₦airaland Forum

Well deserved

ON Saturday, February 5, 2022, all roads will lead to Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s hometown, where the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, will be turbaned as the Dan Amanar Daura (trusted son of Daura) by the Emir, Alhaji Umar Farouk Umar. Coming in this political silly season, it is one chieftaincy title that is bound to attract a lot of attention in the days, weeks and months to come. Yet, I can say without any equivocation that this has absolutely nothing to do with politics. But saying so will not stop conspiracy theorists from going overboard with all manner of febrile conjectures. But knowing Amaechi well, he will not be fazed.

I am particularly awed by the title, Dan Amanar, which I am told by my Hausa friend means trusted son. Chibuike Amaechi is a proud Ikwerre man from Rivers State. In this era of heightened ethnic irredentism, fueled principally by Buhari’s exclusionist politics, it is ironic and at the same time fascinating that someone from the Niger Delta has been adopted as a son by the Daura Emirate.

But beyond the issue of adoption, claiming him as one of their own, is the significant issue of trust in a country where mistrust is a thriving industry. If Amaechi has been adopted as a trusted son, it then means that the people of Daura have faith in him – his reliability and uncanny loyalty to friendship. And that is exactly the Amaechi that I know – a reliable, good and honest Nigerian, whose integrity, strength of character, fidelity to agreed causes and ability to deliver on promises are unparalleled.

Sadly, these are virtues that are in very short supply in the country today and the reason we are plumbing the depths of misery and despondency. Amaechi is loyal to his friends and he is a bridge-builder. As a politician, the only art which he has refused to master is how to be politically correct. He is not given to equivocation even when what he will say will hurt him politically. So, being conferred with a title that robes him in the uncommon garb of trust is as deserving as it is apposite. Amaechi has been faithful to his friendship with President Buhari and the political alliance that made his presidency a reality after three failed attempts. He took the greatest political risk in that gambit. Had he failed, the collateral political damage would have been monumental for him.

But typical of him, Amaechi will never talk publicly about his enormous sacrifice even when those that made lesser contributions are shouting from rooftops and using that as a basis for laying claim to being the Khalifa – anointed successor. Not only did he play crucial role in Buhari’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate, he was the Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation in 2015 and 2019.

But beyond the role he played in ushering in the Buhari Presidency, what he has been able to do in the last six and half years as minister is even more significant. A statement from the Ministry of Transportation said he will be honoured with the traditional title in recognition of his contributions to the socio-economic development of the country, especially for his effort in bringing to life the rail sector that has been moribund for over three decades. Amaechi is the poster boy of the administration. His dedication to duty makes all the difference. His attention to details is incomparable.

The revolution he is orchestrating in the railway sector is remarkable. Because of his achievements as Minister of Transportation, particularly with the railway projects, THISDAY newspaper honoured him with the Minister of the Decade award in 2020. “President Muhammadu Buhari’s retention of Rotimi Amaechi as his Minister of Transportation after his re-election is a testament to his drive and commitment to give Nigerians a better travelling experience.

“He is superintending over the administration’s efforts to revive the railway system in the country. This has led to some projects such as the ongoing Lagos-Kano standard rail line and linking Nigeria’s eastern and northern corridors through the railway. Under his watch, the water transportation system is also receiving attention,” the newspaper wrote. Amaechi is an achiever and a man with great leadership credentials. He has the axiomatic Midas touch, an uncanny ability to excel in everything he does. He excelled as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and Governor for cumulative 16 years. As Speaker, he led the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria. As Governor, he was also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum.



And at the national level, he is riding the storm, standing out, as it were, from the crowd. Ironically, he does not perceive himself in such light. He would rather share the accolades. “All the ministers are doing well,” he told me two years ago. “Credit for achievements rightly goes to the president not only because his attention is on infrastructure but everything we have achieved is his vision.” That is how humble he is.

But despite his humility in not taking personal credit for his achievements, his creativity stands him out. Amaechi is one Nigerian leader who thinks outside the box. His ability to explore ideas that are creative and unusual, ideas that are not limited or controlled by rules or tradition sets him apart. He is a quintessential promoter of the avant-garde, an iconoclastic public servant who has no qualms pushing the boundaries with every step he takes in public office. It is his ability to think outside the box that attracted a transportation university to Nigeria. At the groundbreaking of the Transportation University in Daura on December 2, 2019, Amaechi disclosed how he forced the Chinese construction firm, CCECC, to build the university. “I engaged the companies. The first engagement was when they were constructing Lagos-Ibadan. They were not so keen at spending their funds to build a university for Nigeria, until I refused to sign the contract for the Lagos-Ibadan railway.”

Amaechi only agreed to sign the Lagos-Ibadan railway contract after CCECC met three conditions. “The first thing is to take our children to China and train them by giving them a first degree in railway technology. The second is that, if we must sign the purchase of locomotives in China, they must build a factory where we can construct coaches, locomotives and wagons and today at Kajola that factory is being constructed. Finally, I insisted on the University of Transportation.”

That is ingenuity in the service of fatherland. Lesser mortals would have cornered the funds meant for those projects. Amaechi’s largeness of heart is part of his exceptionalism. But he is also humble and graceful. He is, perhaps, the biggest disciple of Buhari and rather than appropriate credit for any achievement, he wants it to go to the president because whatever he has done is by his directive. But unlike many Buharists, he has a firm grasp of the issues and is not delusionary.

He admits that hunger has not been banished from the land. Poverty is a reality. Unemployment is also real. But he insists the Buhari government has done well. “We are fixing roads, power, etc. Before we came, power was bad. We know we have not hit the actual result Nigerians are expecting but we have left where we were before,” he said. Amaechi sees himself as a Nigerian, in a country defined by ethnic and sundry primordial sentiments. That has created problems for him back home. But he doesn’t bother. Instead, he allows that worldview to define not only his person but his approach to governance and allocation of state values.

Any project in any part of Nigeria will serve Nigerians, he argues. His critics call him naïve. He demurs. “We like breaking this country into components. Why don’t we agree first of all that ours is one nation? Whatever services we provide between Lagos and Kano rail-line for instance, is because of the quantity of cargo to be moved,” he contends. In a country where nepotism is elevated to state craft, such disposition may be seen as too idealistic. But Nigeria needs leaders with holistic appreciation of what it needs to lift up the country. That is the import of the title that will be bestowed on Rotimi Amaechi in Daura on Saturday.

He is not only a trusted son of Daura, he is a self-sacrificing, conscientious and diligent public servant, a trusted son of Nigeria with ennobling worldview. Provincial leadership has dealt Nigeria a bad cut. It is high time we changed course and Amaechi fits the bill of transcendental leadership that Nigeria sorely needs. That is the message the people of Daura are sending to other Nigerians.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/02/all-hail-amaechi-the-dan-amanar-daura/

techmatas:
Get information here:
http://advanxis.com/blog-news/nigeria-lng-train-7-project-timeline-and-all-you-need-to-know

thanks

techmatas:
2022 is a very promising year for the oil and gas sector as it is the year most oil and gas projects will gain traction after a prolong period of COVID-19 incursion. from our previous article "Nigeria to Kick-start 100 Oil & Gas Projects Between 2021 and 2025" There is no gain saying that 2022 will be a year that will consolidate as well as usher in those numerous oil and gas projects among which are: LNG train 7, Numerous offshore deep water project by various multinational companies, petrochemicals and refining projects among others.

http://advanxis.com/blog-news/news/top-oil-and-gas-skill-for-2022

please can you tell me more about lng project

DispatcherLagos:
from the language point of view. Could have made more sense if they congratulated us with good English language

oga be calming down na
congrats to eagles

demmmmnnnn nigure

isorite

covid be a real nigure for once

Rip to the dead

Ttipsy:
after construction, he should also do the necessary,
marking of roads, traffic lights, divisions n all that, close drainage

Yeah he really have to

conehead2018:
thank God you identified as a stranger..if you are looking for were to snap pix go to world bank road via housing junction,go to amaraku road, go to akwakuma bus stop take your right heading to umuodu mbieri etc there you will have enough propaganda pix for ur governor.
Visit Douglas roads,and other surrounding streets along d city centre check the drainages and see how dirty owerri is and you will marvel if this the state that is once judges as the cleanest in nija...Tell Rocha's to leave propaganda alone his career is gone.

Hmmm, don't know those places maybe you should provide some pic of those places. What I have shown you is what I saw in majority of the places I visited in that town

Wow! So many dissenting voices already

phoexix:
You shouldn't be saying this.

You passed through several places and can't mention a street out of all the places. Are you for real?

my brother I was not there for an expedition. was their for an emergency. spent barely four hours in the town before taken off. some of the pics was taken while in the taxi. the few names I can remember but cant guarantee the spelling are wethdra, hospital junction, controls, etc

Nutase:
You just flew in from Douglas house. Why don't you just come out to campaign for okorohausa and his son in-law. Its better than lying on a Sunday.

not here to do any campaign. just showing what I saw. Just had a one day visit and reporting what I saw. even in the taxi that I was which was caught up in the gridlock of traffic because of the littered construction. I raised the topic of the governors performance and I was surprised that five out of the six passengers including the driver where really extolling the governors performance. I was really surprise

more

JOHNSONSOLAFUNMI:
Same site

not same sitoo. at all. in fact some of the site that I post you may even need a taxi to move from one site to the other. I just took very few as I was there because of emergency

Sapiosexuality:
Where in Owerri is this?

My brother I don't really know any where in owerri. just touch down town on Friday due to emergency and I was really shocked by the extent of transformation and beauty the city has worn. But the more shocking is construction going on here and there...expansion of roads, fixing of bar street light, construction of new roads, etc. the few pic I took was just along the place that I pass through.

the city is currently besotted with dust as expansion of current road to multiple lanes as well as construction of entirely new roads is currently ongoing

the construction is of really high quality

seems the pic are too large as am having problem uploading them here

I Just touch down O town after spending few years away from home and i was really impressed with what I saw. Not only has the town expanded and wore new look but also at the melting pot of construction and reconstruction.

Most of the inner roads are currently been dualized. I must tell you l really hid my head in shame after castigating the current government all these while with what am fed on the media only to realize its only a bile propagander by Okorochas detractors.

Just took these very few pic of the current construction scattered all over the city (I manage to take these few)
Pics taken on different locations. I don't know the name of the places since I do not reside their

hmmmm

I rep Rivers

www.nairaland.com/attachments/3757417_received862500977188334_jpeg_jpeg9e5f9d7505b5307a3bdffedab4782f47
www.nairaland.com/attachments/3757416_received862499450521820_jpeg_jpeg0fd27267bc0d66aa891efdfac6bf58b3
more loading..

this is serious

they have started again. well, wike is not really doing well

hmm

understand that GDP per capital of state is different from money available in government coffers. in tact the larger the population the larger the commercial activities and more money will be available for the government of non welfare state like lag.
nb lag has never been a big spender in scholarship, education, education, health, etc

aribisala0:
Tinubu is the man for me
Created LASTMA

Pioneered BRT and LAGBUS
Reformed LASUTH
Created 37 LCDAs and withstood the withholding of funds by OBasanjo thus proving Lagos could stand alone against blackmail

Go and check how many court cases he took to the Supreme Court just to enshrine FEDERALISM which have now concluded and settled many matters in favour of states which PDP governors sheeply ignored.

His reform to the revenue base of the state needs no introduction
He envisioned : Eko Atlantic,The Badagry express way and the Metro projuct but it is not all about projects but future vision

Tinubuis better than all those 5 put together.

Just imagine he was in the place of Akpabio,Ibori or Amaechi I cannot imagine any of those states would not have a thriving seaport and international airport

understand lag is the richest state and can't compare its igr with that of any other state in Nigeria

hmmm

estyvino:
When I was much younger, i was beaten blue black by my much more elder brother!

What was my offense? I played football in school!

Any leader who is above 50 years of age would do the same, they no nothing about harnessing talent.

TGIF

so sad

lala look at where you dumped my thread

vcente:
I didn't know

lol, you beat me to that
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