An address delivered by Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, CON, Governor, Rivers
\nState, to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday, March 3, 2014
\nIn the last few days, Abuja has been celebrating a hundred years of our
\nunification. Nigeria at one hundred years old is a milestone and should
\nprovide us all a time to reflect on where we have been, where we are now
\nad where we are headed.<\/p>\n
As Nigerians first and more importantly as leaders with the responsibility
\nof bequeathing a functional and prosperous nation where no man, woman,
\nchild, aged, strong, weak, able bodied or person with special needs is
\noppressed our 100th birthday must be a time we pause and ask if indeed we
\nhave kept our side of the bargain?<\/p>\n
Although a common phrase the words of American President John F. Kennedy,
\n\u201cask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your
\ncountry. \u201c touches at the heart of the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The centenary celebration came to an end yesterday. For one, it must have
\ngone down as a memorable one for its exclusiveness. Even in Abuja, most
\nNigerians who ordinarily would have been the chief celebrants went about
\ntheir daily chores, while the others struggled at petrol stations trying
\nto fill their tanks almost completely oblivious of the trappings of what
\nshould have been a grand announcement of our coming of age. Even the very
\ncity of Abuja wore no look to herald such an epoch celebration. Not
\nsurprisingly though, the event of last week fit tightly into the pattern
\nof celebrations in the last few years. Gradually but noticeably Nigerians
\nappear to have lost our appetite to celebrate anything. Embedded in our
\nnewfound affinity for low key celebration and an infinite state of somber
\nreflection is the true state of the nation.<\/p>\n
Can we really celebrate when our children are being slaughtered while at
\nschool? Can we really celebrate when our fathers, mothers brothers and
\nsisters are being slaughtered like chickens. Can we really celebrate when
\nour fellow citizens live in constant and growing fear of kidnappers, hired
\nassassins and armed robbers? Can we really celebrate when those
\nconstitutionally empowered to protect us turn their fury on us? In these
\nquestions lies the state of the nation.
\nWhere is the country headed? Where will the country be in another hundred
\nyears? What legacy are we leaving behind for our children?<\/p>\n
Mr. Speaker, Honorable members, sisters and brothers, a country is not
\nsimply judged by how long its democratic structures have been up but by
\nthe very substance of those structures and what they represent in the eyes
\nof its people.<\/p>\n
The findings of a survey commissioned by the All Progressive Congress, to
\nbe unveiled on Thursday in Abuja, showed that more than 50 percent of
\npersons polled, as against 24 percent, a two to one ratio felt that
\nNigeria was going in the wrong direction. Again in the same poll, 60
\npercent of those polled worried that the current federal administration is
\ndoing a bad job of fighting corruption while an overwhelming number,
\nwanted to see government address the employment gap by creating more jobs
\nand reducing poverty.<\/p>\n
The question arising from this poll is the serious one of the substance of
\nour current democratic experience? What do our people feel and see when
\nthey get out of their houses in the morning? Sadly as leaders we must
\nadmit the truth, which stares us in the face. It is the fact that our
\ncountry is drifting perceptibly into a dangerous waterfall.<\/p>\n
Here in our state we have wrestled with these challenges. As honourable
\nmembers of this Assembly, you bear testimony to this fact. You have moved
\nyour chambers as a result of the harrowing events of July 9th and 10th
\n2013. Our state which was beginning to recover from the hemorrhage caused
\nby criminality disguising as militancy was suddenly plunged back into
\ncrises by a tiny group of selfish and greedy politicians.<\/p>\n
As you are aware, we have continued to witness a dwindling of our monthly
\nallocation to the state as a result of shortfalls in allocation from the
\nfederation account. The Federal Government has said that the shortfall is
\ncaused by oil theft. Yet one is at sea over the confusion among key
\nmembers of this administration about the account of our state of affairs.
\nIn what serious country would you see a commanding height institution such
\nas the NNPC trapped in an infinitely revolving door of accusations of
\ncorruption, yet those whose responsibility it is to act simply look on as
\nif under a spell or simply couldn’t be bothered.<\/p>\n
While Nigeria bleeds and is in a near a state of coma from crude oil
\nthieves and thieves of crude oil money, this administration tells us fairy
\ntales of a strong economy. While we feel the unmistakable tremors of a
\nwobbling economy, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the
\neconomy continues to sing loudly to disguise the stuttering of an economy
\nthat is about to break down. While millions of our young ones are roaming
\nthe streets, this administration feeds us with the tales of burger
\nflipping jobs it has created through its \u201cSure-P\u201d and \u201cYou Win\u201d programs.
\nWhile students around the world are in school bracing up for the mind
\ntwisting challenges of the 21st century, our polytechnic students are at
\nhome wondering whether they will ever go back to school, their
\ncounterparts in our universities just returned to school after spending
\nsix months at home.<\/p>\n
An American once said that if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
\nWhen will the Coordinating Minister and her economic team stop digging and
\nget us out of the hole? When will this administration understand that no
\neconomic revolution has been done on power of candlelights and \u201cI pass my
\nneighbor generators\u201d. When will this administration understand that an
\neconomic system that breeds inequality is raking hot coal in its bosom?<\/p>\n
These questions are key as we begin our march towards our next One hundred
\nyears. They are key as we wind down as an administration and begin the
\nprocess of transferring the baton our successor. They are key, Mr. Speaker
\nbecause our nation is dangerously weak and to fiddle with it, as is the
\ncurrently being done may bring in a whirlwind whose destination no one can
\ntell. They are key as Nigerians prepare to talk about our nation and where
\nit should be heading to in a national conference whose agenda we pray is
\nnot premeditated and whose outcome we hope is not already pre determined.<\/p>\n
For you as legislators, elected by the people of Rivers State to preserve
\ntheir nationhood and protect their rights to good and democratic
\ngovernance these questions are key and should form the basis of your over
\nsight and monitoring of governance at all levels. At our own level as an
\nadministration we have given thought to these questions and are striving
\nto provide those answers that are within our control and purview as we
\ncontinue with our people focused projects as education, human capacity
\nbuilding and development, health care, public infrastructure and job
\ncreation. We remain committed to supporting our security agencies to
\nensure the safety of lives and property as we work on our determination to
\nimprove our state, propelling it to become the foremost destination to
\nlive, work and do business in Nigeria. As always we rely on the support as
\nwell as the caution of the Assembly in our quest to achieve these lofty
\ngoals.<\/p>\n
Mr. Speaker, distinguished members, ours is an administration on the
\nthreshold of history. We again pledge to you and to our people that we
\nwill not fail you, God being our helper. We thank you for granting us
\naudience as we look forward to a much better 100 years of our nationhood.
\nLong Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
\nLong Live Rivers State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An address delivered by Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, CON, Governor, Rivers State, to the Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday, March 3, 2014 In the last few days, Abuja…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n