Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has said that his contributions to the Ikwerre people would be remembered in history. The Governor lamented that some prominent Ikwerre people whom he favoured, betrayed him over politics.
He made the remarks at the 199th Convention of the Ikwerre Cultural Organisation on Sunday.
Amaechi said, said: “Gradually, we are beginning to wind up in government and I have started counting either my blessings or losses one by one as governor of Rivers State.
“I have started asking what have I done for Ikwerre people and I’m convinced that the Ikwerre history cannot be complete if my name is not mentioned.
“I am not saying this because I am the governor. As the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, I ensured that most parts of Ikwerre have roads. The ones that did not get then, when I became governor they got roads.
“Only a few communities may not have roads in Ikwerre now, and before we go, I will make sure they have roads like most parts of the state. We will ensure that those communities have roads. As Speaker, I asked for the grading of this Ogbakiri road.”
The Rivers governor also stated that he was aware that the basic thing needed in Ikwerre was basic empowerment.
He said: “You will not recognise it, until you take the list of our scholarship programme in the state and know how many of our children are overseas studying. They are quite many and I have met them at different airports.
“How I know them is because they greet me in Ikwerre when they see me. I have asked myself apart from those who are fighting me, many Ikwerre sons and daughters have one way or the other benefitted from me.
“When you see Nyesom Wike, tell him I nominated him to be Minister. And I have one witness sitting here today. Chief Sampson Agbaru is my witness. He led other prominent sons and daughters of Ikwerre to see President (Goodluck) Jonathan and the President told them that he had not known Nyesom Wike from Adam, that when Amaechi brought Wike’s name, he (Jonathan) opposed it. The President opposed the appointment of my former Chief of Staff as Minister.
“He (President Jonathan) opposed him (Wike) and I begged President Jonathan severally and consistently because I wanted Wike to be minister. But today, Nyesom Wike has betrayed me for selfish reasons.
“Also, by the grace of God, I made Chief Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives. God used me. Prominent politicians met me and told me that there could not be two captains in a boat, that if I made Austin Opara Deputy Speaker, I might not be the political leader in Ikwerre. But I said I wanted my people to benefit and I picked Austin’s name and we battled to make him Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2003.”
The NGF chairman also revealed how the ex-deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (Opara) allegedly masterminded his arrest and detention in 2006.
Amaechi said: “In 2006, I was arrested through the machinery of Austin Opara and was detained for one day. Meanwhile, he was supposedly one of my supporters to be governor. Among those, I have also helped who are now fighting me is also Prof. Achinewhu, as Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.
“Achinewhu was sick and at the point of death. I flew him out of the country for medical treatment, but he is now one of those accusing me and writing against me in the papers. For those I gave contracts, they are so many for me to mention.
“If they deny, call the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention and summon them, I will come here and mention them one by one. For instance, Paul Nwonodi is one of them. He is now fighting me and writing and signing all sorts against me.
He said: “We will survive the federal might and the way to survive it is to mobilise our people. We must prepare now to chase away those against our people. The President says he is an Ijaw man, he should not take the oil wells from the Kalabari people.”
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