When Reality Kicks In

By

Bonkoo Tombari Tobby

bonkootobby@juno.com

 

 

Months ago, thunderous voices of praises echoed around the globe on the ingenuities of the governor of Rivers state in making the state a peaceful and world-class economic standard. His achievement that was flaunted to the world seems to posit the state as the new Tokyo of the 21st century. They infiltrated our minds and psyches with frivolous and pipedream achievements, which may not be seen even by our unborn children, if the not by God’s grace.

 

The thunderous sound bites of the jingles on Peter Odili did not just say all these proclaimed projects are his intended plans for the state, but they claimed that he has perfected and completed them –especially the Independent Power Project (IPP), which has consumed over N60billion of tax payers money according to the state commissioner of information. On the campaign trail were pastors, priests, ritualists, educationists, sycophants, gladiators, media moguls, statesmen and women who are revered by their people.

 

They preached about the humility and accommodating vigor of the governor, but ignored the death of thousands of Rivers state people in the past seven years. Oh, transparency and accountability was no longer a question; but he was considered as a champion in the call for national patriotism against those that harboured and fostered breathing space for unaccountability. This propagandist infected us with injurious diseases from their frolicsome lies that may take a long period time to ill.

 

As the clock ticked to the day of the presidential primaries, the state house of assembly impetuously passed a supplementary budget of N14billion that is not allocated to any project or emergency spending. Lord and behold, the governor while on the campaign trail in Jigawa state filled this request as they was quest for more money for the “wide consultation” in the north and south-west.

 

Interestingly, as a smart political calculation, the uncompleted IPP project was rashly commissioned for the fifth times by the president with the intention of positioning the governor as a man who will say “let there be light, and there was light” in Nigeria. Unfortunately the commissioning ceremony raises and changes the equation of the political reality of the project. The controversy on the cost of the project, which many considered as drainpipe on the resources of the state, sparks the intervention of the EFCC.

 

The question that came to my mind when I read the findings by the EFCC was: so, pastors; educationists, statesmen and women can join the crowd of sycophants and gladiators in the state whose expertise lies in subordinating the state’s will to their greed, gorging themselves to a sheen while propagating such an insane and excelling themselves in the abortion of our state dreams?  My hunch was a resounding yes, but I courageously said no.

 

I made a trip to Rivers state capital and its environs few weeks ago to see all the good things done by the “Golden Governor” as acclaimed my the media and manifolds of government officials throughout the country. Upon my arrival, I saw a new so-called “state-of-the-art house of assembly” complex constructed by the governor as “dividends of democracy” to the 6 million Rivers people. I made my way to the government house famously known, as “The Brick House,” and the facility have been reconstructed to “world standard.” Thank God, our citizens are attaining world standard of living. Within few hours of my tour of the government house, accredited visitors flocked the place and were served with one bottle each of $400 value champagne and a returning transportation allowance of $550. Amazed by this, I asked one of the aides to the governor the number of “accredited visitors” do they received every week, and he told me that it varies between one hundred to two hundred depending on the period of the month.  Out of curiosity, I asked what he meant by the period of the month, and he reiterated that monthly allocations are received latest the 5th of the month, thus, accredited visitors will flock to government house in greater number between this period.

 

After completing my tour of the government house, I was proud that my state is really a rich and prosperous state that is providing efficiently the dividends of democracy to its people. But driving out of the vicinity of the Brick House, the reality of the incapacitated society walloped my mind, as thousands of homeless children were seen parading round the streets begging for daily meal. My early conjecture of the magnificent stride of the “Golden Governor” based on the merrymaking and gusto receptions at the brick House became vague and threatened as I sandwiched my mind between the perimeter of what is on the street and the projects seen so far.

 

I proceeded my tour of the state to Ogoni, which is my hometown, Lord and behold, the deteriorating stage of the state owned Polytechnic hanged on the thin thread of human emotion. There is no electricity, roads and drinking water for the students of this institution. I saw a waiting crowd in front of the Business office of the school jolting to hear the just increased school fee for 2007 academic session. I amused myself by studying the different expressions people wear on their faces while they await their fate at the office. Anxiety is a constant feature. Venerable men and women curtseying and almost, prostrating to arrogant and rude school officials, and God help you if it is on the tide of a volatile female hormone.  After an hour, the registrar came and told the students that tuition has been increased by 120 percent because of lack of funds from the state government. I wept in tears considering what I saw during my short visit to the Brick House, which is 90KM away from the college.

 

In view of this, it is obvious today that the economy is in even more dire straits. Poverty and destitution has tripled. Hyperinflation ravages the land. The productive sector is shell-shocked. And astounding paradox is the legacy of an elected brutish, crude and callous path of addressing issues by the present governor of Rivers state. Every member of the Odili’s administration is an accomplice in the clandestine plot to perpetually subjugate the Rivers people to second-class citizens in the land. They compete not on who will do well in delivery basic amenities to their constituents, but on who will do best in amassing power and money to himself.

The reckless award of frivolous contracts and financial empowerment of crooks spread the notion that education and good background were secondary consideration to money as an indicium of success in life.

 

In recent weeks, the speaker of the house of assembly who was arrested and interrogated by the so-called EFCC over N20billion found in his account, but released on the order of the president considering the enormous contribution of Peter Odili to the survival of PDP, came out and boast about his credentials and call on “ the enemies” of Rivers state to resist from providing negative reports about the state. In the same week, his lucre-minded master took the stage and shamelessly latched on the position to explain to residents on how much he has invested in businesses throughout the nation. As may be known, he received standing ovation from the usual rented sycophants. As we speak, the IPP projects, which costs the state over N60billion and commissioned by the president for the fifth times, is still not working. They tried to blame PHCN’s inability to evacuate the 150 megawatts of power from the plant; such defence only tends to inflame the anger of the people over the government’s failure to deliver the project after several promises.

 

Interestingly, vandalization seems to be the best excuse on why the IPP project is not yielding any benefit to the suffering and waiting public. Regardless, it will be hard on them to convince the waiting public that the project is not one of their conduit pipes for the looting of the state treasury.

 

In the end, I make bold to say that our conscience is a compass that points the way from birth to epitaph. Many have ignored the still voice from within, but it is impossible to escape from it, for the ghost of wounded self-respect, always returns to haunt us. Our people are not blind and they can bank this much: those entrusted with being stewards of the state are often lucre-minded men and women; their fingers calloused with the stain of thievery.

 

To make any tangible economic and political progress in Niger Delta, the president must get out of the way of the EFCC and the ICPC who have conducted massive and extensive investigations on various conduit pipes of Odili’s looting of the state treasury. We hope that in the days ahead, the president who was presented with a comprehensive reports by the EFCC on the manifolds of Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi’s illegal business deals since 1999, will let justice reign and repudiate enemies of the land. I am appealing to the president to understand the plight and see the burden of a president as a glorious burden by erring on the side of people of Rivers state and not an individual. The issue at hand is not an issue of loyalty to a party, but an issue of loyalty to the constitution.

 

Finally, if the governor and the speaker are not made to be accountable for all the billions garnished away, they will unleashed uncouth vituperations and compound absurdities that may send the hard-earned fragile peace down the abyss of oblivion.

  

I could be reached daily at www.ogonipolitics.blogspot.com

 

Bonkoo, Tombari Tobby

Secretary Rivers Democratic Youth Forum.