The crisis between the Presidency and Governor Rotimi Amaechi has affected development in the state, writes CHUKWUDI AKASIKE The political feud between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has without doubt, taken its toll on the state and its people. Events leading to the current state of affairs began in August 2010 when the President’s wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, alongside Amaechi, paid a visit to Okirika, her hometown located in Okrika Local Government Area. She did not take kindly to the governor’s plan to demolish some buildings in the area in order to provide a recreational ground for one of the model schools built by the state government. While some felt it was a minor incident, a few sycophants in the camps of the two personalities feasted on it. The then chairman of Okrika Local Government, Mr. Tamunokuro Oba, who is a cousin to Patience, allegedly became the first victim of the face-off between the President’s wife and the governor. It may be recalled that Mrs. Jonathan was a regular caller at the Government House, Port Harcourt, before the face-off. Now, sources reveal that she has ended such visits since the Okrika incident. Three years after, precisely 2013, the animosity came to a head as the governor and the Presidency engaged each order in a war of words; a development that heated the polity. At a point, the feud sparked a crisis in the state House of Assembly. Surprisingly, some of the lawmakers, who had always been on the quiet side, suddenly found their voice and became instant hits with newsmen. One group accused the Presidency of fueling the crisis in the state while another group accused Amaechi of disrespecting the office and person of President Jonathan. The House of Assembly became sharply divided into pro and anti-Amaechi forces. Before the stalemate leading to the suspension of legislative activities, lawmakers on different sides of the divide engaged one another in a free-for-all, following a rumoured plot to impeach the governor. The Assembly complex has remained under lock and key since July 2013. However, 25 out of a total of 32 lawmakers in the legislature have been holding their legislative sessions at Government House in Port Harcourt. The crisis in the state House of Assembly was triggered by the suspension of a former chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, over an alleged mismanagement of public funds. The development, which opponents allege was the handiwork of the governor, attracted the ire of some Abuja-based politicians, who felt Amaechi overstepped his bounds. Policemen eventually took over the council secretariat, defying a subsisting court order in the process. Sadly, the unending crisis is beginning to take its toll on the state. The state governor recently complained that the Federal Government had yet to repay Rivers State about N105bn used in the rehabilitation of some federal roads, including the state end of the East-West Road. Amaechi said the stretch of the road that leads to the boundary between Rivers and Imo State was in a deplorable state until his administration intervened for the sake of the people who were the direct users of the facility. “The purpose of the mandate given to me by my people was to enjoy dividends of democracy. Putting the road in good shape is part of the social responsibilities I owe them as their servant,” Amaechi said. He added that the second term of his administration would be better than the first despite the needless distractions. He, however, urged the Federal Government to refund the money expended by his administration on the rehabilitation of dilapidated federal roads in the state. Many believe that the delay in the completion of the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt International Airport is also a casualty of the face-off between Abuja and Port Harcourt. While the rehabilitation of airports in some parts of the country has gone on as scheduled, work on the Port Harcourt International Airport has suffered neglect. “Show me one new thing to indicate that Rivers people have benefitted from the 2.1 million votes given to President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections. I was voted into office to defend the interests of Rivers people and I will continue to defend their interests. The Bonny-Bodo federal road had been abandoned; the renovation of the Port Harcourt International Airport is very slow. If you compare Lagos International Airport, Kano, Benin, Enugu and others, you will understand that ours is backward, but why is Rivers State different?” the governor queried. But the answer to Amaechi’s question cannot be far-fetched. Those privy to the undercurrents of the face-off would aver that the Presidency and Rivers State are engaged in a war of attrition. Another talking point is the issue of alleged seizure of World Bank and African Development Bank loans by the Federal Ministry of Finance. Amaechi had appealed to the House of Representatives to probe the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and her counterpart in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Stella Ochekpe, over the seizure of both loans earlier approved for the state by the National Assembly. Amaechi lamented that, “The Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is using her position to undermine the safety and health of the people of Rivers State. I can’t afford to give all Rivers people bottled water but all I can assure you is to ensure the provision of potable water. But the Minister of Finance has refused to release it (the loan) and I think I should put that before you (House Committee on Water Resources). They want Rivers people to die.” But Okonjo-Iweala, in her response to the governor, avoided any mention of the rift between the President and Amaechi. She only described as unfortunate, Amaechi’s “persistence in his outrageous and totally illogical campaign of falsehood” against her person. She said this in a statement signed on her behalf by her Special Adviser on Communication, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu. She described Amaechi’s statement that she was responsible for the delay in the ADB water project as “complete fabrication.” The statement partly read, “As the ministry had previously explained, the project is going through the processes and must get final approval from the board of the African Development Bank and the Federal Executive Council before the minister can sign it. So, the idea that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has refused to sign it is preposterous and totally inaccurate. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is not responsible for managing the N257bn that Rivers State has received from the Federation Account within the first 10 months of 2013. So, the suggestion that she is somehow responsible for the challenges confronting the state doesn’t make sense.” The governor also raised the alarm that the amount of money accruing to the state from the federal allocation had reduced from over N20bn every month to about N13bn. In a recent parley with journalists, Amaechi blamed the shortfall on unbridled level of stealing under the supervision of the current Federal Government. Some of his supporters, however, think the shortfall is a direct result of vendetta from the Presidency. Amaechi, who spoke during a recent event in Port Harcourt, disclosed that the shortfall had created a major challenge for the state on how to raise funds to complete ongoing people-oriented projects. He said one of such projects included the expansion of the 160-million capacity Port Harcourt syringe factory, which is being expanded to produce one billion disposable syringes. The governor said when completed, the factory would provide at least 2,000 direct employment opportunities with several more jobs as indirect employments. The Federal Government, it was learnt, has yet to make good its promise to support the multi-billion naira project. Currently, the crisis bedeviling the state judiciary is directly linked to the unending feud. With explosions repeatedly rocking the Ahoada High Court and the indefinite strike by state judiciary workers following the disagreement between the National Judicial Council and the state government over the appointment of a Chief Judge for the state, not a few residents and commentators believe that it is high time the Presidency and the state resolved their differences without delay. A public affairs analyst, Dr. Peter Duru, said it would amount to a barefaced self-deception for anybody to ignore the adverse effects of the feud between the state and the Federal Government. Duru expressed the need for both parties to sheathe their swords and embrace peace for the benefit of the people. He observed that the three arms of government in the state had been in disarray since the state government and the Presidency decided to go their separate ways. Duru recalled that President Jonathan once cautioned state governors who cast aspersion on his person and the Federal Government to desist from doing so because to continue would “not help the development of their states.” Duru said it was better for state governors to limit their criticism against the government at the centre for peace to reign. The question begging for answers is which kind of federalism is Nigeria practicing?
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 13:17:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015