The Upper Crust

Two fighting: The sorry story of Rivers state

 

With Uche Nnadozie

Are there no more elders in Rivers state that goat will give birth in the king’s court? There is hardly a quarter of a year that dirty linen is not washed outside in that state. A state that is so wealthy in human and material resources yet determined to be ruined by her servants. For what ever it is worth, that state should be competing if not surpass whatever it is that Lagos has achieved. Yet, if there be any development at all, most of it are situated within the state capital and a few surrounding suburbs.
Nevertheless, Rivers is far bigger than Port Harcourt. It is the state best known for oil and gas. It is also a port city. What’s more? It has the capacity to feed the country with plantain and bananas. That is not all, Rivers land is blessed, such that it can produce virtually every crop grown in any part of Nigeria. Then her ocean economy is another matter entirely. Apart from oil found in its onshore waters and offshore, fish and other such sea food should indeed be the mainstay of that state not oil.
A state with a rich cultural heritage, coupled with a beautiful blend of many cultures of different backgrounds, culinary diversity should make Rivers a tourist hub when blended with dance, festivals and colourful displays in songs and other entertainment. Rivers, before oil was a melting pot of cultural festivities and in the 21st century, that and not oil should have been the champion of its economy. But no! Unfortunately, finding selfless leaders has been a tortuous and an impossible task. Ogoni land for example now infamously renowned for despoliation was rather known for her grades and species of fish. Ogoni was better known for agriculture. Ogoni was known for the beautiful culture and for the people.
Oil, which brought free money did the Rivers person a lot of bad. Free money is a bad thing ladies and gentlemen. For investing nothing, but it turns out at the end of every month, money is credited to Rivers account, the many ethnic nationalities that make up that state became hostile to one another and among themselves. Like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, with oil, the centre could no longer hold. Today and in many years before, it is common place to find Rivers youth and old wake up and do nothing. All they do is play card or whot. Or any of such variant. Then of course, organise into all manner of groups, camps and cartels.
Rivers people now and years gone by began to pay less and less attention to what education can do. Not that they do not go to school, but education became irrelevant to the cause of their existence. Money took the centre stage. The many youth groups were armies in the hands of elders, politicians, clergy and traditional rulers. They are used to disturb and extort money from oil companies. They were unruly but these days they are dangerous. From forming youth groups, they metamorphosed into forming gangs and cultists. While some became militants (for want of a more deserved description) others became armed robbers or kidnappers. They terrorised everywhere and everyone.
As democracy birthed, it was the same youths that joined politics. Their godfathers became governors and senators or ministers. The same youths became integrated into the youth group of dominant political parties. Of course it was only a matter of time before the youths came of age. They too wanted power. Some became council officials, others members of the House of Assembly. Yet more became special assistants and even in some cases commissioners. They now saw money, raw money. Those of them with some education became stars. It was like eldorado. That is why it is not strange to see bloodbath during elections in Rivers. It is called Rivers of blood. They don’t spare anything to gain power. It is the oil money that motivates them, not power itself.
Most of the present leaders of Rivers have never worked in their lives. Out of school, they joined politics and rose rapidly. Nobody groomed them and they didn’t learn from anyone. They just became intoxicated masters. That is the background to the rubbish we see today in Rivers. The elders have been cowed. They have taken sides. The clergy can’t talk because their mouths have been stuffed with petrol dollars. The youths are more concerned about dying for either camp because of money than a future that can be fair to all. When public security personnel openly show loyalty to individuals rather than Nigeria then Rivers politics should no longer be seen in that “local” light.
Governor Nyesom Wike and Minister Chibuike Amaechi should no longer be allowed to rubbish the police and the department of state security officials. Enough is enough. Issuing statements of attempted assassination against each of the gladiators shows two of them have no respect for Nigeria. Nigeria has to rein them in now. They are not the first people to fall out politically. They are not the first to be minister or governor. Those two individuals must learn decorum the hard way. They are bad influence to the security attached to them. They are using our security paid for a purpose by all, for very personal, childish and stupid egoistic venture. The president must step in. The president together with heads of all the security officials involved in the Port Harcourt debacle must meet the two belligerents to end this nonsense.

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