Politics
Wike, Most Ogoni Friendly Governor -Hon Loolo
Against the claims of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of having a strong followership in Ogoni and other parts of Rivers State, major stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ogoni exaction have insisted that Ogoni and by extention, Rivers State in general is a strong hold of the PDP.
A stalwart of the ruling party in the state and former state lawmaker, Hon Dinebari Loolo has faulted the APC’s claim declaring the Party as dead and bareft of functional activities in Ogoni and the entire Rivers State.
Hon Loolo, who represented Khana Constituency II, and served as Deputy Leader of the State Legislature during his brief stint in the Assembly, said Ogoni people have rejected the APC because they have nothing to offer the people.
The Ogoni born politician and lawyer, who spoke with The Tide in an exclusive interview in Port Harcourt recently, said Ogoni have witnessed a more visible state of infrastructural transformation within the past three years of Governor Wike’s administration than at any other time their history.
Loolo who described Governor Wike as the most Ogoni friendly Governor noted that the immediate past administration in Rivers State used the Saakpenwa-Bori road as a basis of political campaign but the road remained in a deplorable state throughout that administration.
The former lawmaker vehemently rebuffed the APC over their boasts of offering a better alternative for the political emancipation of Rivers State.
According to him such claims of political propriety is self serving and evidently exposed by the “lacklustre political posture of the party in the country.
He said the APC has offered lies to Ogoni people, as exemplified in the indifference and lack of commitment of the Federal Government towards the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Project, (UNEP) report on the Ogoni clean up exercise.
Loolo who commended GovernorWike for fulfilling his promise to the Ogoni people, said the soaring political profile of the Rivers State Governor earned through his passion to cater for the interest of the people, this he said the Governor has demonstrated through his numerous people oriented projects across the state.
He explained that the construction of Kpobie-Bodo road, Bori General hospital, Saakpenwa-Bori road, Birabi Memorial Grammar school, and the planned construction of the Kira-Eteo and Wiyaakara-Kono roads has opened up Ogoni for development.
The PDP Chieftain called on Ogoni people to take advantage of the strategic importance of the projects to promote economic development in the area.
“Of all the projects executed by the Rivers State Governor, in the State, the drive towards the transformation of the rural areas to economic hubs is more important. Rivers people should take advantage of the opportunities created to enhance economic activities in the rural areas. This will make the people earn quality living in the rural areas and stem unnecessary urban migration”, he said while accusing the APC in Rivers State of contending themselves with belching fire and boasting of federal might, he said the PDP in the State is rooted in active grassroots involvement and mobilis-ation.
Loolo whose foray into partisan politics was shortlived in December 2016, following what he described as “the stealing of my mandate by brute force and military invasion”, pointed out that such abrasive insult on the sensibilities of the people will not repeat itself, as the people have learnt their lessons, and were already cautious of the “planned political perfidy of the APC, against the will of the people in the 2019 general elections”.
He said Ogoni people were adequately mobili-sed to defend their mandate from, “political scavengers whose primary objective in to seize political power through the barrels of the gun and not the ballot box”
According to him the penchant for autocracy on the part of the APC has plunged the party into debasing the country’s hard earned democracy.
He however urged Nigerians to be cautious against such “Viscious political unslaughts and morbid desires to set Nigeria on the path of political gloom and anarchy”.
“Nigerians are still battling with the inglorious years of military rule which observed the democratic landscape, it will be a thing of shame for the APC to plunge the country to anarchy through their desperate political misadventure. Nigerians should take it as a national emergency to vote out the APC at all levels of government. 2019 should mark the total eclipse of APC”, he insisted.
Loolo expressed dismay over the conduct of the Ekiti governorship election which he said was fraught with the use of military force to subdue the people’s will.
He noted that the Ekiti debacle was a rehearsal of the plot of the institutional conspiracy by the ruling APC , to set the security agencies against the people and upturn Popular Political will. The former lawmaker was also particularly impressed about the inauguration of substantive executive governments at the Local Government System in Rivers State.
He advised the council chairmen in the 23 Local Government Areas to complement the development efforts of the Governor through the execution of people oriented projects in the rural areas.
“It is a thing of joy that we now have executive Chairmen at the Local Governments, the various Local Government the various Local Government Chairmen and councilors should ensure that they manage the available resources to create the desired development impact at this important level of government.
The essence of holding political officer is to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
The Local Government Chairmen must maintain regular interface with the people and build popular confidence, through credible leadership”, he said.
Commenting on the security situations in the country, Hon. Loolo emphasized the need for state police as a panacea for the country’s security challenges. He commended the National Assembly over their recent endorsement of State police and called for the implementation of the policy.
Hon Loolo is also a strong adherent of restructuring and devolution of power as the yardstick for true fiscal federalism in the country.
He said the constitution in operation in the country lacked the imput of Nigerians as it is an improvised document forced on Nigeria by a ruling cabal of vested interests.
He called for the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution to be more reflective of democratic tenants and principles in the process of National Administration.
“Nigeria is a country of diverse ethnic and socio-political interest. The various component units that make up the country should be allowed to participate actively in the process of their economic development . The prevalence of a unitary and behemoth federal system is a disincentive to democracy. The constitution should guarantee the rights of the component units to explore their natural resources for comprarative economic development. It is wrong for the states to go to Abuja on monthly basis for sharing of federal allocation,” he said, adding that. “The Nigerian Constitution must be reflective of the yearning and aspirations of the various component units, in pursuance of their inalienable rights to good life and economic freedom”.
Taneh Beemene
Politics
Proposed States Creation: Youth Leader Lauds Nass Over Obolo State Inclusion
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The immediate past President of Obolo Youth Coalition( OYC), Mr Ijong Ama Nkpon Amon, has commended the National Assembly committee on constitutional review for the inclusion of Obolo State as one of the states proposed to be created in the country.
Mr Amon also urged the NASS Committee to give priority to Obolo as the proposed state is viable in terms of human and material resources.
It would be recalled that the proposed Obolo State compromises eight local government areas, one from Rivers State and seven from Akwa Ibom State.
The OYC former National President who briefed newsmen on the issue described the proposed Obolo State as the most viable among the 31 proposed new states in the country.
He also described the inclusion of Obolo State among the list as a dream come true for sons and daughters of Obolo nation who have for years yearned for a political entity that will bring the Obolo people who are scattered in various states across the country together.
According to him, the proposed Obolo State is even more viable than some existing states in the country as it has both human and material resources to survive, adding that the proposed state is not only rich in oil and gas but has enough marine and forest resources to generate revenue.
Mr Amon who recounted how the agitation for the proposed state started said Obolo State agitators were the first to submit a memorandum to both chambers of the National Assembly for the creation of Obolo State.
According to him, the agitation started way back in 2022 when, as the president of Obolo youth coalition, he submitted a memorandum to the National Assembly, adding that he was happy that his efforts were yielding results.
The youth leader also said that there is no impediment to the creation of Obolo State as population wise and natural resources the state is fully qualified
“Obolo is over qualified in terms of geographical spread and resources.
Also population wise and land mass, Obolo is richer than some states in Nigeria. Obolo is the most viable, it has oil and gas,fishes and forest resources”, he said.
Mr Amon, who is also a one time Speaker of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Youth Parliament and president, Andoni Youth Coalition, further said the creation of Obolo State will not only help to improve the conditions of life of the Ijaw nation but also Niger Delta at large.
He argued that even if the creation of the state does not come to pass, history will record that Obolo people once agitated for their own state but expressed the hope that the agitation will yield positive results this time around.
Mr Amon urged Obolo people to be resilient and continue to pray for the actualization of the Obolo State.
Meanwhile Mr Amon has said that the creation of more states in the country will pave the way for the practice of true federalism in the country.
He told newsmen that it would enable states in the country to depend less on federal allocation as they will be made to source for revenues to survive.
According to him: “creation of more states will give more powers to the states to source for revenues and pay taxes to the federal government and this will bring true federalism”, he said.
By: John Bibor
Politics
Bode George Kicks Against State Creation, Opts For True Federalism
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A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has faulted calls for the creation of 31 additional states in the country .
Speaking during an interview yesterday, the PDP chieftain said creating additional states would not solve the country’s challenges or promote its development.
Recall that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, last Thursday said the House had received proposals for the creation of 31 new states.
Hon. Kalu, who is also Chairman of the House Constitution Review Committee, said that six new states were proposed in the North-Central, four in the North-East, five in the North-West, five in the South- South, five in the South-East and seven in the South-West.
According to him, the proposed states include Okun, Okura and Confluence from Kogi; Benue Ala and Apa from Benue; FCT State; Amana from Adamawa; Katagum from Bauchi; Savannah from Borno; Muri from Taraba; New Kaduna and Gujarat from Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; Kainji from Kebbi; Etiti and Orashi as the sixth states in the South-East; Adada from Enugu; and Orlu and Aba.
Others are Ogoja from Cross River, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers, Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos and Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun states.
Some political stakeholders have, however, vehemently opposed the idea, describing it as unnecessary.
Reacting, Chief George said what was needed in the country at this time was not creation of additional states.
He argued that the fact that some existing states were not viable clearly showed that state creation would not solve the country’s deep structural problems.
Instead, Chief George called on the National Assembly to make efforts to ensure the country achieves true federalism, saying that it was a sure way to achieve accelerated development .
He stated, “Don”t tell me we should create more states. Forget about more states. We want to create more states and then everybody will be rushing to Abuja. This is not sustainable. Let us look at our federal structure first, the same federal system we run with America. Why are we not running it as they run their own?
“Go to New York City, the Mayor of New York controls the airport, the John Kennedy Airport, he controls the ports, the sea ports, the Mayor of New York, not the governor.
“Go to New Orleans, the Mayor there controls the ports. The same in Texas, all oil companies are not controlled by the President. That is federalism. Those people don’t run to Washington every hour to meet the President.
“In America, they have state police and even county police. Why can’t we have such here? Creation of more states is not sustainable. What we need now is to address the problems in our federal structure.”
Calling for devolution of power, Chief George said power devolution would catalyse the development of the country.
He, however, said the present constitution was not working and there was a need to have a new constitution to drive the country’s development.
The PDP chieftain said the current constitution put too much power in the centre, leaving the states and local governments helpless and incapacitated.
He noted: “There is no state in this country that the Almighty has not endowed. It is either agriculture or minerals or human resources. But the constitution of this country is not right. We need to revisit it and now allow all those states to manage themselves, manage their resources. That is the beginning of the cleansing of this country. Nothing is working because the foundation is faulty”.
Chief George called for the adoption of the recommendations of the 2014 Confab to achieve true federalism and address the country’s numerous challenges.
Politics
PDP Stalwart Canvases Support For PHALGA Mayor
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A former Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Elder Blessing Tiko, has urged the people of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area support the administration of Hon. Ezebunwo Ichemati.
Elder Tiko made this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The former party organising secretary, who is also the coordinator of Port Harcourt Environmental Sanitation Initiative, said Hon Ichemati has raised the bar as far as the administration of the capital city is concerned.
He particularly praised the Mayor for embarking on some people-oriented projects within his first one hundred days in office.
According to him, the Mayor has bought vehicles for all the councilors and principal aides of the council including the Deputy Mayor.
He also praised him for the construction of a two bedroom flat for 93 years old widow at Elekahia and purchase of land for Ogbunabali community as its play ground.
Elder Tiko also commended the Mayor the for construction of a road in Elekahia and installation of street lights and the ongoing reconstruction of a road and drainage system at Ekwe Street in Diobu.
According to him the ongoing construction of international educational centre at the council premises also deserves commendation.
He further said that the Mayor, during the end of year festivities, also visited the Port Harcourt Correctional Center and some homes for the less privileged to celebrate with them.
Elder Tiko urged the people to appreciate the gestures of the Mayor by supporting him to ensure that he succeeds, stressing that, if possible, the Mayor should be endorsed for a second term in office.
In addition, the elder statesman also commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his purposeful leadership in the state.
By: John Bibor
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