Return Rivers oil wells ceded to Bayelsa State and I will return to the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, is the one condition Governor Rotimi Amaechi has given President
Goodluck Jonathan. Amaechi, who is Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and one of the five PDP governors that recently defected to All Progressives Congress, APC, said he was
willing to retrace his steps back to the ruling party only if the disputed oil wells allegedly belonging to his state but was dubiously ceded to neighboring Bayelsa – the
president’s home state – are returned. The governor also lent credence to an allegation leveled against President Goodluck
Jonathan in a letter by one of his
predecessors – Chief Olusegun Obasanjo – that the present administration is training snipers and had placed about 1,000
Nigerians on a political watch list ahead of the 2015 elections, saying he was number one target on the purported list. “I’m number one on the list. They want to kill
me”, Amaechi said. Speaking during a rally organised by the
Save Rivers Movement – a political
machinery backing Amaechi’s stand on the
state’s political future at the Liberation
Stadium in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state
capital on Monday, Amaechi said despite the
2.1 million votes Mr. Jonathan received in
the state during the 2011 general elections,
the Federal Government had not executed
any project in Rivers.
He also dismissed claims that the ceding of
Rivers oil wells in Soku to Bayelsa State was
carried out during the tenure of former
Governor Rufus Ada George.
Amaechi said, “Today (yesterday), I am not
declaring. I said I would declare at the new
stadium. The reason for gathering today is to
remind Nigerians that the current Federal
Government is carrying on with impunity.
There is no rule of law in Nigeria. They are
using police to molest us. Where police fail
to molest us, they are using thugs to shoot
dynamites and guns against innocent people.
“I read the President’s (Jonathan’s) letter
and he said ex-President Obasanjo should
prove the 1,000 names on the watch list. I
am number one on the list. They want to kill
me, but they have no God. The God we
worship will protect me. Before the end of the
year, I will address the state.
“They will shoot you. They have no fear for
your blood. They want the position at all
costs. Whether you all die, they do not mind
governing just the land. You must know that
if you read the story of revolution, you must
sacrifice. Somebody said my son should
come to the front. If you want my son
tomorrow, I will produce him.
“If I have surrendered myself and I am ready
to be in front, let them shoot. Anytime you
start a street march and you do not see me
in the front, you must know something must
be wrong and you must know that they have
arrested me. I am not a big man governor. I
am a governor that is on the streets with his
people.
“One other thing that is bothering me is that
all those who are on the other side, saying
they want Southsouth President, I agree with
them, they want Southsouth President. In
politics, you are not here today (yesterday)
because you like Amaechi; you are here
because of your own political interest. If a
Southsouth President refused to give you
water, you will push him out.
“We gave the President (Jonathan in 2011)
nearly two million votes; let him tell us one
project he has done for us. I have challenged
the President that I belong to the APC. If he
wants Rivers people to vote for him, let him
give Kalabari people back their oil wells and I
will come back (to the PDP). He cannot. The
President cannot. Instead, he will take
more”.
Amaechi also enjoined the people, especially
his teeming supporters, to be prepared for
the struggle ahead, stating that on elections’
days, the “oppressors” would come with
tanks and policemen, but chrged them to
stand and watch their votes.
The Rivers governor said: “They said Buhari
is not a Christian. Buhari is a Muslim. We
are not preaching religious politics.
Everybody in Nigeria has the right to worship
where he wants to worship. I am a Catholic
and I will worship Christ. I will die a
Christian, but do not bring politics into good
governance.
“It is only when there is bad governance that
they begin to look for who is an Ikwerre man,
who is an Ijaw man, who is an Hausa man,
who is a Yoruba man. If there is good
governance, you will be talking about
schools. Have I told you I am an Ikwerre
man? I told you I have done schools, health
centres and roads. I am facing power. They
should tell us what they are doing. We are
prepared for a debate with them.
“In Etche, they have taken our 41 oil wells
across (to Abia State). They are denying us
our rights. We have suffered enough. I was a
students’ leader. I learnt in the University of
Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) that nobody should
trample on your rights. If I did not fight for
my rights, I would not have been governor. I suffered and my children suffered, but today we are in government. If you listen to them closely, our brothers, who are on the other side, they are hungry. They have been out of power for nearly eight years. If you vote them into power, what will happen? They will steal all the money. They are broke. The ones that are not broke, that are in government, they are busy stealing and building mansions everywhere. They have no fear. I have never seen corruption like this in Nigeria before. “President Jonathan said in his letter that former President Obasanjo should apologise on the issue of $49.8 billion. Right on television, a debate between the Minister of Finance (Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) and the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) Governor (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi). The CBN Governor said they had reconciled, but they had not found $12 billion, but the Minister for Finance said it was $10.8 billion. Even if it is $1 billion, it is stealing. $1 billion is N170 billion. There are some states that their budget (annually) is N130 billion. Bring our money. I have never seen corruption like this. “They are busy pursuing us with the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), they have never pursed any federal agency with EFCC. I will quote the Governor of Edo State (Comrade Adams Oshiomhole); he said if you write examination and you score 26 per cent, have you passed? If you score 52 per cent, have you not passed? The Federal Government is holding 52 per cent of our money. EFCC should pursue the 52 per cent and leave 26 per cent. If EFCC succeeds in doing that, have we not succeeded?” Amaechi also stated that President Jonathan, in his reply of ex-President Obasanjo’s letter said the African Development Bank (AFDB) was carrying out the process of giving Rivers peoples water, a claim the governor disputed. He said: “Tell Mr. President that World Bank, not AFDB. Two banks are involved. One is AfDB’ the other is World Bank. We were told by the staff of the World Bank that they are ready. Tell the President (Jonathan) to give us our water. “If it is the President, I can understand, because the President has not served in any international organisation, but what about the woman (Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala), whose job it is to sign off, to give the water project. “The Minister of Finance has refused to sign off, despite the fact that she served in the World Bank. She wants you (Rivers people) to die of water-borne diseases, in the name of politics. Holy Ghost fire!”, he shouted.He added: “They are quarrelling with Amaechi and they want you (Rivers people) to die the death of Amaechi. I will not die. I drink bottled water. You do not drink bottled water. So, the best I can do for you and the best that the President can do for you, because he is your President, is to ask the World Bank, we hereby sign this document, that in 40 years, Rivers State will pay you your money, but they have refused to sign, just because of politics. “If they tell us that it is AFDB, tell them I said it is both AFDB and the World Bank and we have completed everything we need to complete. All parties are ready, including the AFDB and the World Bank. They do not want to sign. They want you to die of water-borne diseases”. The Rivers governor spoke also of the metaphor of the broom, the APC’s symbol, stressing that the broom would sweep out dirt, but while sweeping, the sweeper must bend down. He noted that the sweeper must suffer a bit and in suffering, the broom would be sweeping, but at the end, the house would be clean. He urged his teeming supporters to prepare to suffer under the current government, but assured them that come 2015, things would get better. Amaechi said: “One of our sons, a Kalabari son, said that the oil wells were taken under Rufus Ada-George (former Rivers governor, from Okrika). Tell him I said he is lying. He has never been in government. “I served in Rufus Ada-George’s government. There was no oil well taken from Rivers State. I served in Dr. Peter Odili’s government. The oil wells were taken in 2006. They put the money in an escrow account.“By 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, they took all the money from the escrow account and gave to our brothers (in Bayelsa State) and they converted Soku to Bayelsa. My friend and brother in Bayelsa (Governor) said we do not want Soku, we just want the oil wells”. The Rivers governor also restated his determination to continue to develop the state, adding that truth would prevail at the
end.
