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Grouse With Amaechi …‘Real Treat’ That Sparked My Angst
As I stepped out of the soon to be unveiled Model Secondary School, Eleme, one of the ‘out-of-the-world (from Nigerian perspective) citidals of early education, the same question I had brooded over hit me like a fatal blow : What manner of man is Amaechi’s son, Chibuike Rotimi, Governor of Rivers State?
The state’s Information and Communications Commissioner, Mrs Ibim Semenitari had just conducted heads of state media agencies and the Ministry on a round the educational facility tour of projects in the Khana, Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro axis of the state.
That tour which also took the media heads to both Nkoro and Andoni ends of the 36 kilometre long Unity Road project followed a three-day retreat, at the Songhai Rivers farm (Thursday Jan 2nd to Saturday, Jan 6, 2011) during which, the media heads not only brain-stormed on how best to reposition the state’s information machinery, but also beheld an array of very benumbing changes only a 10 per cent of which Governor Amaechi had obliged the world. But that’s for later.
After moving from one structure to another, housing various aspects of studies, well-equipped physics, home economics, chemistry and biology labs, language centre, complete with translation equipment and head phones, a mouth-watering dinning hall that can go as coffee shop in a five star hotel and dormitories that will house not two oil company expatriates but two Rivers and Nigerians students, per room and more than 50 toilets, the same question returned: what manner of man is Amaechi?
My brooding from the experience of the Songhai Rivers farm turned into agony when the commissioner led us into what could pass as a sub conference hall of the United Nations (UN) in New York, USA, complete with the intimidating trappings of excellence, class and character. But she called it the model school’s auditorium. All those for post primary education? Why not Eleme Polytechnic? That in other states would be celebrated as a university campus as part of the real change we can see.
Strangely, rather than tell the story, the whole success story of the massive transformation, a 20- year leap into the future that places Rivers ahead of other states in that sector and help enrich tomorrow’s history, with the kind of change even the blind can feel, Governor Amaechi has been down playing his sorry, Rivers own giant strides, and has been feeding the world with barely a 10th of what Rivers has achieved under his watch as Brand Symbol. This is unacceptable.
Upon taking the oath of office, as Executive Governor of the State, October 26, 2007, Amaechi in his now familiar modesty had elected to be known, simply as governor and be addressed merely as Right Honourable, an appellation he earned as Speaker of the State House of Assembly, for two consecutive terms of eight years, and not His Excellency.
What manner of a man is Amaechi?. A reluctant celebrity? One who works exceptionally hard to be known and decides to wear large and very dark sunglasses to avoid being recognized? And for this manner of modesty, little accomplished states everywhere in self-praise and now are at the verge of succeeding in their attempt at distorting facts of the true development indices of the Nigerian project.
Today, the Rivers Change Woko is being claimed, and won proudly by less befitting many because the true change agent appears shy and modest to a fault?
Governor Amaechi needs to be reminded that the luxurious bus of change which he pilots, belongs to Rivers people, he, merely the driver, and on the marketing front, the principal brand model engaged, dressed and empowered to defend the masters’ (Rivers peoples) directive. As the primary custodian of the Rivers brand, Governor Amaechi should freely share the content of the Rivers change epistle not be shy to echo the brand symbol’s key words, Change We Can See. He should speak it, dream it and sleep it. He must not allow his modesty to affect this charge for it is a reminder of the bond of collective pride and success which all Rivers people, at home and abroad wear as a development garment.
If he fails to do that, he in advertently helps others in creating doubts over our accomplishments and potentials as a people and allow them to boast and speak loudly when they should in fact, listen.
In September last year, editors in Nigeria had their 7th All Nigeria Editors conference in one of the sister states within the South-South geo-political zone. Naturally, huge presence of that calibre of journalists evokes in the host, the need to add a bit of the state’s milestone to the evolving history and the host governor felt no less so.
In a power-point presentation, earlier, the state governor personally painted an ‘out-in-space’ picture of his educational accomplishments to the visiting media ensemble. The hype was such that evoked inferiority complex even among some Rivers people because, in his fear of being misconstrued as immodest, Governor Amaechi had repeatedly said, ‘a lot still needs to be done.’
But on getting to one of the much advertised schools, earlier displayed as superbly model, what we found was a semblance of the historical educational relics that even rural dwellers in Rivers State are in a hurry to forget. And in their stead, modern, standard and well-equipped primary schools that can go for Model Secondary School elsewhere.
In the security sector, no state comes miles next to Rivers. Infact, outgoing Managing Director of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Mr. Chima Ibeneche penultimate Sunday, at his send-forth dinner at Hotel Presidential Port Harcourt, confessed to the fact that the Gas firm’s headquarters relocated to the state because of the improved security situation engendered by the Amaechi administration.
For those who know, that is one area where Rivers’ big brother role, even in neigbouring states is indeed legendary. That is why, when last year, in their failure to heed the wise counsel of one-time President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln: ‘Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubts’, information managers of neigbouring Abia questioned such known facts, they came out of the press war’ about 9,999 miles away from true wisdom’.
In fact, no state in Nigeria has invested as much as Rivers in the areas of equipping the Police Force and other security agencies, through building necessary capacity among their ranks and indeed going the extra mile to ensure an investor-friendly environment for multi-national oil and gas companies.
But what do we get in return? Less than plausible partnership contribution to a state whose proactive security pursuits have over the years, helped to save enormous resources that should have gone into security issues.
Take the Rivers Songhai Farm initiative for instance: Sitting on 314 hectares of land in Bunu-Tai/Bani Ogoi in Tai Local Government area of the state, its about 20 times the size of the Songhai farm in Porto Novo. The farm is designed to become the hub of agricultural development in the state and indeed Nigeria. Operationally, it is a partnership between the Rivers government and the Songhai International Centre in Benin Republic, but should have been co-financed by oil companies in the state.
Before actual work began at the farm in 2010, some 105 young Rivers men and women from the 23 local government areas had been trained in various specialized agric and agro-based areas at the Songhai International Centre for a period of 18 months. During the period, the young lads also sharpened their entrepreneurial skills, needed to drive the Songhai dream and run their own individual businesses.
Today, standing in the once unknown forest of Bunu-Tai is a rear treasure, a tourists’ delight, hub of agricultural development and a potent machine for rural transformation: it is the Songhai Rivers farm. It consists of an imposing administrative block, library/health care services, 10 units of tastefully furnished two-bedroom bungalows all built with stabilized bricks, visitors and staff park, two units of trainee dormitories complete with canteen, kitchen and store. Others are 12 and 10-room hostels with double and single beds respectively. There are also mini market/western restaurant/boutique and liason offices, African restaurant and security post.
The farm’s Technology/Industrial park consists of cassava processing unit, Rice Mill, Feed Mill, Foundry and Machines production unit, stabilized bricks production unit, generator house, automobile and machinery maintenance unit, juice, jam, syrup, pastry and soya milk production unit, smoking hut (fish and meat) and fruit drying unit, palm and dry products unit, handicrafts, spare parts store and the like.
There is also a production centre which comprises of arable agriculture, livestock including 200 pigs and piglets, with some producing as many as 18 piglets at a go and a ranch designed for the training of those to manage livestock products. Apart from a massive poultry and fishery sections, there are, in all, 48 fish ponds in the farm and man-made lakes to support aquatic programmes.
Within the production centre are Piggery Pens, grass cutter reproduction unit and fattening unit, cow and goat ranch, broiler pens unit, pilots and broiler cage unit, layers’ pens, nursery pens for layers, poultry house (reproduction and nursery), snailiery park, circular concrete fish pound, fish hatchery unit, free range poultry, earthen pond, artificial lake, green house, development of feed for gasifier, maggotry unit, biological pit toilet, nitrogen bank, compost, seed multiplication, biogas and storage unit, orchard (pineapple) cash crop production/garden cassava, coconut, orange, plantain and mango among many others, including the cow and goat ranch where cows and goats are reared for milk, meat and allied products.
Under the superintendence of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), the Songhai Rivers Initiative is supposed to have as partners, among other bodies, oil and gas companies operating in the state and for whose safety and condusive investment climate, scarce Rivers funds were injected into proactive security pursuits. But to date, all that is in place is the sole investment of the state government, in real pursuit of the Change We Can See.
This, methinks is the crux of the Rivers re-branding project highlight that must be magnified by the brand model and sole custodian, his well- known modesty, not withstanding.
My Agony is that Governor Amaechi still thinks that listing the Rivers examples of the Change We Can See as detailed as they are as awesome as they are and as gigantic as they are would amount to an over-kill of some other fellow state governors who might still be 10 years behind Rivers from when the real change era actually began. That discretion, is beyond his power, for it is a duty he owes Rivers people, from the moment the Rivers brand was launched with himself as the major model and champion of the same change.
That is how to fashion tomorrow’s history, today and help invite the world to the state through regular patronage of the Songhai, Rivers farm initiatives, as many do Tinapa, in Cross River State.
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DEPLOY YOUR CAPACITY, TECHNICAL KNOWHOW TO REVITALISE SONGHAI FARMS, FUBARA TELLS TASK FORCE
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that diversifying the economy of the State has become inevitable because of the need to solve the problem of food shortages while also providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
These, he said, are the reasons why great care has been taken to critically look at the prospects of revitalising the Songhai Integrated Farms, which is located in Bunu Tai, in Tai Local Government Area of the State.
Governor Fubara insisted that if the problem associated with food shortages is tackled with good intent and purpose, about 40 to 50 percent of current problems of economic hardship plaguing the country and its people would have been solved.
Governor Fubara made the assertion while inaugurating the Chairman, Mr Biedima Oliver, and members of the task force saddled with the responsibility of supervising the revitalization of Songhai Integrated Farms by its partners: Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Other members of the task force included, the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr Victor Kii; Commissioner for Finance, Barrister Emmanuel Frank-Fubara; Dr Ayebaesin Beredugo; and Mr Maurice Ogolo.
The Governor explained that it took him time to approve the constitution of the task force being inaugurated because of the ugly experience with the previous group that shown such interest.
Governor Fubara stated that a process was initiated and driven halfway into the handing over of Songhai Farms on concession to an interested partner who latter showed a total lack of the needed capacity to undertake such task.
He said, “As a matter of fact, if few of you could remember, we even conceded the place to an investor who came in after he had made his presentation, and we, believing that he has the capacity, we said okay to him, and we had already signed up.
“But something happened. He came back to tell us that he wanted us to give him a N5billion bank guarantee. We then asked him, why? If we have the N5billion, why do we need you to come and even revitalize Songhai Farms? We would have put that N5billion there ourselves. For that reason, we cancelled that arrangement.”
Governor Fubara said now that two separate companies have come together to indicate interest and given the assurance of having the needed capacity to drive the process, he is delighted to see them meeting that expectation.
Governor Fubara pointed to the expectation of the people who want to see the Songhai Farms back on stream on a sustainable basis.
That expectation, he insisted, is also what his administration wants to see actualised within its lifespan.
He noted, “We want to see food sufficiency, because we know when Songhai Farms comes on board, there will be food, which is one of the problems we are having in this country. If we are able to tackle the issue of food, 40 to 50 percent of our problem will be solved.”
Governor Fubara also stated that although he believes in the presentation made by the group and has taken their assurance to heart, but warned that he would not tolerate a repeat of what happened before.
The Governor said, “I hope your story will not be (end) halfway too. I hope you have the capacity and all the technical knowhow to handle it. It is not when we start now, after we had finished inaugurating the task force, you will come back to tell us that you need $2million. If we have $2million, we won’t need you. We will invest it by ourselves.”
Governor Fubara, however, praised the capacity of the Chairman of the task force, Biedima Oliver, saying that incidentally, he was one of the personnel that convinced the then administration to develop the Songhai Farms, and had worked with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to manage the project.
He said, “He knows and understands the workings of Songhai, and now that we are making you the chairman of the task force, we want to believe that you will make that place come back to life.
“I don’t have any doubt in your capacity. A few things you’ve touched, you turned them to gold. Please, bring it back to what we used to see in Songhai. Bring it back with the help of your committee.”
Governor Fubara assured that his administration will remain committed to providing all the necessary support that they may require to make their assignment a success.
He added, “So, I hereby inaugurate you. Your task is very simple: Do everything within your powers and with our support to make sure that Songhai becomes operational to the benefit, not just the people of Tai, but to the entire Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole”.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Task Force to Supervise the Revitalization of Songhai Farms with Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, Mr. Biedima Oliver, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the opportunity and confidence reposed in them to revive Songhai Farms.
Mr. Oliver assured that they will deliver the expected goal on Songhai Farms, and doing so on time and on target so that the good people of Rivers State can eventually be happy and also benefit from the huge investment.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that all the policies and programmes of his administration are tailored towards the protection of interest of Rivers people, especially the youths.
This, he said, is borne out of the importance his administration attaches to youths’ development and empowerment as leaders of tomorrow.
Fubara, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, disclosed this when he received the youths of Emohua Local Government Area under the auspices of “Emohua Youths For SIM” on solidarity visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, last Friday.
He said that his administration has put in place modalities that will boost the livelihoods and well-being of Rivers citizens, which youths of Emohua will also benefit when they materialise.
The governor, who spoke through the Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, pointed out that the recently awarded Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Road, the ongoing Emohua-Kalabari Road, reinstatement of illegally sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Area and the approval for electrification of the area, are part of deliberate measures to open up the area to make life conducive and more meaningful for the people.
According to him, “Everything about the governor is putting the interest of Rivers State first. He is looking at and taking action on those things that we need to do to restart the wheels of progress in Rivers State.
“There are many things the governor has planned and is already doing that will boost the life and welfare of every citizen of Rivers State, but most importantly the youths.
“Growing up, I learnt that Egbeda is one of the biggest communities in the whole of Ikwerre, and it’s predominantly an agrarian community. They have food in Egbeda, they have food in Ubimini, they have food in Omudiaga and other natural resources. The whole world is tilting to agriculture, and this is the way to go.
“The Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Omoku road, when completed, will open up the area for real development. Your food and everything you produce there will now have value, they will no longer be thrown away. In all these, you the youths are going to be the utmost beneficiaries.”
He added, “Same will be applicable to the Emohua-Kalabari Road which will also, trigger development in the area, and you will be the greatest beneficiaries. When the LGA is also electrified, you will be having 24 or 20 hours of electricity, and those things the youths can do with electricity, you can stay at home and create wealth for yourself and children.
“All the totality of what the governor is doing, when they are completed, or even as some are completed now, the youths are going to be utmost beneficiaries.”
While acknowledging that youths are the true leaders of tomorrow and any government that fails to carry them along in the scheme of things is doomed to fail, the governor assured them of his administration’s commitment to always address issues concerning youths and ensure that they are part of his government.
He commended the youths for toeing the path of truth by identifying with his administration, urging them to sustain the tempo and shun evil, as his government will ensure that the trend whereby politicians turn youths to beggars are over.
He said, “Youths are, indeed, the leaders of tomorrow. The time of youth is a very important time. It a time that your parents or whoever is your leader at that time have to make the greatest investment in you. And any Government that decides to only carry the elderly, chiefs aling and abandon the youths is bound to fail,” he asserted.
“But I am happy that Governor Fubara has concentrated his energy on everything that will benefit the society, especially the youths.
“And based on these, I want to thank you for recognising what is good and calling it good, for shunning what is evil, for saying the Governor is standing for you.
“Let me tell you, you are on the right direction. Let me tell you again, Rivers State is the bride of Nigeria. The whole Nigeria is looking at what will happen here. As they look here and see you standing on the path of truth, this is a very important step that you have taken to right all the wrongs of the past, to make Rivers State stand on the tripod of justice, peace and security. That is what we are going to gain through the governor, taking all the wise actions that he has already initiated.
“The projects the governor is embarking on are meant to prepare nets for the youths to fish and put food on their table, hence you should continue to follow him.
“The SIMplified Movement brought upon by the governor will ensure that Rivers youths stop the habit of going to bow down before politicians, pledging loyalty before they can eat.”
Earlier, spokesman for the Emohua Youths for SIM, Comrade Ovamale O. Ovamale, had said that the visit by youths from the 14 political wards in Emohua Local Government Area was to thank the governor for the award of the Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku road, the approval for electrification of the area and reinstatement of sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Council, of which the youths were mostly affected.
According to him, “Siminalayi Fubara of recent has given Emohua Local Government road that links Elele to Omoku, which comprises over four communities in the local government.”
“Emohua Local Government has also been in darkness for eight years. No community in the local government that has light. But, of recent, because of the passion and love the governor has for the people of Emohua, he has approved the electrification of the local government.
“Also, the illegal sack of Emohua Local Government workers, for which the youths were mostly affected and without the approval of the Local Government Service Commission, the governor, in his compassionate nature, has reinstated them, and that is why we said we must come and thank His Excellency”, he said.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will collaborate and continue to consult widely in delivering a liberated State experiencing enduring peace.
Fubara said, in doing so, he would not operate as a dictator but as a member of a team that has the best interest of the State at heart and determined to leave a lasting legacy that can be celebrated.
The governor spoke during the formal presentation of Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Michael Tom, as first class tradition ruler, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Fubara stated that, during the Sixth State Executive Council meeting, N80.8billion was approved with 50 percent contract value paid already as the Government awarded the construction of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road.
He said the project will be funded from the savings from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to underscore his administration’s prudence without also borrowing to complete the project.
“We are at a crossroad in our State where we all need to stand for what is right. It happens once in a life time. So, for now, be one of those people that will be in the course to liberate and free our dear State.
“And I know strongly that having the support of a peace-loving Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, having the support of the wonderful Council of Chiefs, having the support of the great people of Rivers State, we will bring peace in our State. We will do those things that are right to develop our State.
“We will continue to consult. We will not act as dictators. We will act as people who know that one day, we will leave, and when we leave, the way we have acted will speak for us. We will not force people to talk good about us. Our legacy will be a signature for how we led”, the governor said.
Fubara explained that he acted within the ambit of the law to upgrade the traditional stool upon which King Ateke Tom sits in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in Okrika, and indeed, the State, and urged him to continue to do justice to everyone.
In his speech, Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon Charles Amadi, congratulated King Ateke Tom for being formally presented with the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office as first class traditional ruler.
Also speaking, former Transport Minister, Chief Abiye Sekibo, thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise of upgrading the traditional stool of Okochiri Kingdom, and pledged the support of Kirike Se people to his administration.