By Remi Oyeyemi: “You have stoned no person; that’s the reason we’re stealing………” – Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State in PUNCH December 15, 2013 “If you don’t take your future in your palms, we’ll go and different leaders will come and proceed stealing.” – Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State in PUNCH December 15, 2013 “The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of these whom they oppress.” – Frederick Douglas (1817 – 1895) Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has created a repute for himself as being towards impunity and corruption. He has at one time inspired Nigerians to stone these of them who parade themselves as leaders as evident within the quote above. He believed that the political leaders, himself inclusive, have been taking Nigerians for a experience.
He believed and nonetheless in all probability believes that he and his fellow politicians have been stealing our commonwealth as a result of we allow them to. He felt that till we start to stone them as thieves are imagined to be stoned, they might proceed to steal, loot and cart away our commonwealth with out let or hindrance. Basically, he’s echoing Frederick Douglass that their tyranny as thieves and skilled kleptomaniacs would solely finish when Nigerians are fed up with them and start to take reprisals in opposition to them. Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State is a fighter. He’s outspoken, daring, and brash. He takes on all comers with out concern for penalties. His loquacity is bewildering and past imagination. His fearlessness has turn into legendary and this has beneficial him to many Nigerians who like to hate him or hate to love him. He has a big following because of this. Listening to him, you would get the vibe that he primarily desires good for his individuals however doesn’t have the self-discipline to conquer his surroundings. Because of this he’s due for stoning as one in all those that looted our commonwealth and mismanaged the remainder they determined to not loot. It’s now a matter of psychoanalysis if his brashness and famed “fearlessness” just isn’t an indication of some inside insecurity. An insecurity that stemmed from a nagging conscience due to the way in which and method he has stolen the commonwealth of the Rivers State folks. An indication of a thoughts troubled by the iniquities that he has engaged in secretly. His garrulity has been deemed to be a cry for assist as a result of he has betrayed himself and his folks. He’s a telltale of a thoughts that isn’t at peace and is having hassle residing with itself for atrocious acts of corruption. A number of instances, throughout President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Amaechi introduced himself because the champion of the poor and the deprived. He created a false picture of himself because the defenders of the individuals towards the impunity of President Jonathan. The actual fact of the matter is that if the satan had come round to defend Nigerians from the impunity of GEJ, Nigerians would have accommodated him. That’s what occurred to Governor Amaechi, a vagabond at a degree in time who’s now a corrupted billionaire reportedly value virtually 14 billion. It needs to be made clear that it’s a reliable expectation for each human being to work laborious and elevate him/herself from the fangs of poverty to consolation. It’s what is anticipated of each affordable human being to work arduous and accumulate assets in essentially the most sincere means attainable. What shouldn’t be acceptable is to pilfer the general public purse and acceptable the commonwealth to your individual unique use whereas pretending that you’re a messiah and “champion of the poor.” It’s wonderful that an individual like Amaechi, whose video of packets of wads of dollars was mistakenly uncovered from the swimsuit of his pocket throughout an interview has gone viral on the web, may sit in judgment of one other human being as being corrupt. As well as, one other video made by a “Common Man” is already making waves on the web alleging an 864 billion naira fraud in opposition to our “man Friday” Amaechi. Effectively, that is Nigeria, the place the cow thieves are at all times sitting in judgment over the hen thieves. It’s disturbing that these are the varieties of individuals in whom Nigerians have put their hopes of being redeemed. Positively, it’s a hope that will by no means be realized. Governor Amaechi is a traitor to the individuals of Rivers State. He bought dummies to them, betrayed their belief and confidence. Whereas his folks usually are not in a position to obtain salaries for his or her sweat, he was flying round in an $18 million jet and allegedly spending cash on the marketing campaign of Muhammadu Buhari in order that he might be thought-about for the Vice Presidential slot or at worst, a ministerial appointment. Hardworking males, ladies, and susceptible youngsters have been going hungry in Rivers State whereas Amaechi was gallivanting round Nigeria and the world in a personal jet allegedly purchased for the state. If one might ask, is the acquisition of a jet an important precedence the place all of the youngsters should not at school? Is a jet a precedence in a state the place many youngsters go to mattress unfed? Is a jet Nigeria a precedence in a state the place there are not any trendy well being services accessible? His rail undertaking that was abandoned has been a supply of ugliness and a reminder of a dream unfulfilled. But billions of naira had been appropriated for this undertaking that, at current, is of no use to the individuals of Port Harcourt particularly and the Rivers State folks basically. Amaechi was pissed off by President Jonathan and he fought him to a standstill. I haven’t any issues with that as a result of Goodluck Jonathan was an embarrassment as a president. Amaechi additionally has been pissed off by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and he’s engaged in a cat and mouse battles towards him. I don’t have any drawback with that both as a result of he and Tinubu are birds of the identical feather who robbed their folks blind. Amaechi could be very upset that for all the explanations that he has betrayed his folks in Rivers’ State, Asiwaju Tinubu has not allowed the realization of his ambition to grow to be the Vice President of Nigeria underneath the Buhari Presidency. Amaechi was considered one of those that championed the rejection of Tinubu because the Vice President to Buhari. He hoped that if Tinubu had been performed out he would have a greater leverage. However sadly for him issues didn’t prove as he anticipated. On one occasion at a gathering of the stakeholders of the APC, he had been very rude to Asiwaju Tinubu and insulted him virulently. His rudeness and aggression was so shocking that Buhari and different elders on the assembly have been speechless. They couldn’t management him or didn’t know the way to regulate him. All politicians are bold. Nothing is mistaken in that. However what’s mistaken is an ambition that lacks moderation and sense of appropriateness. Amaechis’s ambition had led him to betray the Rivers folks and precipitated him to offend a few of his benefactors, even when these benefactors have been lower than excellent.
Some Nigerians hold the view that it was a very good factor that Asiwaju Tinubu didn’t turn out to be the Vice President to Buhari due to various allegations of corruption in opposition to him and the threats posed by a Muslim/Muslim ticket to the religious stability of Nigeria. But when allegations of corruption ought to disqualify Tinubu from being the Vice President, it ought to disqualify anybody on this dispensation from holding any place in Buhari’s authorities together with Rotimi Amaechi or another governor that has looted his state. For this reason the perspective of the Presidency to the emergence of Bukola Saraki, an alleged certified financial institution robber, because the Senate President remains to be flabbergasting. All a presidency decided to combat corruption wanted to do was simply to make a public assertion about its abhorrence of such a state of affairs. Amaechi has sought to return to fairness among the instances however with reeking fingers of corruption. The query subsisting proper now is whether or not Amaechi would turn out to be a federal minister below the Buhari Presidency with out explaining how he got here to be value virtually 14 billion? If Buhari rejected the acquisition of Mercedes Benz vehicles for his use in Aso Rock, how might somebody who used the funds of his state to buy a Jet whereas he didn’t pay the salaries of his employees be certified as a Minister in a authorities attempting to struggle corruption? Some governors are richer than their states. They’ve left impoverished their individuals by means of stealing. They’ve looted the commonwealth of their individuals. Kids of their states are dying.
The sick of their states haven’t any succor. Ready-bodied males of their states haven’t any jobs due to mismanagement and looting. This set of governors might and shouldn’t be allowed to go scot free. It will quantity to monumental injustice for Buhari to not step in and provides justice to the individuals of Rivers State and different governors concerned in these heinous crimes. Rotimi Amaechi is the postal boy of this style of governors. He’s ripe for stoning as he prompt. It’s the one technique to cease others from repeating the follies of his ilk in stealing our commonwealth.
Is he going to search out succor in a ministerial place underneath President Buhari? Or would he be made to account for his stewardship? The individuals of Rivers State are watching and ready. Nigerians are watching and ready. “In the lengthy historical past of the world, just a few generations have been granted the position of defending freedom in its hour of most hazard. I don’t shrink from this accountability – I welcome it.” – John F.