A lot has been happening lately in
Rivers State: From pro-Governor
Chibuike Amaechi protesters to anti-
Amaechi protesters and the fight at
the House of Assembly. Many
individuals and groups have added
their voices on the crises. Many have
sued for peace, more wars,
transparency, equity, democratic
norms, abhorrence of brickbats,
bickering, tinkering, and every
quagmires that have been rocking the
state.
It is, however, dishonorable that some
persons have thrown hospitality
known of the residents of Rivers State
to the winds on Tuesday 16 2013, and
molested some governors, who were
on a unity visit and in a tribute to Gov.
Amaechi, over the incessant man-
made chaos in the state. Such
arrogant move by the scoundrels is
condemnable, un-called for,
undemocratic, foolery.
The act was morbid and revealed how
immature some persons are in
handling their differences with their
political rivals. The people who went
to the airport to abuse the governors
have shown how desperate they were
in making sure that the already
battered image of the country was not
redeemed before the comity of
nations. These persons might think
that they wanted to spoil the image of
the state, but have further succeeded
in bringing Nigeria to disrepute.
It was reprehensible why the police,
according to accounts, were
unresponsive and refused to dismiss
the crowd of the alleged
troublemakers who had gathered at
the airport to assault the governors of
Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano and Niger
who visited the Rivers State Governor
and Chairman of the Nigeria
Governors' Forum (NGF), Amaechi.
The meaning of the tactless statement
that was credited to the Police
Commissioner in the state, Mbu
Joseph Mbu and his men, who ought
to have acted to protect the safety of
these governors at the airport, but,
rather, resorted to saying, "the airport
is a public place for everyone to visit",
can't be found in any dictionary.
It has become obvious that the
presidency might not be unconnected
with these troubles in Rivers State. An
archetypal of this was reportedly in a
statement issued by Ibim Semenitari,
Rivers State Commissioner of
Information and Communications
thus: "There were jitters in the
presidency over the visit of governors
of Adamawa, Jigawa, Kano and Niger
to Rivers State Governor and
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors'
Forum, Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi in
Port Harcourt, today Tuesday 16, 2013.
Members of the Nyesom Wike's
campaign organisation Grassroot
Democratic Initiative GDI, had
mobilised hoodlums to disrupt the
visit…"
If the story making the rounds is true
that a four litre cask suspected to
contain some acid was found beside
the mob, there is no gainsaying the
fact that the mob was very careless.
Persons like Wike should be
admonished to remember how the
state was once ransacked by
hoodlums and, whether he wants the
state to retrogress to that era of
absurdity, because of political
differences.
It is unfortunate that Mbu was
credited to have denied knowledge of
the mob being-there at the airport,
even though the police conditioned
that the airport is a civic place and
everyone has a right to visit without
restraint and unconstrained, it could
be blubbered that not even a peaceful
protest should have been meted out
to the governors, who were
themselves peaceful. Now, what
would be the fate of Wike to the states
of these governors that his group
were said to have molested, should
he one day venture into any of them,
as a Minister of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria?
Governor Amaechi should be
acclaimed (as news reports has it that
he had arrived earlier in the morning
of that day to wait for his guests) for
showing exceptional adulthood. If
pro-Amaechi group had mobilised
against this show of shame, the news
would have been different today; the
consequentiality would have been
either bloodbaths or something very
awful than we have experienced.
In a press statement released by the
governors shortly after their meeting
with Gov. Amaechi and after visiting
some perceived developmental strides
of the governor, every resident of
Rivers State should send his or her
lamentation to the governors that
there was nothing wrong with their
visit to Gov. Amaechi, at least, for
being their chairman in the NGF. The
governors should be applauded for
embracing the spirit of communalism
and showing same, which is a potent
part of democracy. Therefore, they
should also be asked not to see the
residents as being hostile, but should
see the act of insensitivity as the
handiwork of gangsters, who have
refused to change and embrace
positivity.
Those fomenting troubles in the state
should change their ways and hug
peace.
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