Issues
Nigeria @ 58: Stakeholders Seek Reforms
As the country clocks 58 years, last Monday, some stakeholders have called for more political reforms and restructuring to reflect the swelling agitation for a just and equitable polity for Nigerians.
Making their views public ahead the independence celebrations, some of the stakeholders submitted that marking the nation’s 58 years would be futile without addressing key areas that would improve governance and engender development.
Member representing Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, Hon Awaji-Inombek Abiante stressed the need for an effective leadership recruitment process.
Abiante argued that an effective leadership would bring about the needed vision that would transform the country.
He said: “If we cannot have an honest leadership, then we cannot be celebrating anything”.
The federal lawmaker picked holes in the current electoral process, as it breeds mediocrity and poor leadership, which he noted, has been a major challenge to the country’s development.
He called for a low-key celebration and challenged those in leadership for sober reflection and rededication on how to improve the fortunes of the country.
Also speaking, Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Marshall Uwom argued that the fundamental issues stiffing the country’s growth should be addressed.
In the view of Uwom, some of the issues include constitutional reforms, which he maintained was key to addressing the agitation from the different parts of the country for better polity.
The solution to these myriads of problems, Uwom said, is that “we have to address the fundamental issues… the constitution has to be reviewed, as far as I am concerned that constitution was not written by Nigerians”.
The Rivers State Assembly deputy speaker urged the Federal Government to go back and look into the constitutional amendments made by the National Assembly and approve them.
On the issues affecting of Niger Delta, Uwom stressed that the Ogoni clean-up should be implemented without further delay, as he flayed the Federal Government for using the UNEP Report to play politics in the region.
On his part, Ijaw leader and spokesman of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe said the country’s democracy needs to be upgraded to a level, where the citizens would have a key role to play.
Sara-Igbe noted: “We are still moving towards real democracy even though what we have now is still military democracy.”
The leader further asserted: “There is need for improvement. Our democracy and political system is not yet mature. We should see politics as service. We must not see politics as self-gain and for self-enrichment”.
Chairperson of Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union (RATTAWU) in Rivers State, Comrade Opi Erekosima while congratulating the country for attaining 58 years, stressed the need for introspection by all citizens.
Erekosima said though the country has fared well in some areas, such as being united despite the myriads of economic and political challenges, she emphasised the need for improving the electoral system.
“We are approaching another triumphant entry, I am talking about the 2019 elections and tempers are rising. Nigeria right now looks like a pot that is boiling and someone needs to open the pot to see what the content is. So, whatever the content is, I want to appeal to everybody to be calm, we need to be patient and hardworking”.
Also speaking, an architect, Com Chinwendu Nwubi, said there was every need for Nigerians to celebrate the Independence owing to the fact that the present administration in the country under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has stabilised the economy through the war against corruption.
Nwubi said many people were now conscious of how to serve in public sector, adding that the on-going war against corruption has engendered the spirit of confidence for people to do business in the country.
According to him, the negative perception people had about the country in the past has changed because our value systems have been re-awakened, people are now thinking in positive direction.
A secondary teacher, Mrs Blessing Emen, said the rate of insecurity in the country has dropped sharply, and commended government at all levels for their bold initiatives to address the challenges of insecurity, which she said, rattled the country in the past.
She said the fight against militancy in the Niger Delta and insurgents in the North was commendable as government has lived up to her responsibility in that direction.
A farmer, Mr Nnadi Amadi, in his own view, said that there was a lot to celebrate, adding that being together for the past 58 years, was not an easy feat to achieve.
He disclosed that the various agricultural and other economic policies introduced recently have impacted positively on the productivity of Nigerian farmers.
According to him, some states in the country like Anambra, Lagos and Cross River states are economically strong, as they export one product or the other.
He urged Nigerians to continue to support the government at all levels in their quest to move the country forward adding that only unity and togetherness can we make more progress.
“No society can develop in an atmosphere of rancor and disunity, Nigeria is great and we can only maintain our greatness through love, unity and support to our leaders,” he said.
A civil servant and activist, ThankGod Dumnamene said: “Looking from the time of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Finance Minister, it would have been possible to predict where the economy of the country is headed. But today, the reverse is the case. Nigeria’s economy is not only stagnated, but declining speedily.
“Also looking at what is playing out politically today, things have changed. In the beginning, election was not a do or die affair, but today, hijacking of ballot boxes, vote-buying, violence, including killings and maiming of voters have become the order of the day. Politics of bitterness and hatred, which have not only succeeded in creating hatred among Nigerians, but have as well, divided the country into various parts.
“Looking back at the fight against corruption by Okonjo-Iweala, you would realise that comparing it to our President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption is the direct opposite. Today, rate of corruption is increasing by the day instead of declining. Buhari’s fight against corruption targets only the opposition; hence I don’t see the fight as genuine, as corrupt actions of his members are not being put into check. This I see as his own way and strategy to get more people defect to the APC as any corrupt politician that wants to avoid EFCC will run into the APC and they are safe. All these spell doom to our beloved country, Nigeria.
“Also in terms of unity, Nigeria is heading towards disintegration because there is no unity any longer. The margin between all the tribes has widened, and this I attribute to politics. All the tribes and zones are now interested in politics and are not ready to hear whatever good another person from another tribe has to offer for peace, development and unity of our country. It will take only the grace of God to unite this country!
“Taking the Osun State election, for instance, election was not conducted in a peaceful manner; rather the APC used state institutions against the will of the people. This is capable of breaching the peace and unity of our nation. In the case of the elections in Rivers State come 2019, we will resist any attempt to rig elections or use state institutions to subvert the will of the people. We will not be afraid of them because if we die in a revolution, it is the price we pay to save our country.”
Commercial Motorist, Etim Akpan said: “If Nigerians want the country to move forward, they should have a rethink in whatever action they take during the forthcoming 2019 elections as voting back President Muhammadu Buhari will not only cripple the economy of the country, but may bring about more untold hardship and sufferings to the people of Nigeria.
As you can see, the cost of fuel has skyrocketed since 2015 from N75.00 per litre to N145.00. Yet, drivers are still very considerate with the ordinary citizens and still carry them at the same fare as it was when the price was N75.00. Only few passengers patronise us now as most people now prefer to trek due to lack of money.”
A politician, Victor Toby said: “Nigeria is rated one of the best countries in the world in terms of infrastructural development and unity, despite all the challenges that confront the country today. It still remains one indivisible entity and now serves as a benchmark as other countries suffering crisis want to know what Nigeria is made of and how it is able to accommodate and sustain its unity.
“Economically, I will say that we are retrogressing instead of progressing. Recently, the world rated Nigeria as one of the poorest countries in the world. When did we get to this point when we have all the resources that other countries depend on to survive? What could be responsible for this poverty rating? And how do we get out of it? I leave these questions in the hands of our present leaders to proffer solutions.
“Politically, Nigerian politicians should be very careful the way they go about the 2019 elections, as any negative action taken will cost everyone a lot. I want to say it here that Nigerians should use their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) to vote in the right leaders wisely. We should discourage the idea of selling our PVCs. The PVC is the right of every eligible electorate. If you use it wisely, you will be glad you did.
“Socially, Nigeria is thriving very well in the entertainment industry. I will say this is a plus to our movie industry. But generally, I will say that we are still growing,” he noted.
Kevin Nengia, Susan Serekara-Nwikhana & Amadi Akujobi
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
