A social-cultural group made up of Prominent Kalabari sons and daughters known as Kengema Peoples’ Club has insisted that Kalabari ethnic group in Rivers State be allowed to produce the next Governor of the State come 2015.
The Contact and Mobilization Committee of the group made this declaration when it paid a consultative visit to a Prominent Kalabari son, a renowned industrialist, Opunabo Captain Briggs at his office in Port Harcourt.
Speaking the leader of the group, Mrs. Rosemary Brown, said, they decided to call on Captain Briggs because of his intimidating political pedigree in the state, having been recognized as one of the youngest founding fathers of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and as a political bridge between the younger and older generation in the state. Again, they considered the fact that Captain Briggs would be in a better position to advice them on the right track to take to realize their aim.
“We decided to come to you because, we know your integrity and antecedent as a man who always stand by his word”, they promised to reach out to other ethnic nationalities in the state to reason with them and share in their struggle because the Kalabaris can not go about it alone and achieve the Governorship slot alone without adequate support from other ethnic groups.
They also believed the struggle is achievable and worthy in view of the fact that the Kalabaris have sacrificed a lot for the political growth and development of Rivers State, considering the fact that they had the opportunity to install one of them as Governor in Government House in 1999, but they allowed and supported an Ndoni man in the person of Dr. Peter Odili.
Again, in 2007, they buried their ambitions and supported an Ikwerre man in the person of Rt. (Hon.) Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to be the Governor and wondered how other ethnic nationalities in the state would not support one of them to occupy the seat of Government in 2015.
In his response, Captain Briggs said, he feels happy seeing young Kalabari sons and daughters going about to sensitize notable citizens of the state to support a Kalabari son or daughter to occupy the seat of Government House come 2015. “It gladens my heart to see Kalabari youths coming to seek for one of us to be a Governor in 2015” he also noted that in as much as he would support a Kalabari man to be a Governor of Rivers State in 2015, he would resist any man who will come as a Governor to introduce poverty, hunger and militancy in the state, but a Governor that will create job opportunities for the youths and a man that knows that once you become a Governor, you have a responsibility to better the state economically than you met it. “Honestly, your course is a worthy one, I plead to support it, because it is a laudable programme”, Captain Briggs said.
He reminded the leaders of the group to endeavour to reach out to other ethnic nationalities in the state and emphasis the absence of industries and lack of enabling environment for industrialists to thrive and create jobs.###
