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By Paulinus Nsirim
Our attention has been drawn to the latest epistle by Dakuku Peterside
titled: “Wike’s Displacement Of .1m Rivers People Wicked, Evil,
Inhuman -Dakuku Peterside… Plans To Convert Waterfront To Personal
Ownership”, and once again we are amazed by the kindergarten mischief
and the usual spurious, illogical and unsubstantiated attention seeking
allegations, which have become the hallmarks of his less than edifying
public posts.
We are even more amused by the concerted effort and deliberate intent
with which Dakuku Peterside continues to draw attention to his obviously
unfortunate loss of memory and dislocated bearing, less than six years
after the administration he served in, left Rivers State reeling and in
doldrums, after they were roundly and comprehensively booted out in in
2015.
Dakuku’s latest bellyaching over the determined effort of the Rivers
State Government to sanitize the waterfronts by removing all shanties
and most especially, continue with its frontal and hugely successful war
to rid Rivers State of dangerous criminals and undesirable elements who
have transformed these Waterfronts into a den of thieves, flies in the
face of rational analysis, especially by one who sees himself as a
leadership expert.
Dakuku Peterside will not feign ignorance of the fact that the
demolition of waterfronts to rid Rivers State of criminals did not start
with Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration.
Infact, the Vanguard Newspaper, August 24, 2012, captured a particularly
“wicked, evil and inhuman,” (to borrow Peterside’s choice of words),
thus: “On Tuesday and Wednesday, June 26 and 27, 2012, the government of
Rivers State mobilized some earth-moving equipment to Abonnema Wharf to
demolish all houses and destroy property, thereby rendering a community
of about 10,000 people homeless. Men, women, children were under heavy
rain with their property.
“This act of the Rivers State Government is inhuman, oppressive,
heartless, and an abuse of right to shelter. Abonnema Wharf is one of
the over 40 waterfronts communities scattered across Port Harcourt, the
capital of Rivers State, which houses over 80 per cent of the city
residents.
“The State Government has brandished the communities as nests of
criminals that must be demolished. Governor Rotimi Amaechi claimed that
the demolition is part of the urban renewal policy and also to check
activities of criminally-minded individuals who use the water-fronts as
operational bases.” Please note the date.
We are even at a loss to fathom how Dakuku Peterside could so quickly
have forgotten that his APC govt not only demolished Abonnema Water
front, but also Njemanze, Elechi Beach and Nanka waterfronts.
Dakuku Peterside even went ahead in his puerile epistle to state
shamelessly that: “shelter was a right and fundamental to the welfare,
survival and health of man and Governor Wike’s action against the
waterfront residents is against all Universal Laws and Conventions on
Human Rights and Habitation, including the United Nations Human
Settlement Programme, UN-Habitat, United Nations Housing Rights
Programme, UNHRP, the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the
1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and
Nigeria’s Policy on Housing”; as if these organizations and statutes
did not exist in 2012 when his administration was destroying Abonnema
Wharf waterfront and all the others.
Of course nobody accused the then Governor of plans to convert those
Waterfronts to personal use, so why is Dakuku Peterside now speaking
from both sides of his mouth? This hypocrisy by Dakuku and his ilk is
simply getting too much.
To set the records straight, Governor Nyesom Wike, in his New year 2022
message to Rivers People, stated clearly, amongst other far reaching
measures to curtail the activities of criminals in the state, that:
“Indeed, there is no denying the fact that crime and criminality have
been at very low rates in Rivers State and citizens felt safer and more
secure in 2021 than the previous years.
“With the cooperation of the security agencies we identified and
destroyed most of the shanties that hitherto served as safe havens and
hideouts for criminals, who have now been dislodged and dislocated from
the State having lost the space and capacity from which they could
operate with ease.
“To consolidate on the gains of the dislodgement and dislocation
exercises, and make the State even safer and more secure, we have
decided to demolish all shanties and makeshift structures in identified
crime hotspots in Port Harcourt Township and the Illoabuchi areas of
Diobu from the second week of January 2022.”
Rivers people will recall even, that in August 2015, the Rivers State
Government signed into law, the Anti-kidnapping bill, which was later
amended in 2018, and from which the authority to move in and destroy
everything that aids and promotes criminality in the State, including
residences and hideouts, is derived.
Subsequently, a robust and determined action plan has been deployed to
destroy criminal hideouts, shanties and makeshift structures located in
notoriously infiltrated areas along Elele to Ahoada expanse of the
East-West Road, Onne, Eleme and other flashpoint areas.
Of course, nobody accused the Governor at that time, of plans to convert
these areas to personal ownership, but now that Government’s efforts
have yielded tremendous success, to the point that even criminals were
already coming to terms with the reality that Rivers State was too hot
for them, the detractors have come up with another misleading slant and
narrative to bad mouth the pragmatic, focused and unrelenting actions of
Governor Wike in ridding the state of criminals and maintaining the
sustainable peace and security which the state is enjoying presently.
We must stress categorically here that Governor Wike is not one to play
to the gallery or engage in deceitful, populist grandstanding where
important issues are concerned.
He has always believed firmly in the principle that whatever is worth
doing at all in the interest and welfare of the people, is worth doing
well and that is why he will go to great lengths and most times with
admirable courage and fearlessness, no matter whose ox is gored, to
ensure that the right thing is not only done, but is seen to be done
practically.
Governor Nyesom Wike is far bigger than what people like Dakuku
Peterside will say and no amount of distraction by those who cry
crocodile tears over the action to dislodge criminals from the state and
have refused to remove the log in their own eyes for political reasons,
will deter or dissuade him from his avowed commitment to deliver
quality, functional and result oriented leadership and governance to
Rivers people.
Nsirim is the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Rivers
State