How Far Can Amaechi Go With The Niger Delta Elders?
Rivers State of today is pendulous, hanging down loosely and swinging from side to side with the militants’ special type of knife for taking off the peace and stability in the state. The activities of militants in the state in the past eight years were ruinous, but the peace and stability the Rivers people presumed could come to stay under the leadership of Gov. Amaechi could be seen as farfetched. Now, it is no more the militants’ struggle but the Niger Delta elders.
As a poet for human rights and a conscientious author, I was among the many Nigerians who roared with pen against the injustice meted out on Amaechi following the robbery of his mandate by the then president Obasanjo-led PDP roguish caucus. But been predestined to lead Rivers State, Amaechi reclaimed the mandate through the judiciary after many months of tortuous fasting and prayer in the political ship.
But God forbid that we made a rude gesture at the choice of Amaechi, because of the in-movement some self-acclaimed Rivers/Niger Delta leaders are making with their hands, their heads, their faces, their speech and their writings to show a particular meaning. The elders communicate entirely by gesture, to showing a particular feeling or intention. The elders have sent some flowers to Abuja as a gesture of their sympathy to the bereaved Rivers State that’s besieged by cultists. It was a nice gesture – it was kind – but whoever accepts responsibility of anything – debt or death – should be ready to refund or restitute as a gesture of goodwill.
The elders are gesticulating: moving their heads and arms about in order to attract attention or make somebody understand what they are saying. Could this be money or power?
A compendium of my political observation has shown that if Amaechi does not count the extent of his relationship with these elders, will begin to face a pen war (that would be so fierce than the present war of cultists) that would germinate from the holier-than-thou elders. Except Amaechi is ready to continue to provide the message of goodwill which is always conveyed through Ghana-must-go bag to balance or reduce the bad effects of damage, loss or discrepancies that is always in the vehicle of these elders.
And there is no how the two parties – the governor and the elders – will continue to be compatible with the ‘new’ method of ideas and things. Can they be able to exist together without causing problems? And I wonder how compatible these elders would be with the state government with their makeshift policies and witch-hunting bags filled with the books of lamentation and sorrow they carry about.
Without mentioning names, all people of goodwill saw how these elders fought the then governor Celestine Omehia to standstill under the guise that Omehia was not the rightful candidate. We all knew that. But perhaps Omehia would have been praised-sung as the best thing that has ever happened to the state if he was steering a vehicle with the inscription: “Join me without any bag but alight with Ghana-must-go bag.” Omehia would have been drinking today from the brook of peace, life and continued in governance if he had condoned all the manifestoes couriered to his official table by the militants and their partners-in-crime. But since Omehia could not condone them, a violence shiver convulsed him. The same shiver is today threatening, causing sudden shaking movement in the state-of-the-art. But, “How long shall a feverish bird continue to tremble before its owner?” according to a proverb.
While Rivers state was looking forward to how it would restore peace and order in the state, than the elders released another missile in Abuja recently containing those they presumed are/were cultists in the state in their 200-page affidavit presented to President Yar’Adua. Heeem! But Amaechi did or didn’t know what this might cost the state in the mere future. Who would want his fellow mortal man to run him down because of superiority or because helpe by the super power?
What I thought Amaechi would have done was allow everything that bite at night as mosquito; call aggrieved persons to dialogue and move ahead with Rivers state than allowed the elders trying to exhume a smelling corpse since he has a philosophy of ceasefire theory.
Amaechi should know that from the movement of the elders they are digging a deep hole in his garden and when he shall realise this, the bomb this elders are planting in it will blow a deep hole in the ground and its space and opening shall go a log way through the length and width of his leadership. Even though that it’s politics, Amaechi ought to pause to why his cousin, Omehia was not allowed by these elders but
was hounded by magic or design. I think they did just that because Omehia was pulling and lifting the self-acclaimed elders to a particular stake!
If Rivers must move forward, Amaechi should begin now to do physical, spiritual and mental exercise in order to stretch and prepare himself to fight these elders after they have fought the perceived enemies of Rivers State because every ball played on the wall ricochets.
By Odimegwu Onwumere
Onwumere is a poet and author writes from Rivers State. (08032552855).