RIVERS STATE CRISIS DETAILED ARTICLE: IT IS TIME TO APOLOGIZE TO RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI NOW THAT THE TRUE COLOUR AND INTENTION OF NYESOM EZEBUNWO WIKE THAT MADE MANY TO HATE AMAECHI IS REVEALED
It is pertinent to start this piece by correcting the wrong divisive, deceptive and distractive tale that Ijaws are minorities in Rivers State or in the Niger Delta region.
It is an undisputed fact that Ijaws have Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Bonny, Abua/Odual, Okrika, Ogu/Bolou, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru, Degema and parts of Port Harcourt City (Okrika), Ahoada West (Engenni), Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (Egbema) and Oyigbo (Ndoki) LGAs out of the 23 LGAs in the state. How can such people be tagged minority?
In the geographic Niger Delta region, there are large population of Ijaws in Akwa Ibom, Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa state that is the only homogenous Ijaw state in the country.
Outside the geographic Niger Delta region, Ijaws are found in Imo, Abia, Ondo, Adamawa and Kogi along the River Niger.
Away from the Nigerian state, Ijaws are found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Carribean and North America. Most of the Ijaws that were sold into slavery during the slave trade era ended up in the Carribean and North America.
Having established the above facts, it is important to proceed to the crux that revolves around Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the treacherous Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike.
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi was one of the most performing governors in Nigeria during his tenure.
At a very young age, he served as two times member of the Rivers State House of Assembly (1999-2007) and the Speaker for 8 years during the tenure of Sir Dr. Peter Otunaya Odili.
For the records, Amaechi is the political godson of Sir Dr Peter Otunaya Odili. Odili identified the enormous positive potentials in the young Amaechi and he dragged him close to himself. First, he appointed him as his Personal Assistant (PA) when he served as Deputy Governor to Chief Rufus Ada George during the shortlived Babangida failed transition programme.
He later made him Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly throughout the 8 years of his administration. The above show the bond that existed between Sir Dr. Peter Otunaya Odili and his son Amaechi. That love attracted unprecedented hatred, bitterness and jealousy as was shown in later events that played out.
Amaechi was privileged to serve as Chairman of all Nigerian Speakers and later as the Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).
As a Governor he paid surprised visits to several project sites, a development that kept contractors on their toes. He usually rode Power Bikes himself to project sites and there were several occasions that people never recognized him.
Beside demystifying the office of the Governor that gave Rivers people high sense of belonging, he never intimidated or harassed the people. He gave the people high level of freedom to express themselves including criticizing his administration without using Non-State Actors or security to coarse anyone.
Even as an Ikwerre man, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi surrounded himself with Ijaw people. He gave the most juicy appointments to Ijaws.
When his his two terms were ending, he insisted on power rotation to the Riverine. He acknowledged the existence of two power blocs in the state: the Upland and Riverine. He insisted that Sir Dr. Peter Otunaya Odili from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA (Upland), Sir Barr. Celestine Omehia Ameachi’s first cousin from Ikwerre LGA (Upland) and himself from upland had ruled since the inception of our contemporary (1999-2015), so he felt that he should be succeeded by someone from the riverine. It was for that reason that he brought Dr. Dakuku Peterside from Opobo/Nkoro LGA (Riverine) to be the flagbearer of the then newly formed APC, while his running mate was Hon. Honourable Asita.
Sadly, because of Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike’s desperation to be Governor without minding the political configuration of the state, he started instigating crisis between Mrs. Patience Jonathan and Gov. Amaechi.
Earlier, Wike and Senator Magnus Abe played very vital and significant roles when Amaechi was denied the candidature of PDP and he went to Court. When the matter became very tough, he left for Ghana where he stayed to fight for the restoration of his Mandate. Magnus Abe and Wike were the two persons who were at the forefront of that struggle and that was the reason he appointed Magnus Abe as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and made Wike his Chief of Staff (CoS) after his victory at the Supreme Court in 2007.
Thereafter, Amaechi nominated Wike for Ministerial Appointment and Wike was later appointed Minister of State for Education where he later betrayed his principal, the then substantive Minister of Education Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa’i and was later appointed Acting Minister of Education.
Surprisingly, Wike started instigating different crisis that painted Rotimi Ameachi in very bad light before then President Goodluck Jonathan and the First Lady.
Wike went and formed Grassroot Development Initiative (GDI) and made it look as if he was arranging the group to support the First Family since he had succeeded in painting Amaechi in very bad light before the world. They never knew that he was doing all that for his greedy and selfish ambition. They never knew that he was building political structure for his Governorship ambition.
As a Minister of State he made Rivers State almost ungovernable for his own Ikwerre brother and Chief Benefactor. Nigerians know how he used the then Commissioner of Police CP Joseph Mbu to make life almost unbearable for the governor. The CP blocked major roads in several occasions and prevented the Governor from driving through those roads. In the history of Nigeria’s democracy that is one of the first times that a State Commissioner of Police was made so powerful.
The humiliation, threats, harassments and so many others made Rt. Hon. Rotimi Ameachi to go and join forces with anti-Jonathan elements during the run down to the 2015 Presidential Election and the end result is what Nigeria’s saw that culminated to the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency.
BETWEEN AMAECHI AND WIKE WHO IS THE REAL ENEMY OF RIVERS STATE AND NIGER DELTANS?
The story of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi is likened to that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who was betrayed by those who were closest to him. We also know the role of the women of Jerusalem and all those who praised Him during his triumphant entry to Jerusalem and few days later, same people were chanting crucify Him.
Till this very moment, no one among the multitudes that demonized and vilified Amaechi have been able to tell Nigerians what were the sins of Amaechi. People just joined the chorus of Amaechi been a bad man and that he betrayed his people but how exactly did he betrayed his people?
Who will be in the then disadvantaged position that Amaechi was that will not form political alliances to protect himself and ensure his survival?
Wike pretended to be fighting for President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife but what happened?
Many Ijaws lost their lives in their quest to ensure the victory of Wike during the 2015 and 2019 Governorship Elections, but how did he repay them? Wike sent THUNDER to Fire Ijaw people.
He pretended to love and respect President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, but overtime he showed his true colour the same way he just showed to Sir Dr. Peter Otunaya Odili and his wife Justice Mary Odili.
The present ambition of Wike is to enthrone himself as the Leader of Niger Delta (South South) meaning that President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Sir Peter Otunaya Odili and all elders and leaders of the geopolitical zone should be under him and also bow to him.
He pretended to love and respect them but the moment they disagree with him on any issue, he turns against them immediately like what he just did to Sir Dr Peter Otunaya Odili who refused to be part of the plot to remove Governor Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara KSC.
It is sad that it took such a very long time for the truth about the true personality of Wike to come out, while the people of Rivers State and other Nigerians were busy demonizing and vilifying innocent Rotimi Ameachi.
Can Nigerians mention any Benefactors of Wike that are in his good book?
For instance, when Wike was introduced to Chief Asara A. Asara, the former Political Adviser to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan when he was Governor of Bayelsa State, Wike did not only prostrated for Chief Asara, he laid down completely at the residence of Chief Asara at Gwarinpa Estate in Abuja. It was Chief Asara that sold Wike’s project to Dame Mrs Patience Jonathan who was never disposed to it at the initial time. She insisted that it was the turn of Ijaws which was exactly what Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi was fighting for. A delegation of Ijaw people led by Chief A.K Horsefall met with Mrs. Patience Jonathan and vehemently opposed any attempt to impose Wike on Ijaw people.
At that point, Wike cronies and some anti-Ijaw elements smartly sold the dummy that Ijaw people were silent when Wike was fighting his own Ikwerre brother Amaechi who was insulting President Goodluck Jonathan. But is it true that Amaechi insulted or fought President Jonathan, the answer is a Fundamental NO! Amaechi only tried to assert himself as a Governor and also exercise the power of his revered office.
It is quite unfortunate that many fell for the gimmicks and Wike became the hero.
But what did he do?
He ruled Rivers State like King Nebuchadnezzar. He made himself a contemporary political emperor, political buccaneer and shylock merchant to the extent that Rivers people lived in perpetual fear of the unknown. As a matter of fact, the fear of Wike was the beginning of wisdom. He ruled the state as a maximum dictator. He used martial law and deployed the Gestapo style like the Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler.
He concentrated development in only the Ikwerre area and abandoned the riverine areas that produce well over 75% of the crude oil and gas that make Rivers State one of the highest oil producing states in Nigeria.
It is today that average Rivers people are beginning to realize their real enemy. It has dawned on them that they were fooled and made to hate an innocent man that never offended them in any way.
During the 8 years administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, projects were spread to all parts of Rivers State. He carried all sections, segments and stakeholders along. Amaechi shared projects to stakeholders and empowered local contractors, a development that made money to circulate and boost the local economy as against the Capital Flight that was experienced during the 8 inglorious and infamous years of Wike where he awarded all Contracts to Julius Berger and other foreign companies that led to capital flight.
While Rivers people were groaning in excruciating pains, hunger and abject poverty, Wike was smiling because of his Supermarkets and other Properties that dotted all parts of Port Harcourt and beyond.
There was no promotion, employment or payment of pensioners throughout the 8 years maladministration of Wike which is contrary to the glorious years of Amaechi that promoted the local economy and made the commerce and economy to boom. Amaechi employed thousands of workers. He built many schools and made public schools more beautiful and attractive than private schools. He paid workers and Pensioners promptly.
But how did Rivers people paid or rewarded Amaechi for his good works?
I want to conclude this piece by advising all those who promoted the campaign of calumny and hated Amaechi for no good reasons to APOLOGIZE to him for posterity sake.
Finally, Nigerians should mark today’s date being 15th March, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is fraternizing with Wike will be the next victim of the betrayal of Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike especially now that some powerful forces are regrouping against 2027. Wike will be one of the persons that will be recruited to drive the political dagger through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spine like what Brutus did to Caesar in the book ‘JULIUS CAESAR’.
~~~ Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli is an internationally renowned Author, Security Expert cum Strategist, Foremost Niger Delta Human and Environmental Rights Activist and Public Affairs Analyst.
• Former National Director of Mobilization and Chairman, Action Committee of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide
• Former Acting President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide
• Executive Director
Centre for Peace Advocacy and Social Rehabilitation (CPASR)
• Incumbent National President
Niger Delta Nonviolence Agitators Forum (NDNAF)
