Governor Rotimi Amaechi

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Amaechi never spoke to any media organisation – Media Office

The attention of former governor of Rivers State Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has been drawn to a story with the caption SGF: Buhari Disappointed Me – Amaechi”, published by a certain “Savinggracereporters.com”. The story which is ridiculous as it is meaningless is a figment of the writer’s imagination and sadly flouts all the basic rules of journalism biz: fairness, accuracy and balance. This story like so many others like it is a tissue of lies and fit only for the trash-can. 
Since after leaving office and with the successful delivery of the change agenda to Nigerians,
Former Governor Amaechi has been enjoying a well deserved rest. He hasn’t found any need to grant any interviews to any journalist or blogger and so couldn’t have spoken to savinggracereporters. 
Rt. Hon Amaechi holds the media in high esteem but may soon be forced to take action against those who bring the profession of journalism to disrepute by their deliberate falsehood and malicious reports. 
For the sake of decency and ethical conduct, Rt. Hon. Amaechi therefore demands that the said savinggracereporters immediately retract the mischief they have on their website and apologize to their readers for their unprofessional conduct. 
In this era of reformation and restoration, it is important that everyone embraces propriety and decorous conduct to enable every segment of our country join the change train.
Signed
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi media office
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Rotimi Amaechi's role to free Nigeria of the Polio Scourge |By: Philemon Doro Adjekuko

It has been about a year now since Nigeria recorded any case of polio.  For over 17 years, the disease was on rampage, especially in the northern part of the country. The country accounted for about 50% of global and 80% of African polio cases.  Nigeria was the face of the disease.
According to one medical source, “polio is a viral illness that begins with flu-like symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting and/or diarrhea and muscle aching. The virus enters the body through the stomach and intestines. In some people the virus can enter into the central nervous system and produce damage to motor nerve cells, whose function is to instruct muscles to move”.
Concerned about the inability of national governments to tackle the rapid advance of the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) back in 1988 launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with the goal of eradicating the disease by the year 2000.  By 1996, WHO realized that the eradication initiative was not going as planned in terms of reducing the outbreak and spread of the disease. A massive booster immunization initiative “kick out polio” was launched. The initiative was indeed ground breaking as vaccination was taken to the door steps of millions of children across the world, especially in vulnerable regions.  Nigeria was again, the poster child of the campaign.
According to Maryam Yahya an anthropological researcher, everything was going on well until July 2003 when three Northern states of Kano, Zamfara and Kaduna halted the campaign on the ground   that “the vaccines were deliberately contaminated with anti-fertility agents and the HIV virus” There were also some cultural and political angles to the boycott.
The botched Trovan trial on 200 children against meningitis by Pfizer in 1996 which led to the death of at least five of them provided another strong reason for the popularity of the call for boycott of the polio immunization.  The boycott was costly in both economic and human terms as more northern states joined. Most of those who managed to survive polio attack became severely and irreversibly deformed.
That was the state of things when then Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi took over as Chairman of Governor’s Forum in May 2011. Health was on top of Amaechi’s mind and he had a robust plan for primary, secondary and tertiary levels of the health sector in Rivers State. But he was greatly disturbed by the heavy toll polio was inflicting on the country, especially in the north.
Back in May 2014 when I asked Mr Asishana Okauru, DG of Governors’ Forum about how Amaechi went about the fight against polio, he was practically speechless. When he eventually got his voice back, he said he had never seen anything like it.
“Ameachi made polio a permanent part of our agenda for at least 18 months. At every single meeting it was discussed. So when you see that polio is being well managed today it is because of his effort.   And I can tell you that it is that same spirit that helped the country with the outbreak of ebola.  So with that state of mind every time there is a challenge that should be handled at the sub-national level with a common governance template, you see all of them (the governors) moving in the same direction because of that mentality. So, when you have something consistently on your agenda for eighteen months, there is just no way would you not make progress”.
Okauru said each of the states set up an emergency centre that was linked to a special desk managed by a public health expert Dr Zikrullah Giwa at the Forum’s office in Abuja.   At each meeting, Dr Giwa would brief the governors on the state of affairs in the crisis states.  Any state that was not doing well with the immunization initiative was put on the spot for explanation. The governors all bought into the project so much so that they never travelled for the Forum’s meetings without establishing their current “status” from their commissioners of health.
As Okauru said above, it was that collegiate and governance template approach that later became helpful during the deadly Ebola outbreak in mid-2014.   Incidentally, Rivers State was the only state outside Lagos that was hit by Ebola. The collaborative efforts of the two states as well as the Federal Government helped Nigeria tremendously in containing the spread of the fearsome disease.
The success recorded in the immunization program following Amaechi’s drive at the Forum has paid off handsomely.  Having been free of a fresh case of polio in almost a year, Nigeria is currently waiting to be delisted from the list of polio endemic countries by end of August this year.  If the status quo remains till 2017, the country will be then be declared polio free.  If that happens, it will be a major relief to Africa and the rest of the world.
Hopefully, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will be remembered for his tireless effort and contribution to making Nigeria polio free.
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Philemon Doro Adjekuko is a development economist and media consultant based in Abuja.
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Amaechi, the Lion of Niger Delta Politics, Strikes Gold | By: Eze Chukwuemeka Eze

For a man to clock the golden age of 50 in a country like Nigeria where the life expectancy is much lower surely calls for a celebration. My good friend and political leader, Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, therefore has every reason to roll out the drums as he strikes gold today, Wednesday, May 27, 2015. 
Silver and gold have I none to give the man of the moment but at least I can pay him a tribute, chronicling how he emerged from humble circumstances to become one of shapers of modern Nigerian politics within his first 50 years of sojourn on earth. As a close friend who has watched Amaechi from close quarters over a long period of time, I will attempt to expose what makes him tick politically and how he piloted the unseating of a sitting President and a political party that prided itself as the largest in Africa.                  
In my previous articles, I pointed out that His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s tie with the destiny of Rivers State is mysterious and different from that of any other political leader from the State. He is the only political leader so far who has played a key role in shaping the political future of the State who shares the same birthday with the State. Whilst he was born on May 27, 1965, Rivers State was created two years after on May 27, 1967. This, somehow, underscores why his commitment towards the emancipation and development of the State is total and unique. 
Another unique thing about this great leader is that he shares the same date with the day on which Nigeria celebrates the Children’s Day. Inspired by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Federal Government of Nigeria decided in 1964 – a year to the birth of Amaechi – to set aside the May 27 every year as Nigeria’s Children’s Day. On this special day the whole Nation celebrates the Nigerian Child and the Federal Government declares a public holiday for schools across the country. The day is usually marked with fanfare, featuring dances, singing by children in colourful dresses and youth parades considered by many as the highlights of the day.
 Governor Amaechi’s Humble Beginnings
The family of Amaechi in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, was on May 27, 1965 blessed with the birth of a son who unbeknownst to all would become a force to reckon with in Nigeria’s political firmament even before his 50th birthday. He was named Chibuike, which means ‘God is all Powerful’ and Rotimi, an abridged version of Oluwadurotimi, meaning ‘the Lord stands by me’, while Amaechi means ‘who knows tomorrow?’ Remember the popular phrase, what is in a name? One does not need to be a sage to know that all the meanings embedded in his name are playing out in the acts and arts of politics in Amaechi’s life. 
Amaechi, as he himself has unequivocally said on several occasions, was not born into opulence. As a child his family experienced real hardship and he admits going through several challenges that have helped to shape his perception of life. His determination to ensure equal access to education for every Rivers child and bridge the gap between the privileged and underprivileged children in the state is unprecedented. Whenever the occasion demands, Amaechi would not hesitate to point out that though he came from an underprivileged background, his was a modest family that inculcated in him the virtues of honesty, humility and sheer doggedness to succeed. 
To give an insight into some of the experiences he had to go through in order to be educated and which perhaps may very well be the reason behind his passion to provide free education for all children in the state, rich and poor, Governor Amaechi said in an interview: “I don’t know how many people in my cabinet that could have experienced poverty like I did. I grew up at No.18, Chibu Street. I moved from there to Nnamdi Azikwe. Later, I lived with one of my friends in one of the creek villages near Port Harcourt. 
And I knew that my parents suffered a lot. With tears, they were looking for money to pay for my school fees, buy me uniforms, bags and all that. When I was in the university, I used to tell the girls that ‘none of you looked at my face because I was wearing one shirt, one pair of trousers almost every day with a sandal’. On Fridays, we would wash it and we wouldn’t move out at all on Saturday to enable it dry; Sam Okah and myself. Then it would dry on Saturday, but on Sunday, we were back to life; wearing the same shirt and the same trousers. How many of those in the cabinet passed through that?” This is the pathetic story of the man that is driven by unquenchable passion for a better Rivers State. 
Amaechi’s Rise to Power and Legacy as Governor
Amaechi became Governor of Rivers State in October 2007, after his previous position as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007. He successfully sought re-election as River State Governor on April 26, 2011. 
An alumnus of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Amaechi is resolutely committed to ensuring that education is received without much burden in terms of finance to parents and guardians. This he has demonstrated through the free education policy of his administration, including the provision of free uniforms, free sandals, free books, free hand bags and free tuition in the primary schools, while in the secondary schools, the government offers free uniform, free bags, free books, free boarding and free sandals. This may well be his own special way of living up to his birthday which coincides with the Children’s Day!
Amaechi’s massive investment in education that includes free education and overseas training for scholarship students clearly shows his desire for a better tomorrow for children, as there is no gainsaying the fact that education is the bedrock of the development of any society. Today, his investment in education in the State stands out in the country. The awards the State has earned in this regard bear this out.
Apart from education, Governor Amaechi has also made massive infrastructural investments around the State, road projects, schools, health centres, rural electrification, ongoing monorail project, rural development, land reclamation, implementation of the Greater Port Harcourt Master Plan and, most importantly, the sustenance of relative peace and security evident in the continued attraction and influx of foreign investors to the State. Amaechi stands as the only African Leader to have constructed 60 health centres, donated to 60 communities. His astute leadership in striving for financial transparency, accountability and inclusive governance has earned the State a lot of accolades, numerous awards and recognitions by international bodies and corporations, including the ability to attract a B+/AA Fitch investment rating to the State, boost economic and structural development as well as enhance content development in all sectors of Rivers State.  
As Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Amaechi was Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria (1999 – 2000). He was the first to serve two terms as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), recently handing over to a new leadership in view of the fact that his constitutionally allowed two terms as Governor is about to end. He has received the prestigious national award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Amaechi bagged the Sun Newspaper Man of the Year Award in 2007 and the Compass Newspaper Award for Security in 2008. The Governor of the Year 2009 Award was presented to him at the Leadership Award for Excellence – 2009 and he was the Vanguard Personality of the Year for 2012. Amaechi’s international recognitions include his decoration last year as an Associate Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR), Geneva, Switzerland.
To many people Amaechi is the creator of modern Rivers State only comparable to the creator of the old Rivers State, HRH Alfred Diete-Spiff. This is the inescapable conclusion when one takes time to study Amaechi’s feats in the infrastructure change and revolution taking place in Rivers State today that includes creating the new Port Harcourt Mega City that has one of the best modern stadiums and other edifices only obtainable in modern cities of Europe.  
For the records, Amaechi has succeeded in rescuing Rivers State from the hands of militants, whose activities made Port Harcourt to be described as the third most dangerous city in the world as at 2007 when Amaechi took over as Governor. He has since made the city an investors’ haven and has placed it prominently on the international map as the first African city to become the World Book Capital.
Governor Amaechi redefined the art of politics and governance in Nigeria when he introduced free education and free healthcare programmes in Rivers State and within a space of five years created over 50,000 jobs to reduce the menace of unemployment, poverty and insurgency in the country. His administration started creating employment opportunities when he assumed office in 2007 by building over 140 Primary Health Centres, 23 model Secondary Schools that can compete with any modern university in Nigeria and over 300 Model Primary Schools. Each of these projects attracts about 100 workers. His government has created the Banana Farms that have created jobs for over 2,000 persons, and revived Risonpalm, which was dead when he came in, and it has employed over 5,000 workers. The Songhai Farm has employed over 2,000 workers, while five Fish Farms in strategic locations have been completed.   
Amaechi’s Role in PDP’s Downfall and the Making of the Buhari Presidency
The desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Leadership to completely destroy Amaechi led to his departure, alongside six other PDP Governors, to form the New PDP, with five of them later joining the mega opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Explaining why he joined APC, Governor Amaechi said: “Unfortunately, recent events within the PDP have given me reason to reconsider our collective interest as people of the South South and indeed as Rivers people. At various times, as the one whom you gave your mandate, I had cause to complain about the marginalisation of our State and our people despite our huge contribution to the national coffers and our unflinching commitment and support for the ruling PDP. While the political and economic importance of Rivers State cannot be contested, we continue to hold the shorter end of the stick.

“A few instances may suffice: Our demand that the Federal Government return oil wells belonging to Rivers State to us has gone unheeded and been treated with levity under this administration. Rather, our oil wells have been ceded to Bayelsa, Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Even after we got a judgment that the oil wells were wrongly ceded to Akwa Ibom State and should be returned to us; only dry wells that were no longer producing oil were returned. 

 “In the specific case of the Soku oil wells, despite a decision reached that the monies should remain in an escrow account till all matters concerning it are resolved, the Federal Government continues to pay neighbouring Bayelsa State the revenues meant for Rivers State in a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is indeed noteworthy that we have made several representations formally and informally on this matter.
 “A second instance is the total absence of federal presence in Rivers State. The ‘National Good Governance Tour’ provided a good opportunity for the Federal Government to showcase its presence in Rivers State. The tour, if nothing else, proved that there was not much to show in a state that is the cash cow of the federation. The East-West Road remains abandoned, work has been deliberately slow on the Port Harcourt International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country, while all airports started along with it have long been completed and commissioned. The Bonny-Bomu Road that leads to the only functional liquefied natural gas project remains uncompleted. In the midst of all these, our administration went ahead to fix federal roads to the tune of N103 billion. Several representations and letters after, not one kobo has been repaid. The Federal Government is actively discouraging investments in Rivers State.”‎

When the powers that be in Abuja, in their wickedness, chose to chastise Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi left, right, front and back to make him look unpopular before his constituency in order to prepare the ground for his ultimate removal from office, I saw whose interest they were serving and warned that they would inadvertently help Amaechi to become not only stronger but also triumphantly victorious at the end of the day. Many people dismissed my prediction with a wave of the hand. However, I have become vindicated. One, surely, doesn’t need to be a son of Issachar to be able to read and understand the direction the pendulum would swing in this case because Amaechi is being persecuted without any justification whatsoever.  Today, despite all the attempts to bring him down, Governor Amaechi has proved himself an icon, hero and soldier of democracy.
When on 9th September, 2013 my appointment as the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP was announced to Nigerians the only brief I received was the 30 minutes encounter I had with Governor Amaechi. During that encounter he kept repeating that whenever General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) accepted to fly the flag of the emergent mega opposition political party in the country, the unseating of President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP would become a reality. I was deeply impressed by his strong belief in General Buhari. It was based on this that I went boldly into the field and with the cooperation of the G7 Governors and other leaders of the New PDP, we were able to dismantle what was the famous and largest political party in Africa.
At the time five out of the seven Governors joined APC formally and during the APC Convention, Governor Amaechi and with the help of others, General Buhari was duly elected as the flag bearer of APC. In appreciation of his key role in making Buhari the Presidential Candidate, he was duly appointed to head the Campaign of Buhari and his feat in ensuring that Buhari was duly elected as the President of Nigeria will forever resonate in the country’s history.
If Not for Amaechi and the Four PDP Governors that Joined APC, APC’S Victory Would Not Have Been Possible – Atiku and Okorocha
Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and the Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, have attributed the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the courageous decision of the five former governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to dump their party and team up with the opposition party.
Speaking during a special dinner held for the outgoing and incoming governors of the APC under the auspices of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Atiku said the reasons why the five governors who joined the APC made victory possible for the party and ensured the defeat of PDP was due to their outstanding performances and the fact that they were close to the people.
He said the governors have made significant impact in governance and through their sacrifices made momentous contributions towards the victory of APC at the presidential election.
“This is why the people of their states love them and Nigerians  also love them. It is because of this that the exit of three of these governors from the PDP amongst others and their joining of the APC contributed significantly to our victory in recent polls,” he said.
While addressing the gathering, Okorocha described the contributions of the outgoing governors, especially those that defected from the PDP as very key to the revolution that saw the historic victory of an opposition party over the ruling party in the country.
“Make no mistake about it, without the five governors that joined the APC in 2013, we will not be here today. Anyone who understands the power and might of the federal government, especially under a vindictive leadership, knows the enormous risks taken by Governors Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Aliyu Magatarda Wammako, Abdulfatah Ahmed and the lion-heart Rotimi Amaechi. What happened to our colleague, Murtala Nyako could have happened to anyone of them, “he said.
Tribute to the Lion of Niger Delta Politics
Paying tribute to Amaechi, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, likened him to the Biblical David who slew Goliath, acknowledging that he has distinguished himself through selfless services to humanity, unleashing that progressive dynamism that rolls with wind of change in Nigeria. This feat to emancipate Nigeria from charlatans and the shackles of the undemocratic elements in PDP impoverished and misgovern our country is what makes Amaechi one of the heroes of our democracy.
Amaechi and Tinubu were the two architects of the APC victory in the general elections – Soyinka

Prof Soyinka said, “In the political atmosphere today, whatever you call it, change or hope or cautious hope and or careless hope, I recognise two personalities in particular who led the chant of change. One of them, I call him the architect of the process, the architect in fact, that houses the essence of hope – Bola Tinubu.

“The other person (Amaechi) was unconsciously, perhaps, the arrowhead of that charge that led to the change and that is the man that we gather here to celebrate.
“He was the one who said no, we cannot turn the clock backwards. Nothing about the philosophy of the clock runs against what we were hoping for. It was a very unpopular and risky decision to take. But it exposed to us the basic arithmetic fallacy of governance in demonstrating that when 16 is said to be higher than 19, something is fundamentally wrong and the same kind of arithmetic leads to the cooking of figures in governance.
“And it was within that nexus that he stood up and challenged even his own colleagues, and said let’s change the mentality of the stock, let us re-orientate it towards the people and towards the nation and the electorate.”

AMAECHI REACTS
Addressing the gathering, Amaechi, who appreciated quite a number of people who inspired and supported him as governor of the oil-rich state in the last eight years, said contrary to widespread belief, he is not a stubborn personality but that instead, he operates on principle. “I’m not stubborn, I only operate on principle. They were taking our oil wells because Bayelsa produced the president, so, I allowed the Kalabari chiefs protest in Abuja and they were rattled by that,” he said, explaining the cause of the disaffection between him and the presidency.
While noting that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum was a peer review mechanism among state executives to facilitate rapid development at the state levels, Amaechi urged incoming governors to adopt the concept to enable them enhance development in their states.
 CONCLUSION

Let me conclude this treatise with Governor Amaechi’s 2014 Independence Day Speech, in which he noted that his administration’s persecutions, travails and betrayals have only ended up making him stronger. He advised politicians and their supporters to avoid maiming, killing, violence and thuggery, as the nation moves towards the 2015 elections. Amaechi’s words: “With the end of my tenure approaching, my resolve to build a virile state remains as fervent as it was seven years ago. Like athletes in a race, we are running to win. We must continue to run to breast the tape and reach the finish line strong. Our persecutions, our travails and betrayals make our resolve stronger.

“By May 29 this year, I shall have finished my course as governor, but shall always put Rivers in my prayers. As we prepare for the 2015 general elections, may our politicians and their followers know that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If we maim and kill the people we aspire to lead, who would we then govern? Let us run our campaigns in the best manner and pursue our electioneering with respect for one another.  
“When I assumed office on October 26, 2007, I committed myself to building a Rivers State of Possibilities, where none would be discriminated against. We set for ourselves a target and a goal to leave our state better than we found it. It was, indeed, a big challenge, but seven years after, we can present a commendable score sheet to the glory of God. When we took the oath of office in 2007, insecurity was at its peak. Military and police checkpoints dotted every street and lane. We were forced to raise our hands on our way home, at the end of a hard day’s job. Our humanity was debased, as much as our pride was assaulted. So, we chose to confront the criminals, who had stolen our peace. Not because we were strong, but because we loved our people. We chased them, not with arms and ammunition, but with bravery and the boldness of our fathers. We soon made our streets safe again, life returned to our biggest city, Port Harcourt, and our communities. Our economy again began to blossom and those investors chased away, began to return to our state. Today, our State thrives as Nigeria’s second biggest economy.”

Congratulations, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Man of History, Loving Husband of Dame Judith and Devoted Father of three lovely sons – Chikamkpa, Obina Nsirim and Lemchi Happy birthday and many happy returns.
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 •Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is a Port Harcourt-based Media Consultant. He can be reached [email protected],
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Wole Soyinka, Tinubu, Mo Abudu, others attend Gov. Amaechi's "Dynamics Of Change'' book launch (Photos)

Accomplished writer/author, Prof. Wole Soyinka; top TV host and CEO, Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu; Ex Governor of Lagos.State and APC Chieftain Bola Tinubu and many more distinguished guests attended Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi’s book launch.

The book which was titled the “Dynamics of Change: The Amaechi Years” was launched yesterday, Thursday 14th May, 2015 at the Civic Center in Lagos.

The outgoing Rivers State Governor while giving his speech at the event mentioned that he knew he was going to be in trouble if APC had lost the presidential poll.

“I knew I was going to be in trouble. Anything that would cause that change not to take place, I was ready to make that sacrifice. The federal government sent out a signal that if they won nobody should let me out of Nigeria from any airport. One day Asiwaju got angry with me. He was very angry. I went to his house with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and knelt down, saying ‘please let’s not disagree, let’s win first and then we can disagree’. He added.

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Photos: Amaechi, Dangote, Tambuwal, others celebrate with Buhari in Abuja

APC stalwarts, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, senator Chris Ngige, Dr Kayode Fayemi, business mogul, Alh Aliko Dangote  celebrate with Nigeria’s president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on his victory in the Nigerian Presidential election. 

Others in the  APC office in Abuja include Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal, Primate Nicholas Owoh.



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"We are relieved by the exit of a mole" Amaechi, Rivers APC react to Ikuru's defection

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the defection of former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Engr. Tele Ikuru, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His exact has been described as good riddance to bad rubbish.
A statement by Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya reads, “Contrary to the thinking in some quarters, the defection of Engr. Tele Ikuru did not come to us as a surprise. Rather than being shocked, we feel relieved that he is no more part of us because Ikuru was a PDP mole in our midst.

Unknown to most people, Ikuru initially refused to leave PDP for APC with Governor Rotimi. Amaechi in November 2013. However, after series of meetings with his uncle and political mentor, Chief Uche Secondus, the National Vice Chairman of PDP, and some other PDP bigwigs, he was prevailed upon to follow his principal into APC.

“Engr Ikuru was asked to stay behind to monitor the activities of APC and most importantly to act as a mole for his uncle and plot the fall of APC in the State – a mission which he failed to accomplish because APC is not just a party in Rivers State but indeed a revolutionary movement fully embraced and jealously guarded by the people of the State.”

He added, “In keeping with the plot of making Ikuru the substantive Governor of Rivers State, PDP set in motion a machinery to use five misguided members of the State House of Assembly to impeach the Speaker, but the move was foiled by the Majority Leader, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, and other loyal members of the House.

The plan was that after impeaching the Speaker, the five renegade lawmakers would go ahead to impeach Governor Amaechi and subsequently declare Engr. Tele Ikuru as the substantive Governor.

“When this plot failed, Engr. Ikuru was asked to remain in APC in the hope that the Presidency would somehow find a way to force Gov. Amaechi out of office. As part of this plot, the Presidency contrived a crisis with regard to the appointment of a Chief Judge for the State but failed to actualise the appointment of Justice Daisy Okocha, who was expected to facilitate the impeachment of Gov Amaechi. 

When this plot failed, PDP resorted to the mobilisation of ex-militants from Bayelsa and Rivers states to protest in the State in the hope that this would result in a insecurity crisis to be used as an excuse by the Presidency to declare a state of emergency in Rivers and impose Engr. Ikuru as Governor.”

“When this failed his uncle, Uche Secondus, advised him to stay on but this time to destabalise APC in his Andoni Local Government Area. Towards. this end, Engr. Ikuru pocketed hundreds of millions of naira meant for the development of the party in Andoni and threw in the towel as he was about to be called to account for anti-party activities. 

We are, therefore, expectedly relieved by his exit and wish to call on our teeming supporters not to shed a tear as it will have no effect whatsoever on the fortunes of APC and its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in the State,” the statement concluded.

Governor Amaechi reacted yesterday. His statement was signed by the state’s commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari.

“The Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has only this evening received the news of the resignation of his Deputy Governor Engr Tele Ikuru from the All Progressives Congress. Whilst the news remains unofficial at this time as the Deputy Governor is yet to notify His Excellency the Governor of this move, Governor Amaechi however wishes Engr Ikuru all the best in his future political endeavours.


He however wishes to note that the reasons adduced by Engr Ikuru are shocking as Deputy Governor lkuru has consistently been the one driving political activities in his local government area of Andoni and has been the second in command driving politics and governance in Rivers state.

On a personal note, Governor Amaechi has accorded Engr Ikuru all the privileges and respect due the office of the Deputy Governor and has treated him with love as a friend brother. Though the Governor had hoped that the numerous rumors of Engr Ikuru’s double-faced membership of the APC and open romance with the PDP were not true.
He however appreciates the fact that every individual has a right to pursue his political dreams, as he deems most appropriate. It is however regrettable that Engr Ikuru has chosen the hdishonourable path of barefaced lies and name-calling rather than the more honourable path of simply retracing his steps to where he has always been.”

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Governor Rotimi Amaechi's deputy defects to PDP

The deputy to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Mr Tele Ikuru has defected to opposition party, People’s Democratic Party. Ikuru in a statement today described the All Progressives Congress Party as one founded on deception and falsehood.

“My dear People of Rivers State, I bring you honest and sincere greetings. Today, I address you out of the fullness of my heart. 
Recall that in December 2013, out of extreme loyalty to my boss and friend, I joined the APC, along with other then disillusioned Rivers People.

“Ever since, as the true nature and motives of APC are unveiled, I have continued to twist and turn in extreme mental and emotional agony. The more I struggle to 
belong, the more the Rivers man in me rejects the APC.

“After carefully studying, interacting and analyzing the leadership of the party, I have come to the sad conclusion that the APC is a party of rebels, insurgents and anarchists, clothed in robes of pretence and deceit. APC is a party founded on deception and it thrives on unholy propaganda and falsehood.” He said.
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Singer, Duncan Mighty calls out Governor Rotimi Amaechi in open letter

Rivers-based artiste, Duncan Wene Mighty Okechukwu, popularly called Duncan Mighty has called out Rivers State Governor via an open letter. Read his letter below.


CALL TO GOVERNOR AMAECHI TO PAY ME FOR SERVICES RENDERED TO HIM AND HIS GOVERNMENT.
FRIENDS NOW CALL ME A TRAITOR/SABOTUER………DUNCAN MIGHTY.

It is on record that on the 30th of March 2011, I, Mr. Okechukwu Duncan Mighty single handedly organized a Celebrity Youth Endorsement Concert in Port Harcourt where I successfully endorsed over 18,000 youths who are eligible voters for the Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. 

During the organization of the event under the express approval of the Governor of Rivers State and his cabinet, he gave me the sum of Ten Million Naira through the then Secretary to the state Govt. Senator Magnus Abe which totally went into the project. The Governor also gave me his word that the balance of Fifty Million Naira will be paid to me as soon as possible. 

In pursuit of the said project, I thereafter raised funds through different sources including personal savings, loans and credit facilities, acquired operational vehicles and branded them for the project, procured several souvenirs, printed many publicity materials, paid for venues, engaged musicians from different parts of the country, undertook logistics such as flight/Accommodation/Transportation and welfare. 

The event featured the following A List artistes, comedians and many collection of Port Harcourt Artistes:
*Wande Coal and the Mo Hits Records crew 
*Flavour 
*Banky W 
*M.I 
*Ice Prince 
*Timaya 
*Stereo Man 
*Terry G 
*Jesse Jags 
*Dj Jimmyjatt 
*I go die 
*I go save And lots more.

The project was concluded as scheduled and the results were achieved, but since then it has become almost impossible to have an audience with the Governor so as to get my balance. I also visited the Govt House on several occasions, and all efforts to get my money proved abortive. 

However, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was when the governor systematically started avoiding my calls and personal visits in a bid to deprive me of the balance of the money for a job which I successfully executed.  It is also on record that I have not charged the Rivers State Government a single dime of my professional appearance fee, due to my personal reason/resolve to give back to the society which made me, starting from the government of Rivers State as a mark of honor and respect. 

The rumour mills have it that the Governor of Rivers state has given me juicy contracts including all manner of flashy cars, but I stand here today to debunk such tales, because I have not received as much as a bicycle spoke from Governor Amaechi. My love for the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta project and the Nigerian dream has seen me working for virtually everything I own today because there is dignity in labour, hence I can never resort to cheap blackmail or character assassination of any person, group or association, therefore I stand to make this declaration that all I am asking for is the payment of my money, thus, this should not be seen as a political campaign of any sort. 

Permit me to bring to your notice, the fact that many of his personal aids and security details have come to me severally, soliciting for financial assistance which I usually offered them without any hesitation, not knowing that they all have the notion that their boss, Governor Amaechi has been favoring me through contracts, meanwhile this is not also true. I have tried frantically on several occasions to meet with the Governor one on one so as to resolve this issue but all to no avail. 

Most recently I was invited to a dinner between the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and the Governor of Rivers State, immediately after my performance at the said event inside government house I ran after the Governor to demand for my money in my usual way, but to my utmost bewilderment the Governor unequivocally told me point blank that I should remember that when we did that transaction he was still working with his former chief of staff, Hon. Nyesom Wike who is now the current minister of state for education. This is exactly what prompted me to take this decision of writing this article in other to recover the money which I worked to earn. 

This issue also led to the problem that transpired on Friday the 23rd of may 2014 when I got to the government house gate at 8am, one of the security details named Mr. Jude rudely ordered me to park my car outside the gate, a situation which led to a scuffle and heated argument between me and the said security officer, as a result of this I subsequently held a meeting with my staff on the way forward concerning this same issue after which we agreed that we should channel the ongoing matter through the office of the chief press secretary to the governor Mr. David Iyofor, this we did and the cps after hearing the story promised to help contact the governor who happens to be his boss, but to my chagrin the chief press secretary rather stopped taking my calls up till this moment. 

Prior to this time I have not played any event for the commissioners and other cabinet members due to the fact that they thought they couldn’t afford to pay my appearance fee because I was the governors favorite hence will be unaffordable to them, a predicament that I have also managed to live with, while my friends, family members, staff and fans have all concluded that I have betrayed them by going behind to collect huge sums of money for events at the government house without giving them their own right, whereas I have also not charged the Rivers State government my usual professional appearance fee on events, the present chief of staff to river state government Mr Tony Okocha and Senator Magnus Abe are my witness on this. 
Meanwhile due to the multi-lingual nature of Rivers State as a result of different ethnic nationalities, I decided to record a song which I titled PORT HARCOURT BOY where I mentioned the names of various prominent men who have made their mark at one point or the other, even people from other states who lived and did their business in Port harcourt as a way of promoting and uniting the state. 

Shortly afterwards the general public started saying that Governor Amaechi has been the one behind my career success claiming that he bought me all manner of flashy cars and pays me huge amount of money regularly, meanwhile since I finished the project for the Governor he virtually declined paying me the outstanding balance as agreed upon our transaction. 
It is also a known fact that before amnesty was given DUNCAN MIGHTY was the first artiste in the entire Niger Delta to embrace the creeks all over the country, using my music to promote peace in the region, encouraging the youths to shun cultism, youth restiveness and other social vices. 
The entire entertainment industry within the Niger Delta region actually believed that I was constantly favored by the Governor hence they all came to me in 2011 pleading with me to become the chapter president of performing musicians association of Nigeria (PMAN) a move which I constantly rejected so that I can concentrate on my career.

All this while God has been my source of inspiration and survival my pillar of strength and protection. It was also rumoured that I was appointed a member of Rivers State carnival committee, and due to their secret nature of meeting and deliberating on carnival issues, my fellow artistes constantly accused me of not carrying them along, an accusation which I’ve always struggled to debunk till date.
Moreover, my passion for going all the way to contribute my quota to the development of the entertainment industry in the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole was born out of genuine interest, love and previous roles as a professional audio engineer who has worked for many international brands at different capacities. 

More also, I need to clear the air on this issue which made a lot of artistes who I was owing some outstanding balance to call me a traitor, saboteur, saying that I have betrayed them by refusing to pay them when in the actual sense I have not received further payment from the Governor, because I didn’t want any further trouble arising from this issue, I had to pay them out of my pocket from my own funds. 
Once more, I will like to state that this has nothing to do with party politics, I am seriously appealing to everyone who know Gov Amaechi to tell him to pay me my money in the name of GOD.




















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Entertainment

Governor Rotimi Amaechi makes history in Rivers State

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers has made history by becoming the first Governor in the annals of governance in Nigeria to abolish the concept of non-indigeneship in any State of the Federation. He announced this over the weekend while welcoming a large crowd of non-indigenes in the State who paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
Amaechi told guests, “I don’t believe in non-indigeneship. As far as I am concerned, you are entitled to everything if you have lived in Rivers State for at least five years. We are all Rivers indigenes. If you go anywhere around this. State and they are segregating against you, please, call my attention. The reason is that we are all Nigerians and we remain bonafide citizens of this country.  The All Progressives Congress (APC) believes that there is need for change because the government in power does not want money to reach you. We need the bottom-top approach for our people to benefit and improve their standard of living.” The Governor also announced the approval of a bus for the NIPF and 20 per cent scholarship for non-indigenes in the State amongst other largesse.”
 
 
His announcement threw the thousands of visitors into frenzy. It was a challenging day for the security personnel at the Government House as they never envisaged such a crowd which was  unprecedented in the history of solidarity visits to the Government House.
A chieftain of the Forum, Chief Williams Samuel Ubaka, presented the delegation’s address on behalf of the Coordinator of the Forum, Chief Uchenna Okokoba. He told Governor Amaechi: “We are  particularly happy with the uncommon transformation of your administration, and especially, in the areas of good and accessible roads, healthcare services, education, particularly, the world-class model primary and secondary schools that have admitted our children on scholarship; we are most grateful.” He also thanked Governor Amaechi for employing 20 per cent of non-indigenes during the last teachers’ recruitment exercise and approving some of their requests.
In his speech, Rives State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, applauded the Governor for carrying non-indigenes along in his administration of the State, saying that by so doing he has demonstrated to the entire nation that he is a true nationalist and a patriotic Nigerian whose love for all Nigerians is no longer in doubt. Dr. Ikanya boasted that no other government in Nigeria has done for the non-indigenes in any part of Nigeria what Gov. Amaechi has done for those residing in Rivers State. He also hailed Amaechi for approving 10 per cent positions for non indgenes in the Ward, Local Government and State Executive Councils of the APC, which he  described as unprecedented in the country.
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