Rotimi Amaechi: vows to lead protests against FG’s excesses
Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Nigeria’s Rivers State has vowed that he is just waiting for an appropriate time to lead the people to protest the injustices being meted out against Rivers people by the federal Government and the Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu.
He said that the Police was not drafted to the state to fight crime but terrorise people and dared the Police Commissioner to shoot him when he leads the planned protest.
Amaechi spoke in Government House ,Port Harcourt, today in reaction to the various complaints by traditional rulers and four local Government Chairmen of Abua Odual, Ahoada East,Ahoada West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local government areas that make up the Orashi region of the state.
He commended the doggedness of the people of the region not to be cowed by the antics of the Commissioner of Police, Mbu who tried and failed to trample on their rights to free movement in their own state.
On the planned protest against the Federal Government and Mbu, Amaechi said: “We are looking for a date we will demonstrate against what the Federal Government and the commissioner of police are doing in Rivers state. We have told our chiefs to get ready. Once we get a date, once we get people from overseas and Nigeria that will join us, we will give you the date. I have told the commissioner of police to be ready to shoot me. I will be in front.
“I will not sit in Government House and wait for you to march here and give me letter. Instead, we will put SSG here. Then, I will march with the people. We will give SSG letter to give the Federal Government. This is so that if they want to shoot me, they can shoot me, because we have the right to express our views.”
Amaechi lamented that the state is practically under siege.“We have been suffering. We are now in a police state in Rivers state. If they blocked the entire Orashi region, and not allow more than a million persons, from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Abua/Odual, Ahoada East and Ahoada West LGAs. All policemen in Rivers state put together are not more than 17,000. With their guns, they tried to stop you. What you showed them is called people’s power.
“That you came out, despite the fact the police blocked all the roads. Looking for people in buses and stopping them from driving out. That you still passed that road and came here, you are stronger than me. You are more courageous than me.
“You (people of Orashi region of Rivers state) are by far stronger than me. I got a report yesterday (Monday), very late at night that police planned to stop you. You should have recorded them, so that we can show it to the world, how much a tyrant the commissioner of police (Mbu Joseph Mbu) is.
“Let us assume you are coming to protest, the commissioner of police cannot say he banned protest, when it is part of your fundamental human rights, which are in the constitution. His personal order is now superior to the constitution.
“They have not taken your oil wells yet. They have taken oil wells from Etche people. They have taken from Kalabari people.They have taken from the Andoni. There is a claim by our sister state in Egbema and we also have boundary with Delta state. How do we know they will not claim from the Delta area?
“How do we know that if we close our eyes, the ones they are claiming in Egbema, they will not take them from us? You can never tell how we will be losing our oil wells every day. If I speak, they will say we are against government. Should I sleep as governor of Rivers state and be watching them?
He warned Rivers people who to be wary of those parading as opposition politicians now because as he said, some of have been out power for the past eight years.
“Part of the fight we are getting now is because of our desire to protect our oil resources. There are politicians who have played politics with us. In the past eight years, they have not been part of government and poverty has set in.
“My brother, Chibudom Nwuche (former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives)the new PDP Vice Chairman said we are not running an inclusive government. My brother, the Governor of Ekiti State (Dr. Kayode Fayemi) told me that they call it ‘stomach infrastructure’.
Rivers Governor explained that “Part of the problems we are having is that our brothers, who have gathered in Abuja, have been hijacked by those who are not from Rivers state, to cause confusion in Rivers state. We are trying to complete the road to Nwuche’s village and we must complete it. If we have done that, what else is inclusive? What they mean by inclusion is stomach.
“The danger in letting them to take power is that for four years, they will not be able to do anything, because for eight years, they have got nothing. By the time they finish chopping and remember that you are alive, it will be four years. They have been out for eight years and they cannot wait to come in. Promise me, we will stop them.
“They can bring 50 commissioners of police. They can bring 50 Mbus. Mbu can live in their house. Just promise me that the people power will defeat them the way you defeated them this morning. It does not matter, how much they want to come in. Only the people can defeat them.
“Governors in this country have two choices to make. You either stand by the people or stand against the people. How do you stand by the people? Many people have been here and we have been hungry, in the midst of plenty. We have not had infrastructure. No employment. I am not saying it has improved, but we are moving towards improvement.
“I will not stand against you, just because I want to share the money.”
Source: PM News
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