A CALL TO REASON; RIVERS STATE

“Conscience is an open wound: only truth can heal it,”
Usmanu Dan Fodiyo (1754-1816)

In the interest of posterity and generations yet unborn, I have decided to put pen to paper and make my views known on issues surrounding the last eight years of the Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi’s administration in Rivers State. In doing this, I am not oblivious of all the issues both false and true that have already been put in the public domain. But I believe I owe it as a duty to myself, my children, Rivers people and indeed the entire nation to put things in their proper perspective. I hope that in doing this, I will ignite an honest and intellectual debate devoid of mudslinging and name calling, a debate that will center on the issues that affect our people.

As someone that has been closely associated with Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi having spent eight years with him in the Rivers State House of Assembly and also having served as a commissioner in his cabinet for eight ( years, I believe I owe posterity this write up and I do this with every sense of responsibility. People that know me across the political divide in Rivers State know that I do not speak flippantly. In doing this, I know I might be opening up myself and my service to Rivers State to a vicious attack but in the interest of the truth and nothing but the truth, I believe this is a necessary price to pay.

The Chibuike Amaechi Administration: Philosophy and Vision.

The Chibuike Amaechi’s vision was centered around the principles of liberal democracy with emphasis on public social programs that will help in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. Maybe, as a result of his social background, he deemed it necessary that the state should play an intervening role in providing social amenities that will otherwise be beyond the reach of the poor and less privileged. It was this philosophy that drove the revolution he pioneered in the educational sector in Rivers State. It remains on record that until his administration, Rivers State has not seen the quality and type of schools he succeeded in building across the length and breadth of the state. The schools provided an opportunity for children of the less privileged to know what it is to school in an ideal environment. He followed this up with a scholarship program that sent thousands of Rivers Students and even non-indigenes resident in Rivers State to all parts of the world in furtherance of their education.

His political liberal social philosophy could also be seen in the set-up of the Rivers Micro finance Agency (RIMA) with a mandate to help galvanize SME’s to boost the state’s economy. In doing this, Amaechi was driven with a passion to uplift the position of Rivers people and the state.

Infrastructural Development

It is on record and the facts on the ground show that the Amaechi administration added more kilometers to the Rivers State road network than any other administration before him. His strategy was driven by the need to open up the state for economic development. Even his adversaries can attest to the fact that in his administration Rivers State was described as one huge construction site. I doubt whether any resident of Rivers State can truthfully say that in one way or the other his/her life was not touched or made easier by the construction of these new roads.
Other aspects of his trail blazing initiatives include the advances in agriculture (farm settlements), the primary health centers and other development initiatives scattered across the length and breadth of Rivers State.

The Rivers Monorail Project

So much falsehood has been put out in the public domain about this project. However, it remains on record that the decision to embark on the Rivers Monorail Project was a collective decision taken at the Rivers State Executive Council meeting during the first tenure of the Amaechi administration and the facts regarding this project are all still domiciled with the Rivers State Government. The issues with regards this project is quite clear. As part of his efforts to develop the local economy, Chibuike Amaechi realized that there was a need to lay the structures and framework for a new city; it was on that basis that he initiated and commenced the Greater Port Harcourt Project. Coupled with this was the realization that there was a need to develop Port Harcourt as a number One business destination in the South-South. For this to be done, it was important that Port Harcourt should have a well-defined transport infrastructure network with the capacity to link all parts of the city. This was the philosophy behind the commencement of the Monorail Project. It initially started as a PPP (Private Public Partnership) but due to the global financial meltdown of 2008 the PPP partners pulled out and the Rivers State Government took over the project. I want to place it on record that everything with regards to the Rivers Monorail Project was handled in line with international best practices and procedures. All the firms and consultancy firms engaged with the project are world class firms. I was the supervising Commissioner and I stake my honour and integrity as a true Rivers son on this fact. There was never a time in the course of the project where Amaechi as Governor interfered in any matter whatsoever relating to the project. I challenge anybody who holds a contrary view on the standards of the project to invite the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) or any other local/international engineering regulatory body responsible for standards in public transport infrastructure projects to conduct an independent assessment of the engineering standards of the Rivers Monorail project.

It will be dangerous for us as a people to belittle our dreams and our aspirations with regards to development and live in four (4) and eight ( year cycles of developmental progress. Amaechi did not start the Rivers Monorail to complete it. In starting, he laid the framework for a major public transport infrastructure project that has the capacity to jump start the Rivers State economy and position the city of Port Harcourt as a major destination for business. If I might ask; who built the London underground rail network? Who built the New York subway network? Who built the Heathrow airport? As a people we must resist the temptation to believe that major infrastructure projects are tied to the life cycles of administrations. We must have the courage to insist that succeeding governments do not kill the collective dreams and aspirations of our people but that they continue the march towards industrialization. The assets belong to the Rivers people, the monies spent belong to the Rivers people, and we should not politicize infrastructure developments. It doesn’t matter who takes the glory just let it be done. The monorail is still an on-going project.

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry

A cardinal principle of any democracy is the respect for the rule of law. Closely associated with this, is the principle of fair hearing. I am of the opinion that a situation whereby initiators of a judicial inquiry have already arrived at decisions on issues before the said inquiry and have put out statements in the public domain that show their conclusions on such issues, then it no longer becomes a commission of inquiry but an “inquisition”. For instance, the present Governor of Rivers State as the Minister of State for Education in a publication in the Nation and Thisday newspapers of Monday October 13th 2014 in pages 4 and 54 respectively said “There is one death trap they call Monorail. Yes, we know that one day, we must die, but with the monorail I am seeing there, I will not take such risk. The monorail is a death trap”
In the light of such statements and numerous others on the project, what sense does it make for one to expect any form of fair hearing in a panel constituted by the same individual, in an atmosphere and environment created by an incoming administration that has already painted the out-going administration as corrupt? One cannot expect any justice from such a commission. Events from the commission sittings already confirm this as seen in the denial by individuals of statements credited as having been made by them at the commission sitting and reported in the media. For me the pertinent issue is, Amaechi has left a lot for the Rivers commonwealth. What do we do as a people with these things?

What is the present status of the Amaechi schools?
What is the status of the Greater Port Harcourt development plan?
What is the status of the primary healthcare centers?
What is the status of the program for skills acquisition?
What is the status of the Rivers Monorail project?
What is the status of the thousands of kilometers of road network added to the state?

These questions and many more are begging to be answered. Generations unborn will not need judicial commissions of inquiries to answer these questions. The questions will be answered based on the realities they see on ground. As a people we do not have all the time in the world. Our state economy is built around oil and gas. The price of oil is on a downward spiral, we need to begin to act and think outside the box. This is a time for big ideas. We do not need ‘these’ distractions.

Amaechi’s Place in History

So much has been put out and so much has been spoken about Amaechi. However, some pertinent issues need to be raised and addressed against the back drop of facts;

1. Who is the real Rivers man?
2. Who is the real betrayer?

Is it the Rivers man who fought endlessly to ensure that the rights and commonwealth of the Rivers people are preserved? Who refused to turn the other way when the oil wells of Rivers people was surreptitiously taken and given to others? Is it the Rivers man who had the courage to say that his people deserve better under an administration led by someone his people saw as ‘their own’? Definitely, that is the real, true Rivers son.

It is my belief, that at the end of the day history will be fair in her assessment of Amaechi as a person and as a man of big ideas who had the courage to challenge a system of injustice meted out against his people by a cabal who acquired power in the name of a people who had been long deprived and had paid a great price for the well-being of the nation state but who were forced to put up with all sorts of marginalization all in the name of “At least, he is our own”.

Amaechi’s name definitely will continue to generate a lot of emotions but one thing there would always be a consensus about, is that he never corruptly enriched himself in any way or manner. On this, the judgement of history will always be constant.
Any fair and objective assessment of the Amaechi years will place him with the likes of Dappa Biriye, Adaka Boro, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Alfred Diete Spiff, etc.

‘May history vindicate the just’ I have done my bit.

George Fubara Tolofari

Political Opponents of the Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi have gone a new time low. Following the successful hoisting of the Rivers Monorail Train on the 5th of July 2014 despite all negative propaganda against the project by political opponents, Rivers PDP looking for a way to discredit the project did the unthinkable. In a new form of cyber warfare against the peace loving people of Rivers State, PDP Rivers created a Facebook account purportedly in the name of an ex-staff of Arcus Gibb (The Rivers State Government appointed consultants on the Rivers Monorail Project) Mr Clive Arries (See purported Facebook comment attached). In the said Facebook comment by Mr Clive Harris, the Monorail project was said to lack integrity and the hoisting of the train a violation of global practice.

However, we live in an interconnected world today nothing can be hidden, associates of Mr Clive Arries quickly brought the purported facebook posting to his attention, he contacted his ex-employers (Arcus Gibb) who issued the following statement immediately;

Our attention has been drawn to purported comments on Facebook by an ex Arcus GIBB employee Clive Arries (See facebook comment attached). The comments raised issues regarding the involvement of Arcus GIBB in the project.

We would like to state emphatically clear that these comments are ungrounded.

After further investigation on the said ex-employee, we would like to inform the client as follows:

· The individual resigned from GIBB eight years ago (before our involvement in Nigeria).
· He has never travelled to Port-Harcourt or Nigeria and is not aware of the Rivers Monorail project.
· He has no direct- with or ever had contact with anyone on the project.
· The individual denies any and all claims made on any social media or blogs in his name

We would like to bring the aforementioned to the clients knowledge and also inform him that we are working on an official press statement on our side.

We trust that the above is in order.


This new low once again shows the extent these people will go to destroy any meaningful progress seen to be happening in Rivers State. The Ministry of Transport and Arcus Gibb has issued a public advisory Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Monorail signed off by the Hon Commissioner for Transport and the MD of Arcus Gibb Nigeria in today's papers (Thisday and Nation Newspapers center spread). The public advisory FAQ contains all necessary information required on the Monorail. The general public is advised to be very careful with statements credited to individuals said to be associated with the Monorail flying around the social media. All inquiries on the Rivers Monorail Project should be channeled to the office of the Hon Commissioner, Ministry of Transport 9th Floor, Podium Block, Rivers State Government Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt or the public is advised to visit www.riversmonorail.ng

The Rivers Monorail Project team under the leadership of the Ministry of Transport remain focused on the principal issue, Delivering the Monorail for the good of Rivers people.

The faq. You can send me ur email if you need a clearer version as it was too large to attach on naira land

There are a lot of haters in the system. It should be noted that the Rivers Monorail Project is not about Gov Amaechi, He will leave the position by Next year. The question should be "How do we re-position Rivers State as a the Oil and Gas capital of Africa?". All over the world, projects of this nature are designed in Phases. What you guys are seeing is the Phase 1A of the project (UTC - Sharks Park) 2.6km. This will be completed by the end of the year. Phase 1B is a 3.9Km stretch (UTC - Waterlines). The design and framework for this phase has already been concluded. All of us know of the London Underground; last year they celebrated 150 years of the London Metro (It started with a small stretch). It should also be noted that they are still constructing. If subsequent governments come in and extend this system to Obigbo and even Omagwa airpot, you can imagine how this town (PHC) will be like. we will be the envy of other states.

It should be noted that this is the first Monorail in Sub-Saharan Africa. We should be proud of what we have. I have attached the Frequently Asked Questions on the Monorail for the consumption of the enlightened ones here. It was in the papers (Thisday & Nation) on the 17th of July 2014.