By Donu Kogbara
Last week, I told you that all that I and most Rivers People I knew wanted for Christmas was for our President and our Governor to patch up their quarrel.

Well, it has now become obvious that this wish is not going to be fulfilled. And I am grief-stricken to the point of tearful about the fact that Amaechi walked out of Jonathan’s party on Tuesday and officially joined forces with his enemies.

I guess that dreams hardly ever come true.

Postscript

I need to counter my own claim (the Christmas comment above) because it was, on reflection, a gross exaggeration that came about because I was feeling particularly sorrowful and sentimental about the Jonathan/Amaechi rift.

Gov. Amaechi and President Jonathan

At the risk of sounding frivolous, let me backtrack and lighten up and say that I and most of the Rivers People I know would, in addition to a Jonathan/Amaechi reconciliation, like lots of other more concrete Christmas gifts!

If Vanguard readers tell me what is on their wish-lists, I will reveal the contents of mine. Dreams hardly ever come true, but there’s no harm in occasionally fantasizing about ways in which one’s existence can be improved.

Especially at a time when Nigerians don’t have much cause for celebration.

Have I been settled?!

Whenever I say anything nice about Governor Amaechi or President Jonathan, at least one Vanguard reader contacts me to accuse me of having been “settled”.

Meanwhile, a cousin keeps telling me that “almost everyone I talk to thinks that you are very rich because you get millions from VIPs to either sing their praises in your column or to stop mentioning their weaknesses and mistakes.”

I find this allegation distressing as well as infuriating because I would never make positive remarks about anyone important for insincere reasons…or make negative remarks about anyone important to attract attention and settlement or cynically withhold legitimate criticisms because I have been paid off!

For the record, I am not a saint. And, yes, I sometimes betray my own journalistic principles by not participating when VIPs I know and like – Aviation Minister Stella Oduah, for example – are being attacked for messing up.

Stella was kind to me long before she became a Minister; and I haven’t seen her for three years but I can’t be coldly objective about her in public.

As I often say, we are all human.

But please kindly note a) that I am not a hired pen who sells her newspaper space to various high bidders, b) that I am SO not rich that I am still living in rented accommodation at the age of 54 and c) that if I speak well of Jonathan, Amaechi or anyone else, I speak well of them for genuine reasons.

PDP versus the rest

As far as I’m concerned, while the main Nigerian political parties contain some worthy individuals who come up with good ideas and try to do their jobs efficiently and honestly, the PDP, APC et al are utterly unimpressive overall.

They are all riddled with corruption. They are all run by despots who only pay lip service to democracy. They are all largely populated by hustlers who are motivated by materialism, vanity and megalomania rather than by idealism. They all engage in electoral malpractices. And I think it is safe to say that this country cannot move forward properly until they clean up their sordid acts.

There are times when I throw my hands up in total despair and gloomily conclude that there is no hope whatsoever.

But I also have optimistic days on which I believe that change is entirely possible…and that no matter how flawed opposition parties are themselves, they can, if they are strong and noisy enough, goad unsatisfactory ruling parties into performing more satisfactorily.

With the above belief in mind, I regarded the recent formation of the APC as a healthy development. Now that parties that only enjoyed significant support in the South-West and North have merged into one unit, the PDP has a formidable rival and will, if it has any sense, up its game to counter this threat to its supremacy…by doing more for citizens who are crying out for a better society.

 Farewell Sir

The President of the Ijaw National Congress, INC, Senator (Dr) Tari James Sekibo, MFR, JP, died in Yenagoa a few days ago on November l8.

I saw him in Abuja the night before he passed away and he looked a bit frail and tired, but not sick. I never imagined that I would never see him again.

Senator Sekibo was a distinguished legislator during the SecondRepublic and a former Head of the Okrika Divisional Council of Chiefs who was, at the time of his death, juggling his arduous INC duties with major responsibilities associated with his Chairmanship of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority.

He was a leader of distinction and immensely pleasant honorary uncle who will be much-missed by me and many others. May his sweet soul rest in perfect peace.