Rivers State House of Assembly; Another name for Animal Kingdo 20th July,2013 By Chris Onyishi I have tried, with difficulty, to refuse the temptation of commenting on the goings-on in the Rivers State and, most recently, its House of Assembly for some time now. I find out that the urge to think aloud increases, each time, with the news emanating from the Garden City which has now been turned into a gladiators’ arena. When I watch a popular DSTV channel called “Nat Geo Wild”, I do see how animals eschew God and play God to each other in the jungle. I always feel bad but I understand I am watching animals. What is happening in Rivers State, politically speaking, today is not far from a “Nat Geo Wild” in real sense, the only difference is that this time around human beings – and not animals – are involved; playing God to each other and making a mince meat out of each other’s flesh. I have chosen to relay the comments of some people on this issue. All is based on news items. I was not there and would not want to be there with the kind of news coming out. I was not trained in the art of boxing, wrestling or karate. It is now obvious that you must be fortified in one of these physical acts or arts before you can safely go near any place in Rivers State. Before I continue, my prayers go to some of my relations and good friends in Rivers State who now live in fear. Not too long ago, Boko Haram was sending people packing from the Northern side of our country. Now, it is likely that The Rivers State House of Assembly, the Governor and with the help or connivance of the first lady, Her Excellency Dame Patience Gooluck, and her husband, our own President Goodluck Jonathan – the transformational agenda President – and, the C in C of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will start sending people packing from the South-South end of the country. ( Continues below..... ) Rivers State House of Assembly Photo Above: Rivers State House of Assembly Without mincing words, to hear or see the President’s name and his wife feature in the said Rivers State imbroglio is not just absurd, it is offensive and smacks affront on the Rivers State people. But that is not to say, by any inference, that I have taken side or I am trying to take side with Gov. Rotimi Amaechi and his gang in the gangster activities that has engulfed the olden days garden city. The other very sad aspect of the whole saga is that it all started, remotely or otherwise, after the visit of the First Lady to that state and sequel to allegations that the Rivers State Governor had pitched tent with some northern elements to run as a vice presidential candidate to a northerner. Is there anything wrong in that ambition that will warrant a deliberate attempt to bring a state down violently? To underscore my neutrality in this whole thing, it would be pertinent to refer my readers to an article I titled “POLITICIANS AROUND THE WORLD AR GRADUALLY DECIMATION ORGANIZED STATES” and written not quite long ago. I do not have fate in the political class in Nigeria of today. It seems as if there is hardly any descent politician in Nigeria. One "Honorable” member of Rivers State Assembly (Mr. Evans Bipi) who is alleged to be favoring President Goodluck and his wife Dame and, who was alleged to have initiated the “agboro-like” assault in the House of assembly, was quoted as saying that Madam was, or is still, his "Jesus Christ" on earth. I do not have any quarrel with this assertion but it tells much about the “honorable” member who made it. It would be pertinent to understand when this man, who claims to have lived with Madam for several years, imbibed the idea of using brutal force in solving disputes. Was it before, during or after he lived with Madam? If it was before living with Madam and she did not do anything to dissuade him from such action when they stayed together, then the Madam has some penchant for trouble. If it was during his stay with Madam, then the Madam would also be seen to have tendency towards trouble. If, on the other hand, it was after he left Madam, it would still mean that he imbibed that life style while under Madam’s tutelage. Head or tale, Madam is implicated. I know social scientists will have a varied opinion to this line of taught but the real truth remains that our first lady’s body language does not portray her as someone who is afraid of violence and controversy. It was also recorded that Mr. Bipi was almost snatching an AK47 rifle from a police officer. Only God knows what would have been the next line in the script, was he able to overpower the police man. From the raw manner he expressed himself during and after the tournament, one would clearly see that the Rivers State House of Assembly – and by extension, the Nigerian State – has all the time been under the canopy of dishonorable people as their law makers. The Minister of State for Education – Mr. Nyesom Wike – was quoted as saying that "…what is important is for Nigerians to know that we will not be scared or be intimidated; we will do what we think is right within the law. We will make sure that Rivers people have the change which they had requested for.” But news report also gave the impression that out of the 32 man Rivers State House of Assembly, only 5 are against Gov. Amaechi. So, if democracy is about representation and number, which Rivers People is the junior Minister referring to. Who is intimidating the other? Is it the 5 “honorable” people or the 27 others? Common sense will show that the five who cannot have their way in a normal democratic setting and who seem to have the backing from Abuja is doing the intimidation. So, normally, it could be said that the Minister of State is off mark in his remarks and that is in addition to his swaggering while telling us that Michael Chinda will be flown abroad for medical treatment. Is his government not supposed to put medical facilities back home for treatment of, at least, such simple ailment as fracture or open wound? Shameless is the only way to imagine the attitude of our rulers. Michael Chinda, the other “honorable” man of the Rivers State Assembly who got the beating of his life with the Mace of the assembly is billed to be – if he has not been – flown abroad for treatment as we were boldly told by the Minister of State for education – Mr. Nyesom Wike. This is the most worrisome of the whole episode. That these ungrateful elements will humiliate us in all fronts and still have the recourse to using our collective resources to treat themselves abroad is the most offensive part of the insult. We do not have roads, we do not have electricity, we do not have hospitals, we do not have schools, we do not have practically anything to sustain ourselves in our own country, and some animals in the jungle are depleting what is left to be used someday to provide these amenities, by genuine leaders, to fly abroad for treatment on a wound which they inflicted on themselves while displaying the beast in them. The Minister of State in the Education ministry was so proud of himself when he was telling us that Michael Chinda is being flown abroad. It became a class thing to him. Can you imagine the mentality of our rulers? In another breath, one commentator summarized the fate of this “honorable” Michael Chinda thus: “I think the man deserved what he got; if he dies to hell. if he survives he has lessons and experience to share to his friends and his generations to come. The mace used on him is the best rod because that is staff of authority to correct lawlessness and cast out demons in the man and as you can see the man has been delivered thru the power in the authority of mace”. Isn’t the above assertion funny enough? But what you will not deny the person who made that assertion is frustration from the actions and activities of our so called “honorable” rulers; executive and legislature alike. When the citizenry gets to the point he or she reasons as above as a result of his or her disappoint in those who determine his or her fate, then you know that the whole essence of an organized state is in the verge of collapse and the mantra becomes as relevant as anarchy song. “Unfortunately, Soyinka betrayed moral duty in his recent diatribe against Mrs. Patience Jonathan. Of course, this would not be the first time he would reach out against the First Lady, usually from self-righteously indignant lecterns". The above excerpt is from Mr. Ayo Osinlu’s defense of her Madam against Prof. Wole Soyinka’s press conference on the Rivers State imbroglio, where it was alleged that the Prof. advised the President to be cautious of the excesses of his wife. Here again we see how people – because of their personal gains – will bring down their pens heavily (against anybody) to defend the indefensible. When you agree to become the Special Assistant on media to a woman who has a much exaggerated sense of her relevance in a state where actors are driven by inordinate ambition, you have sold out on your integrity and professional responsibility. On his part, The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, compared the Rivers House of Assembly crises with what happened in Adamawa State where the State Assembly was shut down for three months in the past. According to him, the crisis was an internal Rivers State wrangling within the administration which, he said, is fueled by the mischief of the State Governor. Mr. Gulak did not see anything wrong with the full tuggry that took place in the Rivers State Assembly beyond the fact that the State Governor was around at the scene. President Jonathan should lean backwards and reflect on the overbearing activities of his wife in his government. Nigerians may tolerate his actions and inactions, but I do not think many Nigerians will be willing to stomach the excesses of his wife who does not, in any form, have their mandate to gallivant about with the taxpayer’s money. She could still be comfortable, as a first lady, without undue interference in the activities of elected representatives of the people, irrespective of how wacked the elections that brought them into power. There is already the stench rumor that all these crises are being precipitated to get to a point where the President will declare a state of emergency in Rivers State to finally drive down the nail on the coffin of the political fate of Gov. Amaechi. If an already fragile nation disintegrates as a result of the unnecessary interference of a sitting President’s wife, then history will tell the story in a bitter way. Chris Onyishi (ctekchris@yahoo)writes from Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 21:41:40 +0000
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