BY AZU AKANWA

CHief Martins Kunumgbe is the National Coordinator of the Rivers Peoples Congress (RPC), which mid-wived various solidarity campaigns in Lagos and South West for the re-election of Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State. Kunumgbe, who also is the traditional leader of the Okirikas in Lagos, in this interview spoke among others on matters arising in Rivers after Amaechi’s re-election.

YOU mounted serious campaigns for Amaechi’s re-election. Down the line so far, do you have any regrets?

No regrets really but things can be better.

How?

No regrets in the sense that so far, the governor has lived up to my personal expectation and that of the RPC. Before the elections, we charged all other candidates to step down for Amaechi. We said so because we saw what he was doing. We saw his developmental strides in the area of education. In Okirika, he improved a lot of schools and constructed some. He brought peace to Rivers by reducing to a minimal level, the high rate of insecurity before his arrival.

Mr Kunumgbe

Before Amaechi, Rivers State was more of a high security risk. He was able to change the situation. I said no regrets now because he has not stopped in his developmental strides. He has even gone beyond that to embark on the completion of on-going and abandoned projects.

But you said things can be better…

We want him to actually concentrate on the completion of on-going projects. Let him not waste time and resources on new projects when there are a lot of projects awaiting completion. Let it be said that when he was there, he revolutionised the developmental process of the state by ensuring that the era of abandoned projects is gone. Rivers people will ever remember him for that.

Amaechi is currently the Chairman of the Governors Forum. There is the belief that his position will boost the image of the state.

I don’t agree with that. I don’t see how his position as chairman of the Governors Forum will benefit Rivers State. The position may boost his credentials, his CV, but for the state, it is a minus. Rivers State is rich. Instead of the state benefiting from other states, it will rather be spending to help others. It is like Nigeria and a small West African country forming an economic alliance. Nigeria will do most of the spending. We have nothing to benefit from Amaechi being chairman of the forum.

How do you see the intention of the governor to develop the water fronts?

I am a member of the Okirika Council of Chiefs. I can not speak on that without the permission of the council.

What is the RPC’s stand the planned removal of oil subsidy and state of insecurity nationwide?

We try to restrict our activities to, first, Rivers State, then the Niger Delta. But I will say here that no one likes to sleep with one eye open. The state of insecurity in Nigeria is worrisome and every well-meaning Nigerian should condemn the situation in its entirety. Be that as it may, the President should assert himself. He should show to the nation that he actually wanted to be president and that he was ready and fit to be president.

Before you talk of removing oil subsidy, you must make sure that the rail system, other forms of public mass transport system are in order. You must make sure that power failure is a thing of the past and you must make sure that all other facets of the economy that have to do with power and transportation are taken care off. The Federal Government must be proactive.