Amaechi: Why I Oppose Jonathan opened up

Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has said he is opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan because the South-south
region where the president comes from has not benefitted from his administration.
He also listed the parlous state of the economy, the poverty rate and the poor infrastructure, especially the East-West Road, as some of the reasons he is opposed to Jonathan’s presidency.
Amaechi was reacting to comments by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
and Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, on the nation's economy and the South-south’s support for Jonathan
respectively.
Amaechi stated that the Nigerian economy is struggling to survive, contrary to the rosy picture painted by the finance minister.
According to him, the federal government was yet to fully pay the Rivers State allocation for
July.
Amaechi spoke at a programme organised by the Rotary International, District 9140 for
young future leaders at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Thursday, during which he engaged
the audience in an interactive session and drew responses from participants.
On Uduaghan’s remarks that opposition to Jonathan should not come from the president’s South-south region, Amaechi stated that he considered Nigeria’s national interest far and above any other interest.
He bemoaned the fact that those fighting a just cause were being maligned on the altar of public criticism, pointing out that Nigerians usually suffered for not asking the relevant questions.
He said: “When you are principled in Nigeria and you stand on your principles, what do they call you?”
“Stubborn,” the audience chorused.
“They expect you to compromise at a point but when you refuse to compromise, you are a very stubborn man.
“We (NGF) asked the Minister of Finance to resign if she is not able to manage the economy and she replied, ‘I dey kampe’. As at now, we are yet to receive the complete
federation allocation for July.
“How strong is an economy that cannot fund its statutory state government federal allocation? Our entitlement as Rivers State
Government in July was N19 billion, they have paid us only N14 billion, you get the point?
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) published (revenue) receipts of N1.05 trillion in July, so why do they say that there is no money? If we receive N1.05 trillion by July, why are they saying there is no money?” he queried. He said he was opening up to the youths,
because as potential leaders they should learn how to ask their leaders questions.
He added: “Now, why am I saying this to you? I am saying it because as potential leaders, you must learn to ask questions. If you think that the youths spur me, you don’t, you don’t inspire me. Why don’t you inspire me? Because you are learning to be like us. Let me
paint the image of us – corrupt, poor leadership, that’s what you are copying. “We produce oil and we are one of the poorest nations in the world, are we not? Which nation would allow a Commissioner of Police like
(Joseph) Mbu to continue as commissioner other than in Nigeria?”
“Iraq, Syria,” the crowd replied.
Responding, he said: “Maybe Syria. So you see our peers – Syria, Iraq, Pakistan. I am sharing experiences with you before I talk about the
issue of leadership.
“Now, I read today’s paper and my friend (Emmanuel) Uduaghan says anybody who is from South-south should not oppose our president, should not have a different view
from our president. Did you read it?
“I will reply him but let me start replying him from here. First, I am a Nigerian. The reason why you have the South-south, South-west,
South-east, south this, North-west, north that, is because in Nigeria what you have in leadership is a wrecked culture. “I would have brought you a book titled ‘It’s Our Turn to Eat’ on Kenya. In Nigeria, it
should be what, ‘It’s Our Turn to Chop’. “The reason you have this South-west, South- east, North-west, north this, north that and all
that is because you have a wrecked culture, where all we care about is how to share the till.
“So the South-south has shared for four years, how many of you have benefitted from the sharing for four years, raise your hands; how
many of you?” “None,” the crowd again responded. “So none. How many of you passed through the East-West Road, how was the road?”
“Bad,” the audience said. “And our president is from the South-south, so you see; should I support the president?” he asked.
“Nooooo,” the crowd drawled in unison. “So the basic rule is that none of us should oppose our president if you are from South-
south, that is what the man (Uduaghan) tells us,” he said.
He urged the youths to arm themselves with education to revive Nigeria which is comatose,
expressing sadness that the country’s poverty rate had risen to unbearable levels where many
Nigerians hardly get enough to eat.
“Now for you as young men and women, we present you a nation that is yearning for repair. For me, the nation does not only need
repair, it requires change.
“In 1970, the poverty rate in Nigeria was 30 per cent. How many of you know the poverty rate now? I was in a meeting where I said it
was 70 per cent but the Minister of Finance said it was 68 per cent. What’s the difference between 68 and 70? So we are giving you a
nation that is in a comatose state, that’s what we are handing over to you. “If it is a nation that is progressing, from 30 per cent in 1970, we should be talking of
about 15 per cent now. So you have work to do and the first step to that work is get an education,” Amaechi said.
He explained that his administration introduced free education in the state to provide everyone, particularly poor parents,
the opportunity to send their children to school, lamenting that the cost of education in the country had denied education to most Nigerians.
Amaechi also used the occasion to commend Rotary International for complementing the state governors in the fight against polio. Earlier, the District Governor of Rotary
International District 9140, Dr. Charles Oniawan, said Rotary unites people from all nationalities and backgrounds, adding that the
programme was designed to give youths leadership skills to serve the people and humanity.
However, Amaechi’s position on the finance minister was faulted yesterday by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee
on Finance, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, who said the call for her resingation was improper given
the efforts of the minister in the revitalisation of the economy.
Jibrin argued that Amaechi and his faction of the NGF missed the point and did not put all the issues in the proper perspective.
He said rather than harassing Okonjo-Iweala, the group should have focused their energy on
the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who controls the
sector that yields the revenue.
“The NGF should take a second look at this matter, articulate their position and present to the Minister of Petroleum Resources. If
anybody should be asked to resign, it should not be the Minister of Finance but Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Minister of 'Petroleum Resources.
“The whole issue has to do with government projected funds and since our economy is oil and gas-based, it is hasty to call for the
resignation of the minister of finance without looking at the background of the issues involved.
“To me and our committee, where we should put our searchlight and lay more emphasis is the petroleum resources sector – the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison- Madueke, and the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC).
“The Minister of Petroleum Resources should be called to answer questions and give account
of what is happening; it is not the Minister of Finance. “Substantially, the money we are talking about
comes from the oil sector, from crude sales. Till today, we have been asking how much crude are we even producing per day?
“Nobody knows the quantum of crude we produce per day in this country, the minister is not giving out any information on it and
nobody is asking her. “Transparency and accountability in NNPC is abysmally low, the system is still shrouded in
absolute secrecy. Nobody understands how they operate,” he said.
Jibrin advised the NGF to seek explanations from Alison-Madueke on the rising incidence of crude oil theft and alleged corruption in the
oil and gas sector.
On the management of the Sovereign Wealth pFund (SWF), Jibrin faulted the federal
government on the move to hand over the fund to foreign banks.
The SWF, he said, was not federal government property, but the heritage of the federation
comprising the three tiers of government. Jibrin said the relationship between the officials of the foreign firms managing the SWF and officials of the Nigerian government was questionable and amounted to a conflict of interest.
In the meantime, an Abuja High Court yesterday struck out a suit that sought to determine the authentic winner of the May 25
contentious NGF election.
The order of the court striking out the suit, followed an earlier application for discontinuance brought by the plaintiff and
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN).
Prior to the application to discontinue the suit, Fashola had through his counsel, Prof. Yemi
Osibanjo (SAN), asked the court via a writ of summons, for an order of court restraining the Plateau State Governor and claimant to the
chairmanship of the forum, Mr. Jonah Jang, from parading himself as such.
His contention was that Amaechi had won the May 25 poll, having scored 19 votes, to beat Jang, who scored 16 votes. However, before the court could resolve the dispute which arose among counsel over who was briefed to represent the feuding parties, Osibanjo brought an application for discontinuance/withdrawal of the suit.
The application was fiercely opposed by the counsel to Jang, Chief Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and
Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN) as well as counsel to Osaro Onaiwu, the third defendant. Their respective opposition was initially upheld
by the trial judge, Justice Peter Affen, on the grounds that a leave of court was not sought and obtained first, before the application for withdrawal was moved.
Consequent upon a proper application for discontinuance filed on July 16, Osibanjo prayed the court to strike out the suit,
submitting that it was the right of the plaintiff to decide at any stage to discontinue his case.
He further submitted that it was not the business of counsel to the defendants to preempt the plaintiff's next step, more so that
the matter was still at its preliminary stage.
In his ruling yesterday, Justice Affen agreed with Fashola’s postion that the suit be struck out, rather than an outright dismissal.
Affen held that “the law is trite that a plaintiff can discontinue or withdraw his claim against the defendants” whenever he deems
appropriate.