Rivers State was created in the year, 1967 by a Military Fiat, Decree No. 19. The state is made up of several ethnic nationalities namely: Kalabari, Ogoni, Ogba, Ndoni, Obolo, Ibani, Okrika, Ikwerre, Etche, Orashi amongst others. Of recent our team of correspondents carried out intensive investigation on activities going on in the various sectors of the economy in the state.
The correspondents also peeped into the various ministries and parastatals in the state. After several months of research, our team came out with startling revelations that exposed a lot of misdeeds going on in the state, as regards to employments, appointments, sitting of projects and development.
The comprehensive investigative reports submitted by our team of correspondents had revealed that development in Rivers State is lopsided.
This according to information made available to The Newswriter had it that several developmental projects are being sited in the Ikwerre speaking Local Government Areas of Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, Emohua, part of Etche and Oyigbo LGAs.
As massive construction of internal and access roads are ongoing in the Ikwerre land, no visible development in the hinterland of the state. Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, an Ikwerre son, currently serving his second term in office has secretly using the state funds and apparatus to reposition the Ikwerres in the state. One method the Ikwerres clandestine apply to perpetually dominate the state is to discourage, their sons and daughters in power from building bridges and roads that will link the coastal communities to the state capital, Port Harcourt. If road and bridges were linked to the hinterland of the coastal region development will spread to the riverine communities.
Today the various strategies plotted by the Ikwerres in government, development are now concentrated on the Ikwerre land. Egbelu, Ogbogoro, Ozuoba, Rumukalagbor, Rumuola, Eneka, Omagwe, Rumupkowu to mention, but just few before now were hamlets and typical villages, but today they are developing due to the influx of strangers living in these areas. These strangers are mostly from the riverine communities.
Another attempt to underdevelop the riverine communities, the Ogoni, Abua and others is the creation of the so-called Greater Port Harcourt City Project, which is planned on a modern comprehensively serviced urban area of 2,500 hectares of land with residential accommodation for 30,000 housing units. It is a dangerous plot to use the state resources to develop or give a face lift to the Ikwerreland. Ninety percent (90%) of the resources of the state are coming from the riverine communities, but sadly no development could be found there Idama, Soku, Kula, Elem Kalabari, these are some of the oil producing riverine towns, but under-developed, while some Ikwerre communities without any resources are bubbling with economic activities.
Governor Amaechi uses the state resources to fund a lot of Ikwerre youths abroad for further studies. From our finding Ikwerres are more on the list for those who traveled out of the shore of Nigeria to study.
Beside, these plots, the Ikwerres took advantage of the Dr. Peter Odili and Amaechi’s administrations to fill in their people in all the ministries and government parastatals in the state. It is interesting to discovered that 90% of the workers in the state ministries and parastatals are Ikwerres.
Daily employments of Ikwerre indigenes are secretly going on in some of the ministries. One of the reports submitted by our team of correspondents clearly shown that the Ikwerres have taken over the Government House, Governor’s Office, Ministries of Establishment, Youths and Empowerment.
It is disheartening to also reveal that Ikwerres who are not any way qualified to be Directors and Permanent Secretaries in the ministries and Government Establishments are given such positions based on godfatherism and attempt to “Ikwerrenalize” the entire state. Several Directors in the ministries from other ethnic groups are systematically retired from service so as to pave way for the Ikwerres to take charge.
Looking at the trade union politics, the Ikwerres are at the helm of affairs. For instance Chief (Dr.) Chris Oruge, an Ikwerre son is in charge of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Franklin Ajinwo, an Ikwerre son, is the head of the state wing of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Chief Godfrey Nwogu, another Ikwerre son is the state leader of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Onuegbu, an Ikwerre son is the chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC). Also the Local Government Service Commission is headed by an Ikwerre son, Chief Nnamdi Wokekoro. Unequivocally the Ikwerres are gradually taking over the entire affairs of the state. In the Rivers judiciary the “two elephants” struggling to take over the office of the Chief Judge are from the Ikwerre extraction. Even the two actors: Governor Chibuike Amaechi and Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike at the centre of Rivers politics are Ikwerres. Looking at the scenario there is no point or need waiting for a soothsayer to tell Rivers people that, the Ikwerres are dominating the state in all ramifications. We have come to an era of Ikwerrenalization of Rivers State. ###
