Business

Amaechi: The Govt House Correspondent’s Perspective

Published

11 years ago

May 27, 2014

The mere mention of
the name Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi sparks different images in the minds of Rivers people and Nigerians in general. A vibrant, bold and fearless man, Amaechi is a shrewd but blunt politician, who combines activism with governance.
Often times, the amiable governor has said that he wants to demystify governance. He frowns at every bit of protocol and bureaucracy. He views simplicity as a far side of complexity. But the more one seeks to study the simplicity that surrounds him, the more one is confounded by his altruistic nature.
Naturally, the governor is blunt, straight-forward and open to a fault. It is these attributes that imbue him with some element of mystery. He confounds his political opponents and thinks ahead of them, an attribute that has made him survive the treacherous Nigerian political landscape.
Rt Hon Amaechi has, over the years, learnt the political rope fast and adeptly. One phoney aspect of his political journey is that the governor has always leaned to the left. He is a tough Marxist who believes governance should serve the general good of society based on a welfarist policy of free education, health and provision of employment.
For instance, at a time when majority of Rivers men and women were tilted to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the governor was in the National Republican Convention (NRC).His minority stand later paid off, when Dr Peter Odili became deputy governor and he was appointed a Special Assistant on Student Matters. He later joined the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) along with his political mentor, Odili who was then angling for the governorship of the state.
As if nature was ever smiling to him, Dr. Odili won the governorship in 1999 and Amaechi again trounced his opponents and later emerged as the first Ikwerre man to become the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. Eight years later, he became the first Ikwerre man to become governor of the state. A man of many firsts that is! And now, the governor has joined other progressives in the All Progressives Congress (APC), considered to be a leftist party.
Recently, he told traditional rulers who visited him under the banner of Supreme Council of Ikwerre Traditional Rulers Council that though his kinsmen had considered him a sell-out and working against the Ikwerre interest at that time, now it has paid off.
Amaechi began to nurture a socialist prism which was honed by Marxist university academics like late Prof Claude Ake, Prof Ndemili, Nkem Okoh and others at the University of Port Harcourt where he studied English and Literary Studies. He saw the university environment as a preparatory ground to launch into full time politics to pursue his quest for an egalitarian society. He became a student activist, first as a member of the Students Coalition Against Apartheid in South Africa and later President of National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS). It was the presidency of NURSS that actually exposed him to actual political currents.
Whatever prism one views the chief executive of Rivers State, one thing is glaringly true of him: he is not a pretender and he embodies simplicity.
Two weeks ago , the young and vibrant governor drove off without any security detail in the early morning of Friday, 16th May, 2014 to go and buy fruits at the Fruit Garden Market in D-Line, Port Harcourt. On reaching there, he was nearly mobbed by women who were excited by the rare opportunity of engaging in business transaction with the governor.
Later same day, while playing host to women politicians of the APC, he explained why he took the action. “ I had told the kitchen to buy me fruits and vegetables because I was told by my doctor friend that if I take fruits and vegetables morning and evening without eating anything, this stomach will go down. So when I told them to buy me fruits and vegetables for three weeks, they did nothing. So, this morning, I asked for fruits and vegetables and nobody gave me anything.
“ A week ago, I had talked to my wife and said you are not the wife of the governor, you are the wife of Amaechi, can you buy me fruits and vegetables? She said no problem, I will buy for you. But this morning, there were no fruits and vegetables and without her knowing, I went to the fruits market. So I have bought fruits and vegetables for myself. If they don’t want to wash it, I will wash it myself because at the end of the day, first and foremost, the governor is a human being”, Amaechi stated.
That indeed is Rt. Hon Amaechi; blunt, active and ‘response-able’. Unlike most governors, he inspects projects, points out specifications and chides contractors who fail to meet expectations. During one of the inspection tours to Artillery, he ordered a contractor to pull down the drains and start afresh. He also arrested a top politician along Aba Road for traffic offence. He, on several occasions, stops his convoy and controls traffic. He also drives himself. A great enigma indeed!

Business

NIGCOMSAT Seeks Policy To Harness AI Potentials

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), the country’s satellite operator, has called for immediate promolgation of policy action that will enable the country to harness the potentials of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
NIGCOMSAT, also warned that Nigeria risks missing out on Africa’s projected $1.2trillion share of the global AI economy by 2030.
Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, disclosed this in a statement issued at the weekend following her participation in the Meeting of the National Council for Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, economies, and societies worldwide, with projections that it will contribute up to $15.7trillion to the global economy by 2030. Africa stands to gain $1.2trillion of this if the right policies and innovations are in place”, Idehen said, citing a PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
The NIGCOMSAT MD underscored the transformative potential of AI in agriculture, highlighting its applicability in Benue State, widely regarded as Nigeria’s “food basket.”
According to her, machine learning tools could revolutionize agricultural practices by improving pest detection and optimizing planting schedules using satellite imagery.
“AI offers us the chance to not only flourish economically but also to achieve food security. However, we must ask ourselves if we are prepared to manage this technology responsibly”, she added.
Idehen also noted that internet access remains a significant barrier to AI adoption in Nigeria.
“For AI tools to be effective, basic digital infrastructure is essential. Addressing this gap must be a priority.
“AI is happening. We have the opportunity to manage this technology revolution responsibly, both in Africa and globally, through innovation and governance”, she said.
In August 2024, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy released a draft National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, aiming to position Nigeria as a global leader in AI.

Corlins Walter

Business

We Have Spent N1bn On Electrification -LG Boss

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

The Tide

The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Council, Chief David Omereji, has said the council has so far spent over N1 billion for the electrification of communities in the area.
Omereji said this while addressing staff of the council at the council headquarters recently.
He said the move was part of his administration’s resolve to ensure peace and development of the LGA.
According to him, the Council spent about N29 million on monthly basis for the maintenance of the Emohua Local Vigilante group known as OSPAC, with each member being paid a stipend of N100, 000 monthly.
He diaclosed that 11 out of the 14 wards are currently enjoying electricity, while efforts are on to light-up the remaining ones.
“I also want to use this opportunity to inform the political class for purposes of records and for the understanding of the people that the Council under my watch have done more than enough”, he said .
The Emolga boss explained that all that have been achieved were through the personal effort of the Council, without support from anybody as rumoured in some quarters.
Omereji further reaveled that a number of other projects, including roads, fencing of schools, hospitals, courts premises, and reconstruction of some abandoned buildings at the Council Headquarters are being undertaken by his administration.
He enjoined the people of the area to support his administration’s drive to bring purposeful development to the LGA.
The Emohua Council boss, who reiterated his hatred for noise making, stated that his works would speak for him, and solicited the support of staff of the council and the entire people of the area.
He noted the fact that some people may not be happy with his achievements, saying that he would remain focused, while advising critics of his government to do so constructively with facts and figures.

King Onunwor

Business

Ogoni Rejects NNPC-Sahara OML11 Deal … Wants FG’s Intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

The Tide

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has raised some ethical questions over a Financial and Technical Services Agreement (FTSA) between Sahara Energy and West African Gas Limited (WAGL), an affiliate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
MOSOP said the agreement was not done in good faith, not in the interest of the Nigerian people, and did not follow due process.
Foremost Ogoni born activist and MOSOP leader, Fegalo Nsuke, who made this known in Abuja, weekend, described the Sahara-WAGL deal as fraudulent, deceptive and an insult on the intelligence and integrity of the Nigerian nation.
Nsuke called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cancel that FTSA between Sahara Energy and WAGL, noting that the agreement is fraught with irregularities and deceptive.
“What Sahara and the NNPC did in the FTSA between Sahara and WAGL is shameful and depicts high level corruption in public service of our country.
“WAGL is an affiliate of Sahara and the NNPC. How then can Sahara go into an agreement with its own affiliate? It’s as good as going into an agreement with itself. This is deceptive and fraudulent”, Nsuke said.
He continued that “Sahara Energy is certainly not a company the Ogoni people want on their soil and we are calling on Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to terminate any deal between the NNPC and Sahara Energy over OML 11, and to allow for an inclusive arrangement that considers a fair treatment of the Ogoni people in the distribution of revenues from natural resource extraction on Ogoni soil.
“The last Ogoni Congress has been unequivocal on the Ogoni demand for justice and has given a clear path to resolve the three decade old conflict between all critical parties.
“It will be good to explore this path to peace and development for Ogoni and for our country”.
Nsuke accused Sahara Energy and the NNPC of frustrating the progress made by MOSOP to achieve a permanent solution to the Ogoni problem.
He urged a presidential intervention with deep consideration for a fair treatment of the Ogoni people in order to permanently address the problem.
He noted that Sahara Energy should give up on the Ogoni area to allow for an engagement in the interest of the country and the people.
Recall that MOSOP and Sagara Energy have recently been engaged in a row in what MOSOP describes as an unholy relationship between Sahara Energy and the NNPC over OML 11.
MOSOP expressly rejected Sahara Energy and called for a fair treatment of the Ogoni people in natural resource extraction in Ogoni.
It noted that Ogoni people, led by MOSOP, paid the sacrifice to take the oil from Shell, hence “the position of MOSOP must be taken into consideration in decisions relating to resumption of oil production in Ogoni”.