Ameachi

Ameachi: A Governor with Mercurial Affluence

Abbas A, Dikko

Supreme Court judgment that returned Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi as the winner of the April 14 governorship election of 2007 in River State was the first of its kind in the history of democracy and democratization in Nigeria. It equally doubled as a deterrent to the principal culprits, warning to our political class as well, a lesson for the Nation’s political development and processes.

Be that as it became, there were misconception and misunderstanding and more like controversy by the people of the bench and learnered, every of them, interpreting the verdict according to his judicial understanding without recourse to what it may begets in the new future. Soon after and in response to their passives analysis and comments, another group of politicians from the State walked into a lower court and filed another suit requesting it to set aside the ruling of the Apex court for reason that, Ameachi was not a candidate thereby, did not contest any election.

Well, that remains a legal tussle to be determined by court of competent jurisdiction whether there are sensibility and possibility legally for a lower court to upturn the decision of the last arbiter in the land. Oyo State and Andy Uba’s cases are still fresh in our memory, however, what is more important to our subject of discourse here is, the personality Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi and his exemplary leadership within the space of time on his assumption of mantleship as the Chief Security Officer of River State.

Many of us at several occasions, misunderstood leadership and wisdom as things that can be acquired like other endeavours not a natural inbuilt potentialities. Many as well thought, highly placed and educationally advantaged are the only credits required for qualitative leadership and achievement, these are far from realities. Passion, will, commitment, wisdom, experience and exposures are the corner stone of qualitative leadership, good governance and achievements therein, in any aspects of our lives. These potentialities for who had cared to x-rayed, are naturally inbuilt in the person’s of Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, Executive Governor of River State, hence, the feats he achieved in just no time.

Volatile as the State, ungovernable as it may, because of human and natural factors and, being the centre point of the South-South geopolitical zone, the expectations from the leadership in the State are quite enormous. The Governor assumes the Crises Manger in the region in addition to his constitutional responsibilities, so became the enormity of the task before Ameachi. But, for God, dexterity and being a repository of knowledge couple with his mercurial advantage, he was able to sustain the tempo of the enormity of the problems.

However, people may ponder, someone from the other side of the divide, drawing an analysis of the governor and his three months old government, I may be assumed to be a paid agent, far from that. In reality, Ameachi is too much a personality and governor to be ignored by any analyst because of the trend of events that characterized his coming to power. The inclinations were the acumen, patience, perseverance and doggedness he legally and constitutionally employed as a machinery to fight and seek redress for the abused of internal democracy, hence, his constitutional rights, a case he diligently pursued and won through a decisive actions and today, he seat as the governor of River State. Based on these facts, any analyst may become interested to serially follow the activities of his and administration, that truly, was my driving force.

Some interesting aspects of his leadership for those who had been following his track records of events within the time frame are; civility and decorum, due process and diligence, simplicity and commonality, brotherhoodness and warmness, sensitivity and consciousness. Yet to see a governor from any side of the divides in this country that made himself easily accessible and available to his people whenever the need arise, his administration’s policy formulations, programmes and actions are people driven.

Not too long ago, I watched via AIT station, with admiration his administration’s policies on Education and Health, commuting it to summits of stakeholders. Passionately discussed and deliberated with each and every person given the opportunity to make he/her contribution, the governor along side some cabinet members made presentations of his government commitment in that directions and likely reversal if not in conformity with the whims and caprices of the generality of his people. He restates and emphases that, these are nothing, but designs, more especially, the propose Mega Schools in each local government headquarters of the State.

Quite well, we no longer live in a dictatorial era, but hardly a governor in Nigeria, even if it were to be political gimmicks, would consult his people in open debates on his administration’s intended policies and programmes that have direct bearings on their lives, no to think of reversing it, if it doesn’t fall within the line of their expectations, yearnings and aspirations. Government policies and programmes in Nigeria generally, have no minute inputs or contributions from the larger beneficiaries, of course the down trodden masses, simply because of the autocratic nature of our leaders. Therefore, Ameachi’s imported style of leadership, which is the best acceptable standard practice World wide, runs contrary to what is obtainable in Nigeria.

Leadership in any civilized society, suppose to be a sincere, accountable and transparent relationship between the lead, led and their resources, there suppose to a broad base contact and consultation among leaders and governs on matters of state craft. However, if we are to perfect and replicate the definition of Democracy and its best practice, our political and ruling class, must accept and adhere strictly to its simple basics principles as seen predicated by Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, a governor by act providence.

In spite of the constitutional powers he enjoy, office regalia and resources at his disposal, he remain resolute, focus, foresighted and inward looking by designing a dairy of targeted developmental plans, taking into note, available resources at hands, given each sector its priority needs. He put aside the past, anchoring a system of politics without bitterness, witch hunt, vengeance, victimization and a River State rid free of cultism, abduction and militancy for it to be a better a environment for all and retain its investments port folios as a facilitating avenue for jobs and wealth creation.

By every standard, this suppose to be the directive principles of leadership, if we want to get closer to the concept of African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), which Nigeria was the seventh signatory and 27 member nation in Africa, a mechanism that came into light during the defunct government of Obasanjo, but was never given any serious consideration, because, it was not part of their priority or constructive state engagement. So became the lip service paid by immediate past States Executives.

Indeed, Ameachi not only represent symbol of authority, compendium of knowledge and political sagaciousness, but, more to jet age generation, being able to cross the to the rubicon of World class administrators, having the innovativeness, ideas and where withal of what it take to achieve the Millennium Development Goal objectives in his State. Therefore, his governorship is timely, much desirous and rightful, because, his programmes of actions and approach so far, are quite remarkable and falls within the context of APRM.