14 Jul 2013
Wobodo
Achinike Godwin William-Wobodo is Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Rivers State on Inter Governmental Affairs. He holds an LLM in Criminal Law and Practice and is pursuing a PhD in Money Laundering and Anti-Corruption Law. William-Wobodo, who is principal partner, Edward & William Law Firm, Embanc chambers, speaks on the political situation in Rivers State, in this interview with Jaiyeola Andrews. Excerpts:
How would you describe the relationship between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi?
I can confirm to you that Governor Amaechi has very high regard and respect for the office and person of the president, and would not do anything to undermine the president or his office.
So what is the problem between the two men?
The seeming problem between Mr. President and the governor is purely an induced situation caused by third party elements, who are either driven by the hunger for power or jealousy. Before the sudden misconception and misperception about Rt. Hon. Amaechi, he was counted as one of the most prominent supporters of the president. He accorded and, indeed, still accords Mr. President all the respect that should be given to such a person in authority. For instance, from 2007 up till date, Mr. President has always had nominees into the Rivers State Executive Council. This gesture is rear and I can bet you that when Amaechi started this gesture, not even those who now flaunt themselves as Mr. President’s stronghold ever did extended such gestures to him.
Can you mention names?
I will not lie to you about anything. However, if that is what will sustain your confidence for this interview, then I will do so. In 2007, upon assumption of office, the governor who recognised Mr. President (then Vice President) as his leader requested for nomination and the then vice president graciously nominated Professor Israel Owate, who was his classmate and the gentleman, and he was made the Commissioner for Education. Unfortunately, he could not drive the vision of the governor on education as fast as the governor wanted, so he was dropped. The governor requested from Mr. Vice President a replacement. Again he nominated Mr. Moses Ahubele who manned the Ministry of Empowerment and Employment Generation till he died as a result of some health condition in the later part of 2010. After the 2011 general election, Mr. Governor requested from Mr. President and he graciously nominated Mr. Charlse Okaye, who still serves as the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community-related Affairs. I hope I have cleared that part.
You said the problem between Mr. President and the governor is induced by third party elements. What do you mean, who is this third party?
I did not say that the president and the governor have any problem, rather seeming problem.Whether it is semantics or not, the qualification means a lot. That having been said, the seeming situation is induced principally by two classes of persons, those driven by hunger for power which represents the group in Rivers State, and those driven by envy, which houses external factors. For instance, the Hon Minister for State, my friend and brother, leads the group who are creating problems for the sole purpose of wrestling power from the governor. My worry is not that they seek to wrestle power from him, because that is what politics entails. My quarrel is the approach: the crude, undemocratic and uncivilised manner that they are going about it. In the process, they have undermined the rule of law, breached the peace of Rivers State and are threatening complete breakdown of law and order.
The second category are persons who are driven by envy and the rising profile of the governor and the only way, to them, to break the rising profile of Governor Amaechi is to pit him against the president and hiding under the cover of the Presidency. For these persons, I think and honestly too that they have proven that they are not men enough to personally handle their affairs.
But can you mention the other people in these groups?
You know them and they know themselves. There is no need to ask me who they are. You have seen people who have suddenly bought over the airtime to show that they are working, who publicly hire Noble Laureates to also come to speak about their state, you have seen people emerging from everywhere to promise Mr. President that they will tame Governor Amaechi and destroy NGF, even when they cannot keep awake for a night, when they cannot relate well with their colleagues. Amaechi treats his colleagues as friends and brothers no matter the political party they belong to. I can assure you that, despite the differences between him and Governor Jang, if Governor Jang invites Governor Amaechi for any event other than NGF-related, Governor Amaechi would jump into his car and head for Plateau State.Honestly, I feel pained that some persons who think that with money they can achieve all things are trying to drag the person and image of Mr. President into their personal struggle for relevance and superiority. Now Nigerians know their capacity and they have been humbled. The unfortunate and most regrettable thing is that the fire they ignited to dispose of one “small boy” has gone wild and is now about to consume the entire house.You have seen people who had opportunity to engrave their names in the sands of time but failed, who rather than build golden monuments in their time, chose to be golden in their wasteful spending of common resources, now suddenly rising up to say that Amaechi is disrespectful to the president and that he has ambitions to become Vice President. Amaechi has become an issue that the one way to becoming relevant and warming oneself up to the Presidency is by saying, “Amaechi is disrespectful to Mr. President, kill him”.Their saying these words would not make Nigerians, Niger Deltans and the Rivers people forget their years of wastefulness and woes in Rivers State. Time will tell.
What is the problem between the Minister for State for Education, Chief NyesomWike, and the Governor Amaechi? Does it not give the governor concern in view of how the minister struggled to make him a governor?
Honestly, I get infuriated when I hear NyesomWike, I mean Hon. Minister Nyesom Wike, say that he made Rt Hon Amaechi governor. The question is, how? Please, never mind my tone and how I addressed him initially. Nyesom was my schoolmate at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Law. We were both admitted into the Faculty of Law the same year, 1991. Admittedly, he had A/Level and was upgraded to second year while the rest of us were in the first level. So you can see that I know him long and well enough, and personally, too, to address him simply as Nyesom. I read in THISDAY where Nyesom claimed to have made Rt Hon. Amaechi governor of Rivers State and I wonder how he did that. Maybe I should go to him so he can also make me a governor because I am also interested.
But seriously speaking, I am at a loss how Nyesom made Amaechi governor of Rivers State. I do not really understand what exceptional role Nyesom played in Governor Amaechi becoming the governor in 2007 that entitles him to such claim. He was merely a chairman of one of the four local government areas that make up Ikwerre ethnic nationality. We had Chief Azubuike Nmerukini, Kirian Wobodo, Emeka Woke and Nyesom himself as chairmen. Aside from mobilising Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, did he also mobiliseIkwerre Local Government Area, did he mobilise Hon Andrew Uchendu, late Ambassador I. H. Ajuru, and all those who stood by the governor during the travail.
On the role of Wike during the 2007 election.
Indeed, during the 2007 election, Nyesom was of the view that PDP had failed us and that we should vote en mass against the party at that time, though, that view was only nurtured given the circumstances at that time. It was Amaechi’s intervention from Ghana that saved the day. The governor issued a press release that all his supporters should vote PDP. It is laughable how Wike claims he had everything to terminate Governor Amaechi’s ambition in 2007. How could he have done that? Please, he should tell Nigerians how. Though he is a lawyer, Wike was not in the legal team, so how could he have done that. I need to know. Mr. Fagbemi, SAN, led the team. We had Dappa-Addo and others. At some point the governor asked that I join the team. Other lawyers who could not appear in court with the team wrote legal opinions and made media publications. For instance, I personally wrote legal opinions that I submitted to the team, which Wike merely received from me and my partner, Barr Edward Pepple. Is that the power he had to terminate the ambition? Or was it the fact that the governor spoke to him everyday from Ghana, if at all. There were other persons that he spoke to everyday from Ghana and I was one of such persons. He also delegated other assignments to other people, including me. So I too can claim I made him governor.
On Wike’s claim that he smuggled Amaechi into Abuja.
Wike said he smuggled the governor into Abuja; that is the height of all lies. At the point that Nyesom knew of the plan of Governor Amaechi coming into Abuja in 2007, the governor was already in Abuja at Hilton Hotels. It would be wrong to claim that he did. I am not saying that Wike did not play any role at all, but for him to aggregate what everybody did in the pursuit of Amaechi’s ambition and to say that he did all of those is, to say the least, most dishonorable and disappointing.
Rivers people cannot forget that there was a group called Rivers Success Movement, Wike was not a member and did not set it up, rather he killed it as soon as he became the Chief of Staff. There was a Chidugam Nyeche, RabiuAbubakar, they were not Nyesom. Rivers people would not forget that the meeting point for Ameachi’s supporters was Beverly Hills Hotels, GRA, which almost put that business and the owner in jeopardy. Wike was not the owner. You could even see his contradiction. In one breath he said his house was the meeting point and in another he said he ran away from home for over three months. Yes, initially his home was used for one or two meetings. Wike was one of those who relocated to Abuja to prepare themselves in the event that Amaechi lost, but claiming they were under threat. Please, let not Wike or any man claim glory for Amaechi becoming governor. I can tell you, as a legal scholar, that what happened in 2007 was a clear effort by the Supreme Court of Nigeria to sustain the Nigerian democracy and to send the message to politicians that they must not undermine the laws.
Are you saying that Wike did not fund the legal suit of Amaechi?
How was that possible? How much had he then? He was a just local government chairman of Obio/Akpor. Prior to 1999, who was Nyesom? He had not worked in any establishment, as to say he had made money. It is common knowledge that the governor’s colleagues at the House of Assembly, who were sympathetic to his cause at that time, contributed some money; the four chairmen from Ikwerre, including Nyesom, contributed and few other individuals did too. Of course, I was certainly not part of those. So, why would Nyesom claim that he funded the governorship pursuit save for cheap popularity and sympathy? One thing was clear, which was that Governor Amaechi as a person did not have enough money to fund his team of lawyers at that time, despite his eight years of being speaker. That was why some of us who were close to him were surprised when we heard that EFCC was after him.
Let me clear one point here, even though you did not ask me any question relating to that. I understand Nyesom is attempting to create an impression that he and Amaechi were like contemporaries in Dr. Peter Odili’s Restoration Team. That is fallacy. The first meeting of Dr. Odili and Nyesom was whilst Nyesom was undergoing his court attachment in Justice Mary Odili’s Court, while she was a High Court Judge in Rivers State. She hosted the students to a private dinner in her house, Nyesom and his wife, who were both law students, attended. At this time Governor Amaechi had long served as Personal Assistant to Dr. Odili and SA to Governor Rufus Ada-George. We all know the main people in Odili’s team then. Not even the former Deputy Speakers of House Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche or Hon. Austin Okpara was at that level in Odili’s team. But Amaechi was, former Minister Abiye Sekibo was, too. Even in Amaechi’s team, Wike was not in the first eleven as at 2005. We had people like Andrew Uchendu, Dakuku Peterside, Nwuke Anucha, who was also a local government chairman then. But no sooner that Wike came than he started with his same style of planting discord just for his personal reasons. That was how he set up Nwuke Anucha, accusing him of working with Hon. Austin Okpara. He edged Nwuke out of the team because he was afraid of Nwuke’s closeness then to Rivers youth then and Wike saw that as a threat. Nyesom is too power hungry. Today he claims to be leading Dr. Peter Odili merely by saying that Felix Obuah told him to. What a shame.
What do you mean by “his same style”?
I mean his style of using people as a ladder to climb to the top and turning around to shove the ladder away. This is what Wike himself referred to as betrayal. I can give instances and then you can make the conclusions. Senator Victor Mbata was one of Wike’s main benefactors while he was in the university; he sponsored Wike first term election as chairman in 1999. He turned out to be Sen. Mbata’s greatest undoing in Obio/Akpor. Nwuke Anucha and Chief Uchendu introduced Nyesom to Amaechi for Governor Amaechi to support him for his second term as chairman. As soon as he won, he first displaced Nwuke Anucha from the Amaechi’s group and has continued to fight Chief Uchendu till date. Now, Amaechi made him Chief of Staff and nominated him as minister, today he is Amaechi’s worst enemy. What do you think? For me, I think these are acts of treachery and gentlemen should not be known for such behaviours. This is the style that I am talking about. Ironically, Nyesom has “good reasons” always for his actions.
There is the rumour that the minister wants to be governor and Amaechi is opposed to it.
I think it will be better if we put the question in proper perspective. Governor Amaechi did not oppose Wike’s ambition of becoming governor. All that the governor said was that in his own view, it would not be proper for another Ikwerre person to succeed him as governor given the multi-ethnic nature of Rivers State. Governor Amaechi alone is not the electorate. If Rivers people want another Ikwerre person to succeed him,then so be it. Today, Amaechi is imposing candidates on people, but if he had agreed that Ikwerre man, Nyesom, should succeed him he would have been the best person in Rivers State. Even as early as 2010, Nyesom had started working towards his succeeding Governor Amaechi, urging the governor to stick to his earlier statement that he, the governor, would not possibly contest for a second term. When it was obvious that the governor was going to contest, Wike began the campaign of Ikwerre North and South. Everybody in the Exco knew about it. It all started as a joke but today it is as real as day and night. If anyone believes that Nyesom is not planning to become governor after Governor Amaechi, then the person can believe anything. As it is said, power is a class a drug, it is highly addictive. Nyesom has tasted it and has become addicted and he is ready to do anything to continue to have it. Such men are desperate and can do anything for.
I can confirm to you that Governor Amaechi has very high regard and respect for the office and person of the president, and would not do anything to undermine the president or his office.
So what is the problem between the two men?
The seeming problem between Mr. President and the governor is purely an induced situation caused by third party elements, who are either driven by the hunger for power or jealousy. Before the sudden misconception and misperception about Rt. Hon. Amaechi, he was counted as one of the most prominent supporters of the president. He accorded and, indeed, still accords Mr. President all the respect that should be given to such a person in authority. For instance, from 2007 up till date, Mr. President has always had nominees into the Rivers State Executive Council. This gesture is rear and I can bet you that when Amaechi started this gesture, not even those who now flaunt themselves as Mr. President’s stronghold ever did extended such gestures to him.
Can you mention names?
I will not lie to you about anything. However, if that is what will sustain your confidence for this interview, then I will do so. In 2007, upon assumption of office, the governor who recognised Mr. President (then Vice President) as his leader requested for nomination and the then vice president graciously nominated Professor Israel Owate, who was his classmate and the gentleman, and he was made the Commissioner for Education. Unfortunately, he could not drive the vision of the governor on education as fast as the governor wanted, so he was dropped. The governor requested from Mr. Vice President a replacement. Again he nominated Mr. Moses Ahubele who manned the Ministry of Empowerment and Employment Generation till he died as a result of some health condition in the later part of 2010. After the 2011 general election, Mr. Governor requested from Mr. President and he graciously nominated Mr. Charlse Okaye, who still serves as the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community-related Affairs. I hope I have cleared that part.
You said the problem between Mr. President and the governor is induced by third party elements. What do you mean, who is this third party?
I did not say that the president and the governor have any problem, rather seeming problem.Whether it is semantics or not, the qualification means a lot. That having been said, the seeming situation is induced principally by two classes of persons, those driven by hunger for power which represents the group in Rivers State, and those driven by envy, which houses external factors. For instance, the Hon Minister for State, my friend and brother, leads the group who are creating problems for the sole purpose of wrestling power from the governor. My worry is not that they seek to wrestle power from him, because that is what politics entails. My quarrel is the approach: the crude, undemocratic and uncivilised manner that they are going about it. In the process, they have undermined the rule of law, breached the peace of Rivers State and are threatening complete breakdown of law and order.
The second category are persons who are driven by envy and the rising profile of the governor and the only way, to them, to break the rising profile of Governor Amaechi is to pit him against the president and hiding under the cover of the Presidency. For these persons, I think and honestly too that they have proven that they are not men enough to personally handle their affairs.
But can you mention the other people in these groups?
You know them and they know themselves. There is no need to ask me who they are. You have seen people who have suddenly bought over the airtime to show that they are working, who publicly hire Noble Laureates to also come to speak about their state, you have seen people emerging from everywhere to promise Mr. President that they will tame Governor Amaechi and destroy NGF, even when they cannot keep awake for a night, when they cannot relate well with their colleagues. Amaechi treats his colleagues as friends and brothers no matter the political party they belong to. I can assure you that, despite the differences between him and Governor Jang, if Governor Jang invites Governor Amaechi for any event other than NGF-related, Governor Amaechi would jump into his car and head for Plateau State.Honestly, I feel pained that some persons who think that with money they can achieve all things are trying to drag the person and image of Mr. President into their personal struggle for relevance and superiority. Now Nigerians know their capacity and they have been humbled. The unfortunate and most regrettable thing is that the fire they ignited to dispose of one “small boy” has gone wild and is now about to consume the entire house.You have seen people who had opportunity to engrave their names in the sands of time but failed, who rather than build golden monuments in their time, chose to be golden in their wasteful spending of common resources, now suddenly rising up to say that Amaechi is disrespectful to the president and that he has ambitions to become Vice President. Amaechi has become an issue that the one way to becoming relevant and warming oneself up to the Presidency is by saying, “Amaechi is disrespectful to Mr. President, kill him”.Their saying these words would not make Nigerians, Niger Deltans and the Rivers people forget their years of wastefulness and woes in Rivers State. Time will tell.
What is the problem between the Minister for State for Education, Chief NyesomWike, and the Governor Amaechi? Does it not give the governor concern in view of how the minister struggled to make him a governor?
Honestly, I get infuriated when I hear NyesomWike, I mean Hon. Minister Nyesom Wike, say that he made Rt Hon Amaechi governor. The question is, how? Please, never mind my tone and how I addressed him initially. Nyesom was my schoolmate at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Law. We were both admitted into the Faculty of Law the same year, 1991. Admittedly, he had A/Level and was upgraded to second year while the rest of us were in the first level. So you can see that I know him long and well enough, and personally, too, to address him simply as Nyesom. I read in THISDAY where Nyesom claimed to have made Rt Hon. Amaechi governor of Rivers State and I wonder how he did that. Maybe I should go to him so he can also make me a governor because I am also interested.
But seriously speaking, I am at a loss how Nyesom made Amaechi governor of Rivers State. I do not really understand what exceptional role Nyesom played in Governor Amaechi becoming the governor in 2007 that entitles him to such claim. He was merely a chairman of one of the four local government areas that make up Ikwerre ethnic nationality. We had Chief Azubuike Nmerukini, Kirian Wobodo, Emeka Woke and Nyesom himself as chairmen. Aside from mobilising Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, did he also mobiliseIkwerre Local Government Area, did he mobilise Hon Andrew Uchendu, late Ambassador I. H. Ajuru, and all those who stood by the governor during the travail.
On the role of Wike during the 2007 election.
Indeed, during the 2007 election, Nyesom was of the view that PDP had failed us and that we should vote en mass against the party at that time, though, that view was only nurtured given the circumstances at that time. It was Amaechi’s intervention from Ghana that saved the day. The governor issued a press release that all his supporters should vote PDP. It is laughable how Wike claims he had everything to terminate Governor Amaechi’s ambition in 2007. How could he have done that? Please, he should tell Nigerians how. Though he is a lawyer, Wike was not in the legal team, so how could he have done that. I need to know. Mr. Fagbemi, SAN, led the team. We had Dappa-Addo and others. At some point the governor asked that I join the team. Other lawyers who could not appear in court with the team wrote legal opinions and made media publications. For instance, I personally wrote legal opinions that I submitted to the team, which Wike merely received from me and my partner, Barr Edward Pepple. Is that the power he had to terminate the ambition? Or was it the fact that the governor spoke to him everyday from Ghana, if at all. There were other persons that he spoke to everyday from Ghana and I was one of such persons. He also delegated other assignments to other people, including me. So I too can claim I made him governor.
On Wike’s claim that he smuggled Amaechi into Abuja.
Wike said he smuggled the governor into Abuja; that is the height of all lies. At the point that Nyesom knew of the plan of Governor Amaechi coming into Abuja in 2007, the governor was already in Abuja at Hilton Hotels. It would be wrong to claim that he did. I am not saying that Wike did not play any role at all, but for him to aggregate what everybody did in the pursuit of Amaechi’s ambition and to say that he did all of those is, to say the least, most dishonorable and disappointing.
Rivers people cannot forget that there was a group called Rivers Success Movement, Wike was not a member and did not set it up, rather he killed it as soon as he became the Chief of Staff. There was a Chidugam Nyeche, RabiuAbubakar, they were not Nyesom. Rivers people would not forget that the meeting point for Ameachi’s supporters was Beverly Hills Hotels, GRA, which almost put that business and the owner in jeopardy. Wike was not the owner. You could even see his contradiction. In one breath he said his house was the meeting point and in another he said he ran away from home for over three months. Yes, initially his home was used for one or two meetings. Wike was one of those who relocated to Abuja to prepare themselves in the event that Amaechi lost, but claiming they were under threat. Please, let not Wike or any man claim glory for Amaechi becoming governor. I can tell you, as a legal scholar, that what happened in 2007 was a clear effort by the Supreme Court of Nigeria to sustain the Nigerian democracy and to send the message to politicians that they must not undermine the laws.
Are you saying that Wike did not fund the legal suit of Amaechi?
How was that possible? How much had he then? He was a just local government chairman of Obio/Akpor. Prior to 1999, who was Nyesom? He had not worked in any establishment, as to say he had made money. It is common knowledge that the governor’s colleagues at the House of Assembly, who were sympathetic to his cause at that time, contributed some money; the four chairmen from Ikwerre, including Nyesom, contributed and few other individuals did too. Of course, I was certainly not part of those. So, why would Nyesom claim that he funded the governorship pursuit save for cheap popularity and sympathy? One thing was clear, which was that Governor Amaechi as a person did not have enough money to fund his team of lawyers at that time, despite his eight years of being speaker. That was why some of us who were close to him were surprised when we heard that EFCC was after him.
Let me clear one point here, even though you did not ask me any question relating to that. I understand Nyesom is attempting to create an impression that he and Amaechi were like contemporaries in Dr. Peter Odili’s Restoration Team. That is fallacy. The first meeting of Dr. Odili and Nyesom was whilst Nyesom was undergoing his court attachment in Justice Mary Odili’s Court, while she was a High Court Judge in Rivers State. She hosted the students to a private dinner in her house, Nyesom and his wife, who were both law students, attended. At this time Governor Amaechi had long served as Personal Assistant to Dr. Odili and SA to Governor Rufus Ada-George. We all know the main people in Odili’s team then. Not even the former Deputy Speakers of House Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche or Hon. Austin Okpara was at that level in Odili’s team. But Amaechi was, former Minister Abiye Sekibo was, too. Even in Amaechi’s team, Wike was not in the first eleven as at 2005. We had people like Andrew Uchendu, Dakuku Peterside, Nwuke Anucha, who was also a local government chairman then. But no sooner that Wike came than he started with his same style of planting discord just for his personal reasons. That was how he set up Nwuke Anucha, accusing him of working with Hon. Austin Okpara. He edged Nwuke out of the team because he was afraid of Nwuke’s closeness then to Rivers youth then and Wike saw that as a threat. Nyesom is too power hungry. Today he claims to be leading Dr. Peter Odili merely by saying that Felix Obuah told him to. What a shame.
What do you mean by “his same style”?
I mean his style of using people as a ladder to climb to the top and turning around to shove the ladder away. This is what Wike himself referred to as betrayal. I can give instances and then you can make the conclusions. Senator Victor Mbata was one of Wike’s main benefactors while he was in the university; he sponsored Wike first term election as chairman in 1999. He turned out to be Sen. Mbata’s greatest undoing in Obio/Akpor. Nwuke Anucha and Chief Uchendu introduced Nyesom to Amaechi for Governor Amaechi to support him for his second term as chairman. As soon as he won, he first displaced Nwuke Anucha from the Amaechi’s group and has continued to fight Chief Uchendu till date. Now, Amaechi made him Chief of Staff and nominated him as minister, today he is Amaechi’s worst enemy. What do you think? For me, I think these are acts of treachery and gentlemen should not be known for such behaviours. This is the style that I am talking about. Ironically, Nyesom has “good reasons” always for his actions.
There is the rumour that the minister wants to be governor and Amaechi is opposed to it.
I think it will be better if we put the question in proper perspective. Governor Amaechi did not oppose Wike’s ambition of becoming governor. All that the governor said was that in his own view, it would not be proper for another Ikwerre person to succeed him as governor given the multi-ethnic nature of Rivers State. Governor Amaechi alone is not the electorate. If Rivers people want another Ikwerre person to succeed him,then so be it. Today, Amaechi is imposing candidates on people, but if he had agreed that Ikwerre man, Nyesom, should succeed him he would have been the best person in Rivers State. Even as early as 2010, Nyesom had started working towards his succeeding Governor Amaechi, urging the governor to stick to his earlier statement that he, the governor, would not possibly contest for a second term. When it was obvious that the governor was going to contest, Wike began the campaign of Ikwerre North and South. Everybody in the Exco knew about it. It all started as a joke but today it is as real as day and night. If anyone believes that Nyesom is not planning to become governor after Governor Amaechi, then the person can believe anything. As it is said, power is a class a drug, it is highly addictive. Nyesom has tasted it and has become addicted and he is ready to do anything to continue to have it. Such men are desperate and can do anything for.
What is your take on the current House of Assembly crisis in Rivers State?
Simply, I would say it was shameful and unbecoming of noblemen to have acted in such an ignominious manner. No matter what anybody says or thinks about it. Again, it confirms how desperate people can become just to cease power. For five lawmakers to attempt to impeach a speaker and then cease power from 27 others is not only undemocratic but also barbaric and suicidal. I will also blame the Rivers State Police Command for willfully and deliberately refusing to enforce law and order. When I heard the Commissioner of Police on TV saying he was not notified of the sitting and that was the reason he didn’t respond when he noticed the fracas, I felt not only ashamed but also pity for my dear country. It was even most worrisome that the Commissioner of Police admitted in his interview that he could oversee the Assembly premises from his office window. The general duties of the police include maintaining law and order. What the CP actually meant was that if he saw a person committing a crime he would have to wait until the victim goes to a police station to make a formal report before he would take an action. The CP’s action clearly undermined his statutory obligation to prevent crime. It is clear he not only acted negligently, but in a manner unbecoming of a professional. I will advise the CP to resign from the Nigerian Police for failing in his duty.
How do you think these crises can be resolved?
Foremost, I think that all concerned must sheathe their sword and then give room for genuine reconciliation. I will adopt traditional mode of advising elders, which is by proverbs. To Mr. President, I will call on him, most respectfully, to remember a proverbial adage of monkeys jumping and dancing when trees were been felled down in the forest in the day, and in the evening the monkeys realised that it was their homes that were been destroyed earlier. To my boss, the governor, I will say to him what elders normally tell us in the village, that when you are going to war, leading and you hear footsteps sounding, please, always remember to look back to know if the sounds are those of retreating feet or those moving forward with you. Thank you for the opportunity of this interview.
You didn’t advise the minister.
Okay, let me advise him to remember that it is most honourable never to bite the finger that feeds you.
Simply, I would say it was shameful and unbecoming of noblemen to have acted in such an ignominious manner. No matter what anybody says or thinks about it. Again, it confirms how desperate people can become just to cease power. For five lawmakers to attempt to impeach a speaker and then cease power from 27 others is not only undemocratic but also barbaric and suicidal. I will also blame the Rivers State Police Command for willfully and deliberately refusing to enforce law and order. When I heard the Commissioner of Police on TV saying he was not notified of the sitting and that was the reason he didn’t respond when he noticed the fracas, I felt not only ashamed but also pity for my dear country. It was even most worrisome that the Commissioner of Police admitted in his interview that he could oversee the Assembly premises from his office window. The general duties of the police include maintaining law and order. What the CP actually meant was that if he saw a person committing a crime he would have to wait until the victim goes to a police station to make a formal report before he would take an action. The CP’s action clearly undermined his statutory obligation to prevent crime. It is clear he not only acted negligently, but in a manner unbecoming of a professional. I will advise the CP to resign from the Nigerian Police for failing in his duty.
How do you think these crises can be resolved?
Foremost, I think that all concerned must sheathe their sword and then give room for genuine reconciliation. I will adopt traditional mode of advising elders, which is by proverbs. To Mr. President, I will call on him, most respectfully, to remember a proverbial adage of monkeys jumping and dancing when trees were been felled down in the forest in the day, and in the evening the monkeys realised that it was their homes that were been destroyed earlier. To my boss, the governor, I will say to him what elders normally tell us in the village, that when you are going to war, leading and you hear footsteps sounding, please, always remember to look back to know if the sounds are those of retreating feet or those moving forward with you. Thank you for the opportunity of this interview.
You didn’t advise the minister.
Okay, let me advise him to remember that it is most honourable never to bite the finger that feeds you.
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