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Amaechi: Labour Activist Lashes Clark
In the unfolding political drama in the country, a labour and political activist in Rivers State, Comrade James Kobah, has called on Ijaw leader and former Information Minister, Chief Edwin. K. Clark to leave the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi alone and refrain from witch-hunting him.
Comrade Kobah while bemoaning the political travails of Governor Amaechi, accused the Ijaw leader of misleading President Goodluck Jonathan in the current political crisis in the country.
He said Chief Clark did not show political wisdom when he recently called for the immediate expulsion of the Rivers State governor from the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for alleged anti-party activities. He called on Clark to go home and “rest since he has nothing to offer Mr President”.
He added that the Ijaw leader should also be held responsible for the failure of the Jonathan administration.
Comrade Kobah spoke when he addressed a cross section of the media in Port Harcourt last Wednesday.
“Chief Clark says he has a new wife at 84. He should rest at home and manage his new wife. He should rest at home and enjoy his new wife since he has nothing to offer Mr President. We are not happy over what is going on now in the state, especially when people like Chief E. K. Clark are involved in misleading Mr President (Goodluck Jonathan). We want to ask him (Clark) to leave Amaechi and Rivers State alone. He can continue to deceive Mr President if Mr President decides to accept his advice. There is a crisis in which people, governors, national and state Assembly members are pulling out of the PDP and he’s still there deceiving Mr. President.
“When Amaechi became governor of this state, yes, most of us anticipated that he would have problems with some people because of his philosophy, his concept of government. You know he (Amaechi) is one who enjoyed justice to become governor of this state, so I think that influenced his character, and of course, his very first pronouncement was that this government is not a continuation of any previous government. Government House was spending about N1.3 billion monthly on Government House. When Amaechi came in he cut it to about N400 million. This shows some level of prudence and commitment. There should be no bias about it.”
He described Governor Amaechi as a brilliant and focused political leader who should not be punished for ‘nursing’ any political ambition, if he has any.
Kobah emphasised the strategic importance of Rivers State in the electoral fortunes of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), recalling that the state gave President Jonathan massive votes in the 2011 elections. “Whether we like it or not, Rivers State is critical to any election in this country”, he said.
On the prospect of the PDP reconciling its aggrieved members, the activist said while he would welcome reconciliation in the party, it would be dangerous for the country if the progressive-minded ones in the party would stop the struggle for true development on the altar of reconciliation.
He said, “If you believe in a cause which people have now bought into, why not, if they want to resolve, but it will be unfair for them and dangerous for this country that the progressives that have emerged collapse under any form of resolution, negotiation, except their idea of development should go on. I am one man who doesn’t believe in being loyal to stupidity. I never did that in my life. What I believe in is what I follow”.
He noted that the Rivers State governor would not be subdued by his political enemies because God is on his side. Again, he said Governor Amaechi succeeds because there is some level of justice in all the actions he had taken.
“Of course, you can see that Amaechi’s cause is being fought by God. There is no way he could have survived in the system till today if God is not on his side, and so, every action anybody takes without some dosage of justice in it, doesn’t survive.
“Amaechi is succeeding today because there is some level of justice in all the actions he had taken. So we are not happy about what Chief Clark is doing. I think that he is making Mr President to fail both in his administration and even his second term ambition, he said.
A faction of Mile One Rumuwoji Market Traders Association protesting the removal of their chairman in Port Harcourt last Wednesday
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.