for the duo of Odili and Amaechi to decide that power should now shift to Rivers East Senatorial District because Chibuike Amaechi who appeared to be the preferred guber candidate of Sir Peter Odili was an Ikwerre son and also from the Rivers East Senatorial District.
Even when the K-leg saga midwived by former President Olusegun Obasanjo disrupted Amaechi’s ambition to be governor of Rivers state. Celestine Omehia stepped into his shoes and became governor for about 6 months.
One may not be wrong if one says Amaechi was destined to be the governor of the state. Having taken refuge in faraway Ghana, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that because of some irregularities in the course of the PDP primaries, Omehia was not the right candidate; rather that Amaechi be sworn in as the governor of the state immediately.
As Amaechi was finishing his tenure, he might have been prompted to recollect that there was a riverine/upland dichotomy in the state before the pseudo-logic of senatorial districts was introduced to suit their agenda. Amaechi threw his weight behind Dr. Dakuku Peterside from the riverine part of the state, Opobo to be precise.
On the other hand, the Rivers Ijaws had the greatest golden opportunity to come back to power. Their son, Goodluck Jonathan was president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. He was also the head of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. By some inexplicable reason, ex-president Goodluck Jonathan allowed some elements to convince him that the best man to take on Amaechi and floor him was Barr. Nyesom Wike. They were right to a certain extent but his emergence was allegedly detrimental to the Rivers Ijaw cause.
Many Rivers Ijaw men and women are fully persuaded that it was the political mistake of the century.
As events are unfolding they may be right. When Governor Wike in tandem with his deputy who was of Rivers Ijaw extraction mounted the saddle of leadership, there were high hopes and expectations. However, eight years down the road, it appears that these expectations were merely unrealistic wishful thinking.
In fairness to Governor Nyesom Wike, his administration did a lot of work but the anger of people interviewed was that the work he did was concentrated on the largely Ikwerre dominated Port Harcourt Local Government Area and Wike’s Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
To be fair to former Governor Nyesom Wike, the projects he executed are there for all to see, but why the concentration of all these massive projects in PHALGA and Obio/Akpor? What of the other 21 LGAs in Rivers State?
As if to pacify the angst and disquiet of the people of Rivers State, against all odds, in the twilight of his administration, Wike who had become the strongman of Rivers State politics, picked Sir Fubara, an Ijaw man of Opobo town. There were a lot of wild allegations that Siminalayi Fubara was Governor Wike’s arrangement for a third term in office which was denied vehemently by Wike’s media office and those close to him.
Almost two months into the administration of Governor Fubara, the earnest fears of Rivers people especially those of the Ijaw extraction may not be unfounded at the end of the day.
Those interviewed on the streets of the state are making strong allegations based on the pattern of appointments.
According to them, the Wike godfather influence is heavily pronounced in the appointments made by Governor Fubara and the constitution of his government.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly was zoned to former Governor Wike’s LGA, Obio/Akpor. The deputy governor’s slot they alleged was filled by former Governor Peter Odili’s candidate, Prof. Ngozi Odu from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area
Majority of the commissioners that returned to the cabinet served under former Governor Wike. The commissioner for Finance and Works all served under Wike. It appears that even the new Chief of Staff Chidi Amadi is Wike’s candidate.
The commissioners appointed so far by Governor Fubara are as follows: Prof. Zachaeus Adango – Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Dr. Alabo George Kelly as Commissioner for Works. Dr, Adaeze Chidimma Oreh (Dr. Peter Odili’s daughter) as Commissioner for Health, Prof. Chinedu Mmom as Commissioner for Education and Barrister Isaac Kamalu as Commissioner for Finance.
Other commissioners appointed were Jacobson Nbina, Charles Amadi, Roseline Adawari Uranta, Christopher Green and Engr. Emeka Woke who was Wike’s former Chief of Staff. Also on the commissioners list is Barr. (Mrs.) Inime Aguma, Hon. Nwafor Uchechukwu, Dr. Chisom Kenneth Gbali and Hon. Henry Ogiri.
More annoying to many Rivers people is the recent award by the Rivers State government to Julius Berger Nigeria PLC to construct a Ring Road in Port Harcourt. A whopping sum of N195 billion has been earmarked for the gigantic project.
The question that is resonating on many Rivers peoples’ lips is, Aren’t other local government areas entitled to development?
Speaking about the Port Harcourt Ring Road, Governor Fubara stated that the project which will last for about three years, will be a legacy project to decongest roads in the various localities within Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
According to Governor Fubara, “When all these places are opened up, people including the real estate investors will start moving in there, and businesses will open up because people have started acquiring land there.”
