Long before the snake gave birth, everybody knew the baby snake will be a long creature. That is why not many are surprised about the grudge fight in Rivers State, five months after the elections. And the target of the battle is how the instrumentality of the Rivers State government can be used to deface and defame former Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Politics is a terrible calling, especially the type played in Nigeria.

Not up to six months after leaving office, it seems what the Amaechi administration was known for is already being erased calculatedly and gradually. But before we forget, I recall that once upon a time, Port Harcourt was like a city under siege. The brigands were in charge.

The citizens, often times, were asked to raise both hands up, sometimes with their shoes in their hands, to cross certain places in the Port Harcourt city.

The waterfronts were dens of barefaced criminals.
It was not only the hapless citizenry that were browbeaten. Even the government was subservient to the whims and caprices of the “waterfront boys” They took control of even the structures of government.

I am aware that whenever the then Governor Peter Odili was going to visit any community, Government House had to clear from the “boys”. Depending on the signal they gave, Odili would either proceed or reschedule his visit. Clearing from the boys also included paying what they termed “landing fee”.

And whenever Odili got to such places, the boys took over the security structure until he left.
That was the norm.

Then a certain young man, called Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi got into Government House as governor and declared a force majeure. He vowed to end the brigandage. That was the first war he had to fight, to change the narrative of the Rivers people.
With the help of the police and other security agencies, the hoodlums were chased out of town. And for nearly eight years they were out of business and reckoning. But now they are back.

I recall how some Israeli security experts came to Rivers and with the special permission of the Police authorities at the time, they trained a Special Police Squad in the state on how to combat crime decisively.

With facilities like the hi-tech C4i which had a large screen, somewhere in the state secretariat, through which the whole of Port Harcourt could literally be viewed and tracked, fighting crime in the state was made easy. Crooks and criminal were routed. Police patrol vans combed every nook and cranny with vicious niche. Port Harcourt people could then sleep with both eyes closed. And they heaved a sigh of relief.

But when the fight between Amaechi and Jonathan began, not only was the police used against him, even the Special combat squad trained by the Israelis, all got transferred out of Rivers, all aimed at collapsing the security network put in place by Amaechi. And crime began to creep back.

While this happened, the Amaechi administration was revving up a revolution in the education sector. He was knocking down old schools and building ultra modern ones whose standards were simply beyond reproach. In droves, parents were withdrawing their children from the private schools they had flocked to, and returning to the reloaded public schools. The facilities and personnel in the said schools measured clearly with global standards. A total of 13,201 teachers were not only hired but trained to fit. Five Hundred primary schools were being constructed with 212 completed and 172 fully functional. 24 Model schools (one per LGA plus an extra) was undertaken, with five completed and one fully functional, the education sector was truly going through a rebirth.

What’s more, 309 students of Rivers State were sent on scholarship to Malaysia, 95 to Russia, 2 to Brazil, 15 to Germany and 28 others sent to Germany to acquire technical and vocational skills.

Surely, it was not for nothing that the state was named the UNESCO World Book Capital in 2014. It was a major feat that put Port Harcourt in the global map of prized cities in the world, having beaten other cities like Oxford (UK), Lyon (France) Moscow (Russia) etc.
It was first in Sub Sahara Africa. And the first in Africa through public bid. Alexandria (Egypt) had won it in 2002 but not through public bid like that of Port Harcourt.

The Director General of UNESCO, Mrs. Irina Bokova, had said at the investiture ceremony that, “Port Harcourt in Nigeria has been named as the 2014 World Book Capital on account of the quality of its programme, in particular its focus on youth and the impact it will have on improving Nigeria’s culture of books, reading, writing and publishing to improve literacy rates”.
How can we forget all these?

Many roads were either reconstructed, built afresh or dualised with modern drains and fittings. The roads are still there, including even federal roads like the Port Harcourt-Owerri road, which the Amaechi government built. That does not mean all of Port Harcourt’s roads were worked on. Villages and communities were lit up.

I cannot forget the 12 long bridges that took a road, for the first time, to towns like Opobo, Andoni etc. They were huge projects.
What is more, the ambitious project of Greater Port Harcourt which sought to recreate another city, fitted with modern facilities and services. Yes, the city is not fully realized yet, but it is true that substantial work had been done.
Although I am not a fan of the mono-rail project, because it couldn’t have been a priority to an emerging economy, yet the fact remains that it is a noble project on which huge sums have been sunk.

Indeed, many people, including this reporter, had believed Amaechi was undertaking too many projects at the time. His project plates were perpetually full, as he governed with the passion of an activist like driving to go inspect projects at unholy hours like 2 a.m.
What about the health sector. Primary Health Care centres nearly approximated the status of General Hospitals in all the local government areas. The hospitals were simply amazing with many of the doctors being products of the state scholarship scheme under the Amaechi administration.

It is ironic that it is in this same sector that there is standing issue of abandoned Karibi Whyte hospital project.
Not many people will not be enthralled by the vastness of the Songhai Farms in Tai, Ogoni, which also employed so many Rivers people and which must be producing plantain in tons by now.

The mechanized fish farms in Buguma had in no small way also boosted the state’s overall economy.
The above are some of the undeniable landmark achievements of the Amaechi administration. And he was poised to continuing the streak when the fight between him and the former president, Goodluck Jonathan broke out with all the concomitant consequences. Many people yet believe that there was more to the bitter disagreement between the duo than mere political differences. The latter had unleashed federal might against Amaechi including even the controversial swap of ownership of the Soku oil wells said to belong to Rivers State, to Bayelsa State.

Nobody would deny that Amaechi got distracted in a way. Who wouldn’t be anyway?
The emergence of Nyesom Wike as the governor of the state in the last election is a fall out of the disagreement between Amaechi and the Jonathans.
That explains why the opposition and criticism of all that Amaechi did has been fierce and vitriolic.
It is even worse that Amaechi’s past is now being dressed with robes of fraud and infamy, apparently to mortify his political essence. No denial.

And suddenly the narrative of “an action governor” is being confused with the folk tales of fraud.

I believe that Amaechi can be probed by a succeeding government, provided the intent is altruistic. Unfortunately, the utterances and declarations of Governor Wike are hardly mistaken. On too many occasions, he had declared Amaechi guilty of the many accusations even before the probes were set up. What that means is that given his obvious bias, the panels are likely to work from the answer to the question, in such a way as to arrive at the conclusions reached by Wike even before the inquests began.

The Rivers polity is sharply divided. Many of those who even applauded Amaechi’s achievements turned against him because of the support to President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Many saw it as a betrayal of his ‘brother’. But those who so argue forget that Amaechi it was who gave Jonathan the highest vote of 2 million in 2011. Even before the fight broke out, what good did Jonathan do to Rivers State? Was there any federal presence in the state as a reward for the 2011 support, even if the factor of kindred connection is discounted? Those who castigate Amaechi for supporting Buhari forget that that same brother of his had oppressed him openly by supporting somebody ( Jonah Jang, a northerner) who scored 16 votes as against Amaechi who scored 19 votes in the contest to become the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). Does one good turn not deserve another? They say it is politics. But I think it has a shade of evil.

As it is always, darkness cannot comprehend light.

Nice ... But can Amaechi sit n read all this? Lol.. Too long

Bros how much dem pay you for all this big grammar and textbook wey you write so?Your hand no pain you??

Like seriously, you want me to read all that cos of Ameachi?
I'll rather read about p*orn

and that's why the black race continues to be in 'shambles'..... how long is the write up that y'll are complaining like your lives depends on it.

Sorry I digressed.

Back to the topic... Ameachi indeed was a good leader, yes, he did right in several ways (roads, schools, etc).
but...
The end of a matter is what justifies it. Anybody can start well, it's the 'landing' that really does matter.

#My_opinion

krazydave:
and that's why the black race continues to be in 'shambles'..... how long is the write up that y'll are complaining like your lives depends on it.

Sorry I digressed.

Back to the topic... Ameachi indeed was a good leader, yes, he did right in several ways (roads, schools, etc).
but...
The end of a matter is what justifies it. Anybody can start well, it's the 'landing' that really does matter.

#My_opinion

Park well abeg !

I have learnt something about the man buhari. He doesn't listen to distractions, he does what he feels is right and he doesnt waver. Buhari would do with Amaechi whatever he wilt. Nothing buhari does would make the pdp or an average Jonathan supporter love or praise him. Even if he makes 1 naira equal 1 dollar. Even if he gives every Nigerian 1 billion naira, there are millions who wouldn't heal from he loss of Jonathan. Therefore no amount of wailing would change buhari from appointing amaechi and elevating him if he wishes to, after all buhari knows he will be insulted by he jonathanarians until 2023 irrespective of what he does.

Ameachi was the instrument to the unrest in rivers state and what he did was to talk to his boys and they left the street.

.....and what's the gist about church service for?

Ameachi did well in Rivers State in the first tenure, but ended his second tenure badly. looting the state to a stand still.

No matter how wike struggles to paint Amaechi bad.The worst of Amaechi would be & continue to be better than the best of wike.

Amaechi keeps giving PDP sleepless nights since he defected to APC. During his second tenure, when the then PDP Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, went round PDP controlled states, he showered encomium on Amaechi than other governors.

So true

Seun, lalasticlala, afam4eva

Lalasticlala

The issue with nigerians is that we quickly forget and we love crowed mentality
amechi transformed rivers in 8 years and in4 months wike has succeded in brain washing the gullible riverians that his 40 billion naira porthole project is of more value to them than the man who actually built the roads
its sad when I hear people come here and claim one party owns the state and another shouldnt govern it, was it not the same party that starved rivers state people of their legitimate funding because the president had beef with the governor?

Ok