By: Ifeanyi Izeze
Truth be told, Chibuike Amaechi by the “k-legged” circumstances that threw him up as governor of Rivers state, was fired into genuine action right from his first day in office. It is on record that he assumed duty as governor right at the State Secretariat where he visited almost all the Ministries and Department to encourage and motivate the civil servants whose morale at the time were at the lowest ebb as a result of the confusion in the state.
And within the first 100 days in office, very tangible feats in terms of projects/ programmes were recorded. Remarkable infrastructure development projects were initiated and kick-started and some even completed within the first one month he presided over the affairs of the state.
Who did not know that Amaechi rose up to the then hydra-headed problem of gangsterism and cult violence in the state orchestrated by the politics of supremacy tussle among the different criminal gangs? And within one month, he restored the breath of fresh air as he reversed the harrowing state of insecurity that hitherto blanketed the entire state.
In the beginning, the joint venture between Amaechi’s government and Skye Bank Plc brought into being people-friendly public transportation service that drastically crashed the fares on major routes both within the Port Harcourt metropolis and adjourning urban centres.
He set out to build 160 Health Centres across the state majority of them (120) were completed within the first two years and the remaining 40 as at the end of the first tenure were at various stages of completion. He hired 400 doctors while 200 are on the waiting list pending completion of the remaining facilities.
Almost every major community in the 23 local government councils got a new and well-equipped Primary Health Care Centre. Exiting health facilities were also renovated and upgraded.
Amaechi took over the funding of primary schools from the Local Government councils, and set out to upgrade the standard by building 750 new model primary schools with 14 classroom blocks to replace the existing concept of six classroom blocks. He completely rebuilt 24 Secondary schools across the state. He also took over the payment of teachers’ salaries in the primary and junior secondary schools which the Local Government councils were paying. The Model Secondary schools, like the Model Primary schools are ICT compliant and under a management concession to an Indian company for sustainability of the project.
Amaechi’s urban renewal initiative no doubt brought back the lost glory of a garden city to Port Harcourt.
Indeed Amaechi’s first two-three years in office convinced the Rivers people that he actually came to serve to improve the quality of life of the people. He personally supervised projects across the state through his most times unscheduled James Bond-like visits to project sites.
However, all these changed in 2011 just like the pattern displayed by Odili immediately after his re-election. The spirit of “Aaabeee Pooort Harcoooourt Boy oooo” invoked during his re-election campaign took strong possession of him that he continued the azonto dance well into his second tenure.
The first sign that Amaechi’s “level has changed” was that he changed all the phone lines and everything that made him close and dear to his people and then instead of driving through the streets of Port Harcourt to see things himself, he became airborne until the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) shot down his private/fighter jet.And that was where all the talks about vice presidential ambition, insubordination and squaring-up against Jonathan and life-chairmanship of the governors’ forum came in from the enemies camp.
Convincingly, Amaechi and Odili’s later year years in office have some relatedness of variables.
Two masquerades- “the antichrist figure” and Asari Dokubo that danced in the Odili years are also dancing in Amaechi’s later years though the drumbeats, costumes and dance steps are slightly different. Asari Dokubo who featured prominently in the Odili’s early times as a “family member†and later a deviant and sworn enemy is replaying exactly that same act in the Amaechi setting.
Just like in the Odili’s case, Amaechi’s greatest offense today has nothing to do with what he has done or did not do but in where he comes from. Some people in the state don’t see him as a true riversman rather as an Iboman and so everything he does or says whether in the state or as chairman of the governors’ forum was interpreted to mean hostility to Ijaw people and Ijaw President. Whether anybody likes it or not, this is the truth; the whole truth; and nothing but the truth. And so political jobbers-both Ijaw and Ikwerres saw this perception as a gold mine for their selfish gains and have continued to fuel it to sustain the gulf between Amaechi and President Jonathan- whether real or imaginary.
These are the same people that have not only resurrected but taken to a dangerous height the upland-riverine dichotomy in Rivers state. These same people (those from Rivers state) these days even feel more at home relating with Bayelsa and its governor than having anything to do with the Ikwerre man at Government House, Port Harcourt.
Is it not surprising that no single person either in the state or in the region is challenging Amaechi over non-performance or corruption/fraud? Why are opponents more interested in fighting the governor over perceived autocratic and arrogant disposition; and insubordination to the president? And if nobody is talking of mismanagement of the state’s resources or Amaechi’s inaction in the use of state resources to execute his social contract with the Rivers people, it simply means maybe, the man try for that side, abi?
Interestingly, almost all the failed- unexecuted/abandoned or poorly executed projects in the state were those awarded to indigenes- including the newly reawakened Ijaws.
And some of these people singing from the other side of “Jordan” were paid monies to work for their various peoples/communities but eloped and it is surprising why yewali is not even mentioning their names for crimes against the state.
Remarkably, unlike Amaechi, Odili never had any problem in his state either with his party or any other interest group- ethnic or sectional and so never had any serious domestic challenge to make him sit back home and rethink some of his activities.
But contrary to Odili’s “anti-Christ”who came from another ethnic denomination, Amaechi’s case is that “a man’s worst enemies are those of his household,” and this is where his greatest dilemma is domiciled.
It is even good that Amaechi’s tribulation started when he still has about two years to work as governor of the state. The wise option is to seize the opportunity of this time of his “Jacob’s trouble” to sit at home and correct some of his mistakes. This is the time to get really tough with contractors handling development projects and prgrammes across the state and demand results!
The governor should not initiate new projects but insists on completing everything he started and there are so many of them which are enough if well-implemented to confirm his efforts and use of the resources available to him.
It would be better for him to use this time to convincingly work for the people again if for nothing, at least for posterity sake. And if he religiously commits himself to doing that with faith as small as mustard seed, for sure “No weapon fashioned against him shall prosper as there is no enchant against Isreal-Amaechi that can stand,” at least till May 2015.
IFEANYI IZEZE, Abuja: iizeze@yahoo.com; 234-8033043009)