In a recent interview
on an online channel TV360, the current
Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike
Amaechi stated that President Jonathan and
his wife were bent on removing him from
office as Governor of Rivers State.
See video here http://tv360nigeria.com/
tv30-exclusive-my-problems-with-
president-jonathan-amaechi/
As indigenes of Rivers state and people who
understand the origin and nature of the
current crisis in Rivers State, We were in awe
and were rudely shocked. We could not
believe that the elected governor of our state
and one who is supposed to be the political
leader of the ruling party in Rivers state
would denigrate himself to so lie during a
recorded media interview. It was a shameful
thing to watch and more than anything else,
gave us another reason to add to many
others that Amaechi was not fit to be a
political leader who should have built the
political skills to manage men and
relationships.
Even though many of us have known that his
strategy was to rope-in the President and
win cheap sympathy from a section of the
media in the South-West and Lagos
specifically, this direct affront on the
President was clearly a no-brainer and a
dirty below the belt hit which portrayed
Rivers people in poor light as being run by a
very flippant governor who does not think
before he talks.
We have listened to some of his colleagues
such as Jigawa’s Sule Lamido and Ekiti’s
Kayode Fayemi and none of them talks as
recklessly as our Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Ekiti’s Kayode Fayemi is a lot more cultured,
intellect founded and careful with words. Not
so with the Governor from Rivers State who
incidentally graduated with a degree in
English Language from the University of Port
Harcourt.
We have heard Amaechi gave just too many
reasons why he thinks the Presidency is
fighting him. We have heard him say it is
because he had previous disagreements with
the President’s wife bordering on the
demolition of certain waterfronts in Rivers
State. We have also heard him say that it is
because the President’s wife wants him to
confer with her on certain state policies. We
have also heard him say that it is because of
his stance on establishment of the sovereign
wealth fund. We have also heard him say
that it is because of his stand of the over
bloated fuel subsidy claims. We have also
heard him say that it is because of his
decision to run for NGF Governorship. Not
done yet, we have also heard him say that it
because the Presidency suspects that he
intends to run for the Presidency or is Vice
Presidency in 2015?
How many reasons will Amaechi give on why
he thinks the Presidency is fighting him?
Curiously, in all his vicious and nauseous
attempt to rope-in and incriminate the
Presidency in the crisis in Rivers State
through his very reckless rhetoric, we have
never for once heard Governor Rotimi
Amaechi explain to Rivers people or
Nigerians why he is at war with his former
Chief of Staff and now Minister of State for
Education Chief Nyesom Wike. Rotimi
Amaechi has cunningly and deliberately
refused to tell Rivers people and Nigerians
why there is lost love with his former
confidant Nyesom Wike. Neither has he ever
explained why Nyesom Wike is bent on
bringing him down in spite of Nyesom Wike’s
very loud and defiant media briefings where
he has directly attacked Amaechi. The
question is, why is Amaechi scared of hitting
at Nyesom Wike? What is he afraid of?
It was at a youth program in Ekiti state that
Governor Amaechi said that Nigerians are
too timid for a revolution and that the nation
is almost in a dictatorship.
How ironic. Are Rivers people also too timid
for a revolution? Does he think that Rivers
people are happy about the tens of billions of
naira wasted so far on the proposed Rivers
Mega Hospital which is yet to get off the
ground? Does he think that Rivers people are
happy about the fact that a project which
was supposed to be a (Public-Private-
Partnership) PPP project has suddenly
become a contract awarded to the supposed
PPP partner Clinotech Canada?
Does Governor Amaechi think that Rivers
people are happy about the more than N20
bn already spent on the Rivers Monorail for a
less than 5 km stretch and just pillars to
show thus far? Aren’t these good enough
reasons for Rivers people to begin a
revolution?
How many people know that the initial PPP
partner for the monorail project, a company
called STI Group and facilitated by a former
Governor of Rivers State General Anthony
Ukpo had chickened out of the project
because they felt Rivers State was not yet
ready for that kind of heavy financial drag
down and the existing support infrastructure
constraints?
More than 90 per cent of internal roads in
Port Harcourt are at various stages of
hopeless disrepair. From Mile One Diobu to
Mile Two to Mile Three and then Old GRA and
even the New GRA are over burdened with
bad internal roads even though billions of
naira had been previously budgeted for these
roads. Isn’t this a good enough reason for
Rivers people to begin a revolution against
Governor Amaechi’s government?
Whatever happened to the hundreds of
millions earmarked for the Operation Zero
Pothole Project? Did Amaechi punish the
Commissioner of Works who was
responsible for such a scam? No. Instead,
the Commissioner was sent to the house of
representatives where he is now House
Chairman overseeing the Downstream
Commitee.
Infact, Governor Amaechi had himself told a
group of clergymen at the Royal House of
Grace Church or so that the Operation Zero
Pothole was used as an opportunity by some
to embezzle money. The question again is,
did he punish those who were responsible?
Again, NO.
Visitors to Port Harcourt have seen some
fancy model school buildings strategically
located at visible parts of Port Harcourt
township. They look very good. They were
built at the cost of One hundred and twenty
(120) million naira each and there is one in
almost each community in Rivers State.
The truth is that apart from those in Port
Harcourt metropolis and its environs such as
Tai & Eleme, the others (in the hinterlands)
are at varying levels of decay and
abandonment. Some have been abandoned
while others were improperly completed and
left to decay. Some have even been overrun
by grasses and bushed. I am sure the people
in these communities are a little too timid
else they would have begun their own
revolution by now.
At the Ekiti Program, Governor Amaechi also
used the opportunity to tag the Jonathan
administration as some sort of dictatorship.
Some of us find that funny coming from a
character such as Governor Amaechi. It was
Governor Amaechi who suspended local
government chairmen because they were
having a meeting with someone who he
considered his opponent. It was Governor
Amaechi who revoked the Certificate of
Occupancy of buildings that he perceived
were being used by opposition elements for
meetings in Rivers State. It was Governor
Amaechi who suspended a local government
chairman for being loyal to the Minister of
State for Education.
So how can an Amaechi call a Jonathan a
dictator? It beats us.
We have other questions. Infact too many to
list out here.
Was it President Jonathan or his wife that
caused Amaechi to fall out with his former
confidant and Chief of Staff?
Was it President Jonathan or his wife that
caused Amaechi to be at war with many of
the elders and key stakeholders of Rivers
State PDP?
If the President is behind the crisis in Rivers
State, would he have just five (5) house
members behind him?
We believe that Governor Rotimi Chibuike
Amaechi have set out to gravely undermine
the office and person of the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria and this is not a
good thing.
It is not in the nature and tradition of Rivers
people to disrespect, undermine or malign
those who have set to provide leadership
over us and if Governor does not retrace his
step and apologise to the President
immediately, we will have no choice but to
mobilise Rivers youths to publicly disrespect,
undermine and disgrace him.
The truth is, time will tell IF Amaechi is his
own worst enemy.
Written By : The New Rivers Alliance (TNRA)
Douglas Akarolo – President, River
Redemption Group & Leader, TNRA
Eben Amadi – President, Rivers Youth
Coalition & Sec-General TNRA

Rotimi Ameachi has allowed himself to be used by political vultures. Now the vultures have deserted him. But come to think of it, he may be suffering from schizophrenia.

thank u sir for making these points for Nigeria to see. he will officer as the worst governor to serve in rivers state. ameachi Is uncultured and reckless. he is a sinking , and should not drag our president with him.