The city of port Harcourt has been in celebration mood for a month now to celebrate 100 years of its establishment by the colonial government. The government has lined up a number of activities to mark the occassion. On 15th of November, last week friday residents of the city woke up in the morning only to find out that the state government had declared the day and the next week Monday as public holiday as part of the celebration. Civil servants and school children were seen goin back home since they were not aware of the public holiday. On Tuesday the 19th of November 2013 which work was to resume, residents woke up to go abuot their business only to find out that the governmnet had extended the holiday to Friday the 22nd of November. Due to the late information, the news was greeted with mixed reactions and students were not sure whether to go to school or stay at home with some private schools insisting on opening. However yesterday there were reports that the police have been going round the private schools to ensure that schools observed the holiday. One stuent of the Niger Delta science school reported that men of the Nigerian police came to the school and interrupted activities and even arrested the principal of the school. Howevern the police have denied that their men had forced private schools to shut down however, teachers had maintained that plolicemen had forced the shutdown of the schools

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has decried the week-long public holidays declared by the state Governor, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi.

The party said the reason given by the state government was false and diversionary, insisting that the work-free days was to stop the courts from delivering judgment of the matter instituted by the suspended elected officers of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area in the state.

Amaechi had, through a statement issued Monday night by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Bureau in the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Sovens Okari, announced the extension of the work-free days to Friday.

He had earlier declared November 15 to November 18 as holidays for workers in the employ of the state government.

The government had said the reason for the work-free days was to allow civil servants participate in the ongoing Port Harcourt centenary celebrations.

But addressing journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, the Chairman of the state chapter of the PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, said the government lied about the reason for the holidays.

He said, “The reason given about the ongoing work free days is political and diversionary.
“Governor Rotimi Amaechi claimed the city of Port Harcourt just turned 100 years. We do not know which day in the year, 2013 that the city of Port Harcourt turned 100 years. Does it mean, every day in the year 2013 is an anniversary for Port Harcourt? What activities of the celebrations are still ongoing?”

Obuah also said: “Since 1967, when Rivers State was created, we have not seen such abuse of work-free days as we have seen in the last one week.”

He said the governor, by the declaration of the work-free days, had demonstrated “the crass impunity that characterises his governance,” adding that Amaechi had acted selfishly without counting the losses to the people of the state.

His words: “The colossal loss on the state as a result of these work-free days, which may be extended according to information available to us after this week, is unimaginable.
“Our children are kept at home from schools, academic calendars have been altered. Our hospitals remain closed and tens of millions of naira accruable to the state within this period are lost.

“Innocent citizens seeking justice are being denied their rights even those awaiting trial in prisons still remain incarcerated unjustly. Court rulings and judgments are stalled and rights and privileges of citizens are abused.”

He said the party would “prosecute Governor Amaechi for genocide for any loss of lives and property as a result of these senseless public holidays.”
He insisted that Amaechi had told members of his cabinet that the real reason for the holidays was political.

According to him, “Governor Rotimi Amaechi, at the state executive council meeting on November 18, informed his cabinet members that the reason for the work-free days is to stall the judgment to be delivered by Hon. Justice Iyayi Lamikanra challenging the illegal dissolution of the elected executives of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and the constitution of Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the council.

“The governor said he has deployed enough tactics and resources to coerce and blackmail the said judge in order that she may hands off the case.

“As part of the game plan, the so-called chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area Caretaker Committee, Mr. Chikordi Dike, addressed the press yesterday and attempted to drag the name of the judge and the judiciary into the mud. We condemn this action in the strongest of terms.”

He said the governor was suffering the people for his selfish interest.
“Amaechi, why suffer innocent Rivers people with holidays for your selfish interest in a matter before the court? Why not wait for the outcome of the cases, rather than attempt to truncate the course of justice?” he queried.

While calling on the people to rise up against what he described as the impunity by the governor, he expressed disappointment that elder statesmen and the elite have not spoken out against the governor.

“Where are the elders of Rivers State? Where are the human rights activists? Where are the labour leaders? Where are the Nobel laureates? Where are the professors of virology?
“Their silence is indeed deafening. The people of Rivers State must rise up now with one voice and shout ‘No’ to this impunity by Amaechi and his acolytes,” he said.

Omo d holiday na by force o