By Guy Ikokwu

A COUNTRY like Nigeria has been negatively affected by the oil draught of the last three years and significant lapses in the area of good governance, financial accountability and increase in crime rate and insecurity of lives. It has become quite rare and difficult to find a few of Nigerian leaders with the necessary political will to grapple with the challenges of our time.

Of the 37 executive heads of government in the states and the FCT only about eight of them can be said to be rising up to the challenges of the moment.

In the past two years, the head of our Unitary Federalism has given bailout funds to 28 out of the 36 governments to enable them pay the salaries of poorly paid workers in their states, some of whom are owed arrears of more than six months not to talk of those paid only 50 per cent of their monthly dues.

In these days of economic recession there is no wonder that the value of our currency the Naira has been grossly devalued to N305 per dollar at the Central Bank and N510 per U.S dollar at the parallel market.

Wike

With the current skewed political system in Nigeria and the dysfunctionality of our corruption ridden economy, it is quite surprising to find one or two states that have tried to rise above the current displeasure of the citizens of their state.

One of such oil states among the six states that make up the South-South geopolitical zone is Rivers State This state is directed by a middle aged Governor known as Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, a lawyer by profession, of Ikwerre ethnic nationality of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, and his other name today is Mr. Projects or Infrastructure, which is one of the dominant areas of his activities in the state.

Governor Nyesom Wike is one of the few leaders or politicians, who have risen from the grassroots through the Local Government where he served as chairman and was later elected as President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, and later to Chief of Staff of Government House of Rivers State from 2007 to 2011.

From the state level having learnt all the skills of governance he rose to the national level at Abuja where he became the supervising Minister of Education in 2013. For the 2015 national election he was chosen by the PDP to contest for the governorship of Rivers State which he won in spite of the militant oppositions of the former Governor of Rivers State Mr Rotimi Amaechi, who had aligned with the APC led by Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu. In spite of the turbulence which was almost on a war footing unleashed on Governor Wike he was able to ride the storm even against the security agencies and our so called Independent Electoral Commission whose record of achievement had

been inconclusive, postponed and re-run elections.

Governor Wike has been able to fight cultism, criminality and intemperate abuse of office by those whose responsibilities are to protect Nigerians from the devious and negative forces which are against good governance and economic viability, especially in these days of recession.

Governor Wike as a grassroots politician understands that Port Harcourt is a cosmopolitan garden city nurtured in the past century by the hinterland Igbos whose migration spread through the whole riverine territories of Opobo, Ogoni, Okirika, Bonny, Kalabari, Abonema with such intermarriages as can hardly be replicated in other regions of Nigeria. His cabinet has a commissioner for non indigenes whose responsibility is to harmonise their relationships with the host communities. His success in this agenda has made Wike the peoples Governor as was evidenced in the recent rerun elections in the state.

Governor Wike established one of the best executive and administrative organs at the state and local government levels. The composition of his cabinet to head various ministries rank among the very bright stars in the various professions in Rivers State. His deputy Governor Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo was a former secretary to the government of Rivers State in one of the previous administrations and had also served the Federal Government in the health sector with Prof. Dr. Ramsom Kuti of blessed memory.

At the party level he has Bro Felix A. Obuah as Chairman of PDP Rivers State with an executive team which has always worked in collaboration with the national executive team of the PDP. Governor Wike’s performances in various fields of Education, Judiciary, Health, Agriculture, Culture, Housing, Women Affairs, Urban development, Works, Youths, Water Resources and Sports has become an envy of other administrations worthy of emulations.

When addressing Rivers people recently Governor Wike said “l want to assure you that we are alive to our responsibilities and we will continue to strive to meet the yearnings and aspirations within the available resources.

This administration is determined to make Rivers State one of Nigeria’s paramount and best investment destinations second only to Lagos”.

It is no doubt therefore that Governor Wike has been tagged “an uncommon achiever”.

Governor Wike is surely and truly a man of the people and when cornered recently he gesticulated and said “l want to be remembered as a free man walking along the road, on the street, being happy, seeing the infrastructure that we put on ground, seeing the improvement of Education and Health Care, l will continue to defend democracy in Nigeria. Please note that l love my wife and l love my children”.

He is therefore showing the example of the type of true leaders the Ndigbo of Nigeria cherish and adore. He is a man who wants the best for all citizens of Nigeria such that none should be deprived of their basic rights and abilities, such that all Nigerians should have justice and fair play and that the Nigerian political system, which is presently skewed should be drastically reversed and restructured so that Nigeria’s economy will improve and end the doom which the present economic disability definitely portrays the man Pan-Ndigbo Nigeria Forum pays tribute to this gallant leader who is in touch with the grass root and who has been so recognised by foremost cultural assembly of Ndigbo the Ohanaeze world wide institution, presently led by an adorable, dexterious, knowledgeable, economist and lawyer and a former Federal Minister, Chief John Nnia Nwodo Jnr, the Ike Ukehe from Enugu State.

We pray the almighty will protect them all to enable this country Nigeria move forward to its destination as the pride of black people on earth.