THE AMAECHI I KNOW- Petra Akinti Onyegbule ( As accurate a report as you can get from an untainted soul) Social media is awash with talk about the ‘Good Governance Tour’ I and a number of other social media bloggers and critics recently participated in at the behest of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. Reactions to it are still unravelling, and as is to be expected, the issue still continues to be spun in all directions, both innocently and mischievously. For all intents and purposes, this isn’t a defence, as I don’t see the need for one, having done nothing wrong. At best, it should be taken as a reaction. Mention must also be given of some people with whom I openly differ on issues socio-political, but who have displayed an amazing sense of maturity by coming privately to reassure me, and attest to what they have as my honour and integrity. I cant thank you enough, even as I feel the need to be even more up and doing. It shows people are watching, and they are taking notes as it were. Parallels have been drawn between this exercise and other tours by that tag, conducted by other governors, political office holders and even political parties in the past. Well, it should go on record that I did not come to Port Harcourt on such a tour. When I first got the invite via a phone call, I set about a mental assessment of the whole thing. I had tried to anticipate how the exercise might pan out, the reactions to it, the furore it would generate, and all. With the benefit of hindsight, and judging by what’s happening now, I can say I was spot on. The noisemakers have not disappointed. You would think the hashtag would have sufficed. #TheAmaechiIKnow was an opportunity for us to interface with the governor and generally engage him on issues. I am an inquisitive person. And it has always been me to have, not just an opinion on issues, but an informed and objective one. If there was one thing I was not going to Port Harcourt to do, singing Amaechis praises for the heck of it was it. My position was, having found me worthy of an invite, the least the governor and his aides would get from me was the real Petra. No makeovers, no pretences. Was it all-expense paid? Well, not entirely. I was flown to Port Harcourt and lodged in Hotel Presidential for two nights, the second night of which was totally unplanned for as we were originally scheduled to have spent just the one night. Movement around town was also handled by them. But that was about it. I found my way to and from Muritala Mohammed Internatinal Airport. And having received #25,000 for my trip back to Lagos, I parted with an additional #9,000 this morning to make up the shortfall for my Arik Air ticket which cost #34,000. Like some ironic coincidence, I already had an idea the volume of work I would be returning to Lagos to. Then, there’s the small matter of my having left behind an unwell husband and daughter, and with me not being the fittest of people, either. As regards the famed brown envelope, well, I have yet to receive mine. And I dare anyone who has anything to the contrary to step forward. Not a few have come out to condemn the exercise as being a waste of public funds. Thats a valid opinion. But Im of the opinion that, had I not taken the offer, someone else might have, leaving the heavy cost to taxpayers unmoved. But I reiterate that, so long as my presence in Port Harcourt was not supposed to have a predetermined outcome, I can rest assured I did my bit, making my little personal sacrifices well worth the effort. And as much as I would have preferred to have done this on my own and at my cost, tight resources aside, a stark truth is, the likelihood of my ever getting audience with the man is far from bankable. And as much as people try to talk me up, I dont think Ive got that kind of clout yet. So, this trip offered me a wonderful opportunity. And Im glad it came my way at all. We got to Government House yesterday morning and were all seated when the governor came in, flanked by a number of his commissioners and aides. Sorry, that was my expectation of what would transpire. I actually entered the hall and met the governor and others already seated and waiting for us. And from then began my assessment of the man. Word on the street is hes cocky and arrogant. For someone as amiable, lively, intelligent, and charismatic as I’d heard and could see he is, some of his kind tend to get a little too confident, going overboard with it sometimes. A certain Jose Mourinho comes to mind. It’s just the way they are, I guess. But that opening salvo that saw him in breach of protocol is rare, especially in these parts. I give it to him, he made himself available to be assailed by us. And, trust young people, some of us came at him bare-knuckled, asking questions even I felt quite embarrassed by. It got so bad, from time to time, his aides would want to shield their boss, but the governor ensured no one was gagged. Everyone who felt the need to take a shot at him did. And he responded ever so coolly, that Mourinhoic arrogance playing up sometimes, though. Then it came to my turn. Days before I landed in Port Harcourt, I had started engaging people. A friend who lives in the town, and whom I had hinted, agreed to help sample residents opinions randomly, and I reiterated that I wanted objective takes and criticism, not the opinions of bootlickers and antagonists. The day before, I put up a Facebook update to that effect, and I did get some feedback. But somehow, in the end, neither of my two questions bordered on his achievements while in office, which are the things that form the basis for the sort of tour this is being bandied about as. They both verged on morality and ethics with regard to things he was reported to have both said and done. First, I quoted some words credited to him, saying I didnt think any responsible leader could have insinuated that. The governor was reported to have said, “God became very fed up with Nigeria and decided to allow the kidnap of Chibok girls... These children have become sacrificial lambs after Jesus Christ for the good and benefit of Nigeria.” In his response, he did admit to saying those words, but that he had been quoted out of context. Then he went on to explain how, because the case of the girls is one of abduction, until the ultimate happens, there won’t be closure. And, being an ongoing event, it goes to explain the outcry and sustained pressure from all and sundry on the powers that be to do something to effect their rescue, and generally wake up to its responsibilities. He suggested this might just be that watershed moment the country has always needed for it to start a proper reassessment, the reason he referred to the seeming sacrificial nature of the girls. To a large extent, I found his response satisfactory. But then came my next question. If any one question can be said to have unsettled the man on the day, Im of the opinion it’s this one. I had a sense he was rattled and perhaps wished it hadnt come up. In it, I drew his attention to what now seems like a fad among state governors where they would directly or indirectly get the state legislature to pass bills providing outrageous welfare packages for themselves and their deputies upon the end of their tenure. I had asked if he felt it was ethical, considering how poverty-ridden the country is. I already knew it was a bad case, but needless to say, his response left me reeling! Essentially, he went on about how, as governor, he was faced with either of two options. Concentrating on serving the people and serving them well, (for 16 years as State House of Assembly Speaker and Governor), then end up having little or nothing to fall back on after a long absence from doing whatever it was he did for sustenance; or approach the House for these provisions to be made for him by the state, so he wouldn’t be tempted to put his fingers in the public till illegally. I didn’t have the option of a follow-up question to exercise, but among other questions that bog me is the one I asked in my update: “Does that mean those of us who are not entitled to pension from the state can engage in corruption since its one or the other?” Again, incidentally, of the two questions, it’s the one with the annoying, far from satisfactory response that made it to my Facebook timeline. So much for my being compromised! Add to that, the fact that Governor Amaechi didn’t have a bunch of D’ Banj-type interviewers in the room, massaging his ego and making him feel good with himself. He had among us people who clearly didn’t see eye-to-eye with him on issues. If that’s your idea of a media tour, what can I say? Continue. We did go visit one of the much-talked about public secondary schools in Eleme, but it wasn’t originally on the itinerary. While we were there, I took a walk and casually engaged some of the students for random opinions. On education, judging from the general verdict from my interactions with people both virtual and real, and from the little I saw, he gets a pass mark. I didn’t have the intention of putting up a public statement on this. As far as I was concerned, I didn’t owe the public any explanation, until I got a message stating inter alia: “I just wanted this episode to sensitize you to the fact that you can never ever underestimate who you have become in the eyes of the public. Secondly, you now owe that public everything and they owe you nothing. You are the one who put yourself out there and earned credibility and capital. Thirdly, you will now know that your success in public life does not go down well with everybody. People are mean and jealous. They are envious. They will just hate and despise you for no other reason than you are successful and out there doing wonderful work.” The words of a well-respected, senior friend in the wake of all these. True, over time, a few people have tried to make me realise some of these things. But let’s just say it’s all come together for me now. Ever since it dawned on me, I have been very humbled. Like I have already acknowledged, all of this has taught me lessons. Very useful lessons, at that. I can hold my head up knowing I delivered on my task of putting the governor on the spot. That exactly was the nature of my assignment in Port Harcourt. And for that reason, I have absolutely no regrets about my involvement in #TheAmaechiIKnow. Petra Akinti Onyegbule is a good governance advocate and a columnist for SKYTREND NEWS. She writes in from Lagos.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 09:36:15 +0000