RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI: I SALUTE A MINISTER PER EXCELLENCE!
01/03/2018
The recently concluded The Sun Leadership Awards brought me some fond memories especially as I watched Sir Celestine Omehia - one time Governor of Rivers State Nigeria - granting interviews to a journalist that evening. I'm sure a number of us that watched the Channels TV that day saw that video. A certain question was thrown and the journalist wanted to know how life has being for the ex-Governor and Sir Omehia's reply reminded me of my unpleasant experience under his reign in 2007 as a corps member.
I had graduated from the prestigious Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi State Nigeria in late 2006 and by February 2007, I was lucky to be posted to the oil-rich Rivers State. As a graduate of Applied Geology, I greatly rejoiced that providence had moved me to the hottest market for Geologists then. I could remember nursing selfish thoughts (If I may use the word) of easily securing employment immediately after service. Then I traveled to Rivers State from Jos once I had collected my Call-up letter and would arrive at about 10 pm in the night.
An old acquaintance helped me secure a place in the corper's lodge somewhere at Eleme. From there I eventually made my way to Nowa Gban Tai where the NYSC camp was at the next day. After about three weeks or so of camping, I obtained my Redeployment letter which first posted me to a private school in Afam. I later got another posting to a school in Omuike, Aluu behind Choba Uniport after being rejected at the first place I was posted. I settled down to my duties after a compulsory short period of holiday that saw me traveled out of Rivers then.
We were told that Rivers State had an understanding with the NYSC that corpers should be posted to schools in rural areas mostly instead of to companies and ministries and their reason was so as to preserve employment slots for indigents who had by postings gone to the other states of the federation to serve. Okay now, I accepted. During this period, Sir Peter Odili was already on his way out after serving as governor for 8 years. The PDP impunity had found a latest victim in the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He it was, who won the party primaries and had clenched the party ticket already to contest for governor. He will get his mandate back after many months of legal tussle that saw him wrestled Sir Omehia right up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. During that period I and my fellow corps members had already served Rivers State for 9 months. I forgot to mention earlier that the government of Rivers conceded the sum of 10, 000.00 Naira monthly as compensation allowance for each corper in exchange for denying us the chance to serve away from the rural areas.
With the high cost of surviving in Port Harcourt, Sir Celestine Omehia refused to honor the pact with the NYSC and therefore refused to pay the corps members even a dime during his term as governor. He told us how he served in Kebbi State in his days and how he was still owed his allowance. We were indifferent at first. Later, it took a very serious prayer and supplication that would last for months for God to finally remove the usurper (as he became known) and to reinstate the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as governor of Rivers State Nigeria.
Our joy knew no bounds as a month after he was sworn-in, then Governor Amaechi promptly resolved our payment and guess what? Every corper got paid for the duration we had spent in service to Rivers students and mine amounted to a whooping 90,000.00 Naira. I learnt that the medical guys amongst my batch got as much as 135,000.00 Naira each, for their monthly grossed about 15,000.00 Naira. Big money then. And the Christmas that year was so good with that kind of cash in hand. A divine intervention experience I am yet to forget till date.
It's been 11 years since and I have watched how God continued to move His Excellency Rt. Hon. Amaechi from relevance to relevance in Nigeria and how Sir Omehia's political fortunes had continued to plummet. In fact, it is so bad that the man has practically become Governor Nyesom Wike's orderly. He told the journalist that day, how his successor - Rt. Hon. Amaechi - didn't care to show him love and I frowned before my TV saying: Did you show any love to the suffering corps members in your time as governor?
His Excellency Rt. Hon. Amaechi - current Hon. Minister for Transport - is about the finest gentle man to have featured in contemporary politics. A minister per excellence! Before my eyes in 2007/2008, he sacked the traffic jam in the famous Eleme Junction and introduced a Julius Berger built Flyover and Roundabout. I am not surprised that he is today in charge in the Federal Ministry of Transport; an office that complimented his talent for city redesigning and urban modelling. I salute you through this media. I do hope that I'll someday in the future shake hands with you.
Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh writes from Jos.
The recently concluded The Sun Leadership Awards brought me some fond memories especially as I watched Sir Celestine Omehia - one time Governor of Rivers State Nigeria - granting interviews to a journalist that evening. I'm sure a number of us that watched the Channels TV that day saw that video. A certain question was thrown and the journalist wanted to know how life has being for the ex-Governor and Sir Omehia's reply reminded me of my unpleasant experience under his reign in 2007 as a corps member.
I had graduated from the prestigious Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi State Nigeria in late 2006 and by February 2007, I was lucky to be posted to the oil-rich Rivers State. As a graduate of Applied Geology, I greatly rejoiced that providence had moved me to the hottest market for Geologists then. I could remember nursing selfish thoughts (If I may use the word) of easily securing employment immediately after service. Then I traveled to Rivers State from Jos once I had collected my Call-up letter and would arrive at about 10 pm in the night.
An old acquaintance helped me secure a place in the corper's lodge somewhere at Eleme. From there I eventually made my way to Nowa Gban Tai where the NYSC camp was at the next day. After about three weeks or so of camping, I obtained my Redeployment letter which first posted me to a private school in Afam. I later got another posting to a school in Omuike, Aluu behind Choba Uniport after being rejected at the first place I was posted. I settled down to my duties after a compulsory short period of holiday that saw me traveled out of Rivers then.
We were told that Rivers State had an understanding with the NYSC that corpers should be posted to schools in rural areas mostly instead of to companies and ministries and their reason was so as to preserve employment slots for indigents who had by postings gone to the other states of the federation to serve. Okay now, I accepted. During this period, Sir Peter Odili was already on his way out after serving as governor for 8 years. The PDP impunity had found a latest victim in the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He it was, who won the party primaries and had clenched the party ticket already to contest for governor. He will get his mandate back after many months of legal tussle that saw him wrestled Sir Omehia right up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. During that period I and my fellow corps members had already served Rivers State for 9 months. I forgot to mention earlier that the government of Rivers conceded the sum of 10, 000.00 Naira monthly as compensation allowance for each corper in exchange for denying us the chance to serve away from the rural areas.
With the high cost of surviving in Port Harcourt, Sir Celestine Omehia refused to honor the pact with the NYSC and therefore refused to pay the corps members even a dime during his term as governor. He told us how he served in Kebbi State in his days and how he was still owed his allowance. We were indifferent at first. Later, it took a very serious prayer and supplication that would last for months for God to finally remove the usurper (as he became known) and to reinstate the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as governor of Rivers State Nigeria.
Our joy knew no bounds as a month after he was sworn-in, then Governor Amaechi promptly resolved our payment and guess what? Every corper got paid for the duration we had spent in service to Rivers students and mine amounted to a whooping 90,000.00 Naira. I learnt that the medical guys amongst my batch got as much as 135,000.00 Naira each, for their monthly grossed about 15,000.00 Naira. Big money then. And the Christmas that year was so good with that kind of cash in hand. A divine intervention experience I am yet to forget till date.
It's been 11 years since and I have watched how God continued to move His Excellency Rt. Hon. Amaechi from relevance to relevance in Nigeria and how Sir Omehia's political fortunes had continued to plummet. In fact, it is so bad that the man has practically become Governor Nyesom Wike's orderly. He told the journalist that day, how his successor - Rt. Hon. Amaechi - didn't care to show him love and I frowned before my TV saying: Did you show any love to the suffering corps members in your time as governor?
His Excellency Rt. Hon. Amaechi - current Hon. Minister for Transport - is about the finest gentle man to have featured in contemporary politics. A minister per excellence! Before my eyes in 2007/2008, he sacked the traffic jam in the famous Eleme Junction and introduced a Julius Berger built Flyover and Roundabout. I am not surprised that he is today in charge in the Federal Ministry of Transport; an office that complimented his talent for city redesigning and urban modelling. I salute you through this media. I do hope that I'll someday in the future shake hands with you.
Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh writes from Jos.
Comments
Post a Comment