Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi said at the weekend that Supervising Minister of Education Nyesom Wike and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara, betrayed him.
He said having made them to get to top positions, they connived with others to fight him for personal and selfish interests.
All of them are of Ikwere, the largest ethnic stock in the state.
Wike was Amaechi’s Chief of Staff.
Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), spoke on Sunday night at the 199th Convention of the Ikwerre Cultural Organisation, Wat Ahai Ogbakiri in Emohua Local Government Area.
The Rivers governor told the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, the socio-cultural body of Ikwerre people in Rivers state, that both Wike and Opara were now leading the fight against him in the state.
The NGF chairman lamented that in spite of his contributions to give the Ikwerre ethnic nationality a face-lift and a pride of place in Rivers state and on the national stage, he had been betrayed by his brothers.
He said: “Gradually, we are beginning to wind up in government and I have started counting either my blessings or losses one by one as governor of Rivers State.
“I have started asking what have I done for Ikwerre people and I’m convinced that the Ikwerre history cannot be complete if my name is not mentioned.
“I am not saying this because I am the governor. As the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I ensured that most parts of Ikwerre have roads. The ones that did not get then, when I became governor they got roads.
“Only a few communities may not have roads in Ikwerre now, and before we go, I will make sure they have roads like most parts of the state. We will ensure that those communities have roads. As Speaker, I asked for the grading of this Ogbakiri road.”
The Rivers governor also stated that he was aware that the basic thing needed in Ikwerre was basic empowerment.
He said: “You will not recognise it, until you take the list of our scholarship programme in the state and know how many of our children are overseas studying. They are quite many and I have met them at different airports.
“How I know them is because they greet me in Ikwerre when they see me. I have asked myself apart from those who are fighting me, many Ikwerre sons and daughters have one way or the other benefitted from me.
“When you see Nyesom Wike, tell him I nominated him to be Minister. And I have one witness sitting here today. Chief Sampson Agbaru is my witness. He led other prominent sons and daughters of Ikwerre to see President (Goodluck) Jonathan and the President told them that he had not known Nyesom Wike from Adam, that when Amaechi brought Wike’s name, he (Jonathan) opposed it. The President opposed the appointment of my former Chief of Staff as Minister.
“He (President Jonathan) opposed him (Wike) and I begged President Jonathan severally and consistently because I wanted Wike to be minister. But today, Nyesom Wike has betrayed me for selfish reasons.
“Also, by the grace of God, I made Chief Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives. God used me. Prominent politicians met me and told me that there could not be two captains in a boat, that if I made Austin Opara Deputy Speaker, I might not be the political leader in Ikwerre. But I said I wanted my people to benefit and I picked Austin’s name and we battled to make him Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2003.”
The NGF chairman also revealed how the ex-deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (Opara) allegedly masterminded his arrest and detention in 2006.
Amaechi said: “In 2006, I was arrested through the machinery of Austin Opara and was detained for one day. Meanwhile, he was supposedly one of my supporters to be governor. Among those, I have also helped who are now fighting me is also Prof. Achinewhu, as Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.
“Achinewhu was sick and at the point of death. I flew him out of the country for medical treatment, but he is now one of those accusing me and writing against me in the papers. For those I gave contracts, they are so many for me to mention.
“If they deny, call the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention and summon them, I will come here and mention them one by one. For instance, Paul Nwonodi is one of them. He is now fighting me and writing and signing all sorts against me.
He said: “We will survive the federal might and the way to survive it is to mobilise our people. We must prepare now to chase away those against our people. The President says he is an Ijaw man, he should not take the oil wells from the Kalabari people.”
Amaechi also promised that he would remain a detribalised leader, until the expiration of his tenure in 2015.
The President-General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention, Prof. Augustine Ahiazu, described the current wave of politicking in Rivers State as alarming, stating that it could cause permanent injury to individuals and the various communities.
Ahiazu said: “Bitterness in politics can result in undue hatred among friends and relations. It can breed division and polarisation. It can also bring conflict and destruction.
“Ikwerre sons and daughters should come together to fight any plans for violence in Port Harcourt, because any violence in Port Harcourt is violence in Ikwerre land.”
The minister of state for education, in an interview in Port Harcourt, insisted that he never betrayed Amaechi, whom he supported to be governor in 2007.
Wike, maintained that the NGF chairman did not recommend him to President Jonathan to be appointed minister. Opara also stated that change was needed in Rivers state, with the people and others in the crude oil and gas-rich Southsouth zone preferring President Jonathan’s re-election in 2015 to Amaechi’s alleged interest in being the vice-president during the next general election.
Is Ikwerre not Igbo?
ReplyDeleteSo of everything u read, Mohammed, this is the only question you can ask. God help Nigeria.
DeleteAfter and during the Nigerian-Biafran war the British and Awolowo convinced them not to accept being Igbo. They betrayed their own brothers and refused being Igbo in exchange of being given a state and the oil wells in the state being carved out of Biafra. Funny enough they still speak Igbo dialect, answer igbo names and have all igbo cultures.. It's like an Ondo state indigene waking up to say ho's no longer Yoruba but rather Ondo man. Being at the border line between igbos and none igbos the Nigerian army found it convenient to use them as saboteurs in exchange for food and safety that was in dire need during the war. Some albeit still believe they are igbos while alot,for political/economic expediency rrefuse. Funny enough one of the vice chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo is from Rivers State. Their posturing is all political. One can not run away from your heritage and culture no matter how hard you try.
DeletePlease Ikwere is Igbo. Like Esau of old that sold his birth-right because of food,they betrayed the Igbos because they did not want to suffer marginalization in employment and federal allocation immediately after the Nigerian civil war. There true name is Nkwere and not Ikwere and the meaning is '' I AGREED'' as against Ikwere which means ''DID YOU AGREE'' It's a long story to tell but if you want to know the truth let any true Ikwere son or daughter refute this submission then I will come up with dates and figures to buttress this fact. It was in the early 80's that most of the names which clearly were igbo names were bastardized by adding 'r' to them. Names like UMUIGBO to Rumuigbo,UMUOKORO to Rumuokoro,UMUMASI to Rumumasi etc. Please crosscheck this if you think am making up stories. But no thanks to people like Elechi Amadi and co who wrote all manner of nonsense against the Igbos all because they were seeking for a better deal with the federal government after the civil war. I rest my case for now until there is arguments against this submission.
DeleteSo it is Amaechi's selfish desire to be the political leader of Ikwerre land that has now turned him mad to the extent of compromising the God given opportunty of the south south to control of the nation's resources?.I see!. Was the oil wells taken by GEJ?. I thought there are channels of seeking redress?.When. Rivers state got some oil wells from neigbouring states, was it the president that did it?. Amaechi, please dont fools us cos we know better that your fight is purely personnal in your quest to becoming vice president at the detriment of your Rivers state you claimed to love. You can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time!. You made a mistake in fighting your zone' interest. Are you wiser than all the other governors in the zone?.Even the comrade governor, who by all reasoning, have the political ground to challenge the president, refused to do so cos he loved his zone and know when not to fight!.Amaechi,. your greed will kill you!. Retrace your step,. bury your ego and let the zone benefits!
ReplyDeleteDon't mind them ,they are all stupid ibos
ReplyDeleteAnon 8.23am, you're a big fool. A state that has 2 of your kind is doomed. Everything your miserable life can offer is tribalism. Shame on you
DeleteAll this because of Hausa worship? Alhaji, but someone helped you too, his name is Dr Peter Odilli. How come you betrayed him too?
ReplyDeleteWhy Amaechi chose to make unnecessary noise often and on does that mean his political sheep is sinking
ReplyDeleteWike n opara can also betray Mr President if need be bc dey're vry slippery n are ingrets. Instead dem preachin peace nw federal n state might dey're creating divisio all for selfish interest. Dey shld ask Andy Uba if he can mov freely in Anambra State since time.
ReplyDeleteNo there is ikwerre lg area in IMO state, this one is from rivers the lost slaves from lbo land
ReplyDeleteDid you not betray your brother? Pot calling kettle black.
ReplyDeleteAmaechi don't worry they will soon learn their lessons in a hard way. Ride on we are backing you come 2015.
ReplyDeleteBack him enter fire and leave him there to face is foolishness
Delete@Anonymous 6.14am Chibuike-Nwanodi-Ahiazu-Amaechi-Okpara-Nwike-Ogbako-Achinewu-Nyesomu are not Hausa ,Yoruba or Calabar names.
ReplyDeleteIkwerres naturally like second fiddle and minority status. Even if the President is an Ikwerre man, the betrayer will come from Ikwerre. Actually, they are not Igbos because no Igbo man will be happy to take over another mans house as abandoned property and live with such a shame. Moreover, their argument of being Igbo or not is between them and the Ibos as no other tribe will understand what they say or mean. They have slavery mentality and you notice they are fighting Goodluck another Niger delta man because Amaechi wants to be Vice President. For Ikwerre's being a President is not for them. They are made and created and accept to serve. They get angry with you if you suggest they should lead. What Igbos can do is to design a sticker that says "PROUDLY IGBO" so that those that are Igbos can display so that those who hate them for nothing can simply go and hang themselves.
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