—By Saki Mac-Anabraba
Coventry, United Kingdom
Rivers state is dubbed/nicknamed “The treasure base” Why is that? The phrase is self explanatory and I bet that most people are in the know that the nickname derives from the fact that Rivers state is the cash cow which feeds the nation with it’s crude oil primarily. Crude oil is the treasure and Rivers state (and Bayelsa state) is from where it mostly flows.
The question is, how well is the cash cow being fed? The answer to this question should
not be about revenue allocation or resource control; it should be about how well the cash cow is fed and cared for sustainably from the allocations which accrue to the state annually from the federal government? What has our money done for us in terms of social and economic harmony and comfort? Why is Rivers state among the most insecure and backward in key infrastructure? Why is economic inactivity quite common among the ready and able population of the state, majority of whom are the youth?
Why are the rural areas not easily accessible to Port Harcourt by good road networks and waterways when more feasible? Why are there no gas turbines in the place of lots of outlets from where gas is flared as wastes? Why are our schools dilapidated and teachers go for months unpaid? Where are the hospitals?
Why are we breathing raw carbon soot pumped into the air from illegal crude petroleum refineries? Why is NPA not working as vibrant as it deserve? What has been the obstacle in the decentralisation of economic activities of the state?
The answers are in the leadership but I am not about to spend any time in litigating the shortcomings of past or the incumbent administrations. It is far more beneficial to look to the future having learned from the failures and successes of the past administrations as we edge towards yet another opportunity to elect another governor.
Let us focus on electing the candidate who has the institutional experience and the leadership qualities to help create a renewed Rivers state where every community and every rivers man, woman and child matter.
What Do We Expect From The Next Governor Of The State?
A teacher was asked what the problem is with the world? “Conformity, men don’t think any more” he said. I need a non conforming governor who is capable of disrupting the status quo. A governor who has been there from the grass roots through to the stem and to the branches of the tree of power. A man who knows how to tend the tree in order to produce fresh green leaves and healthy fruits for “the many and not for the few” – as Rt Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP stated.
We need a governor who can help us to rid the state of insecurity, and revive our traditional occupations of fishing and farming. A governor who has the ability, confidence and relationships at the national level to facilitate the complete clean up of all oil spillages as well as provide adequate remediation and compensation.
A governor who is aware that Rivers state is a multi-cultural space which had enjoyed robust and peaceful community relations in the past and can devise a plan to review and re-establish inter community peace and harmony in the state. A governor who understands and have genuine respect for all the tribes in every community in the state.
The people of Rivers state urgently need a governor who can manage the resources of the state for the benefit and comfort of every rivers citizen in every community in the state.
What Are The Issues At Stake In This Election Cycle?
The social and economic issues sticking out has not changed much over time and as the 2023 election draw closer it is prudent to review these issues as they affect the people of the state, the challenges, efforts by past administrations and where we are today as a people. What should the average economically active person in rivers state expect from a new governor come 2023?
The issues are jobs, jobs, jobs and more jobs. At this moment, the state is undergoing an unacceptably high levels of unemployment especially among the youth, almost non-existent private sector participation and entrepreneurial activities, we live in a very congested city much of which are without basic utilities, high levels of insecurity, poor sanitation, failing educational system with poor facilities such as below standard school buildings and libraries (if there are any working ones), dying traditional rural economies and more.
What Are The Solutions?
There is urgent need to revive the business environment through the formulation of private sector friendly policies and support structure in order to attract inward investment. Establish an independent Enterprise Hub to help to develop and promote entrepreneurship and the establishment of new business start up for agriculture oriented business and also establish digital business hubs across the state.
Create business confidence with a robust plan and actions to protect lives, property, business infrastructure and the entire state from the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery and lawlessness. The incoming administration will need to lure the companies that flee the state back and in business in the state.
Invest in the creation of good roads network to link the rural areas to Port Harcourt as part of economic regeneration of the state. Also, formulate policies and develop programs designed to resolve youth restiveness, reduce inter-communal tension and eliminate politically motivated violence.
Provide quality education and associated infrastructure, comprehensive primary and secondary healthcare infrastructure, robust support for teachers and medical and healthcare staff.
Provide low cost houses for civil servants, and civil service review and reform to eradicate institutional civil service bribery/corruption and scams, review and help to reform the judiciary branch.
Reform the agricultural sector by encouraging and supporting subsistence farmers and fishermen in order to revive the rural economy.
Who Is The Right Man To Transform The State’s Economy?
Rivers state is the second state with the highest income behind Lagos state. This is due to lopsided contribution from the oil and gas revenues. Internally generated income has drastically reduced since the beginning of the outward flight of major oil and manufacturing at the height of the resource control militancy and associated violence and kidnapping.
We need an incoming governor who has the experience, knowledge, the charisma to facilitate the return of the companies that flee the state as a result of violence, kidnapping, lack of adequate infrastructure and skilled workers. We need a governor with the guts and gusto to create a conducive business environment in which existing businesses and start up businesses will thrive. We need a capable executive governor in whom businesses will have trust and confidence to return to create jobs and trade.
What Are The Choices?
All the registered parties have chosen their preferred candidates for the governorship race for February 2023. The Social Democratic Party has fielded Senator Magnus Ngei Abe.
Peoples Democratic Party has Mr Siminialayi Fubara, the former Rivers State Chief Accountant, as their party bearer for the 2023 governorship elections. There are others including Mr Tonye Cole, who is running to be governor under the All Progressive Party (APC) platform.
There are other smaller parties most notable among them is the Accord Party whose candidate is Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs. Let us have a closer look at the candidates representing the three main parties in order to give the voters a clear picture of who these candidates are in order to enable them to make an informed choice of who to chose as their next governor in the forthcoming elections.
- Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, Social Democratic Party (SDP)
A lawyer by profession Senator, Magnus Abe is the immediate past Senator who represented Rivers South East senatorial district where he served as a two term
senator. He was voted onto the board of NNPC from where he recently resigned in order to focus on his quest to serve the people of Rivers state.
He enjoyed a successful career in law practice before becoming a politician, first as a member of the Rivers state House of Assembly where he became a minority leader. He moved on to became commissioner for information and later the Secretary to Rivers Government. A true son of Rivers state, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is a seasoned administrator, a maverick of the political scene in Rivers state and a smooth operator on the national political ecosystem.
Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is the quintessential independent-minded leader; a Rivers state patriot. A thoughtful and soft spoken rare breed visionary politician, he has a comprehensive social and economic development agenda for the future of the state with imagination and well thought out strategy and cost effective action plan. He possess the character, enviable personality, experience and skills the office of the governor requires at this precipitous and uncertain times in our history as a state.
Senator Magnus Abe rose from the floor of the Rivers state House of Assembly and grew through the ranks and up onto the senate floor in the National Assembly. He comes with lengthy institutional experience and knowledge equipped to manage the affairs of Rivers state. There is no better person to take the mantle of office more able and qualified
to stop Rivers state from sliding into a socio-economic entropy.
Senator Magnus is a charismatic great public speaker with great inter personal skills with rare approachable disposition who can work across the isle to get the job done for the benefit of the people of the state.
In Senator Magnus Abe, we have a divine intervention to help to save Rivers state from the gradual decline into social and economic disorder. We are on a social quick sand and we are sliding down deeper in the hole. This is not the time for party loyalty; this is not the time to vote according to party line or tribal links.
This is the time to give the job of governor of Rivers state to someone, not because of his tribe or his party. This is the time to vote for someone because he is the most qualified, because he fully understand the needs of the grass roots communities, because he understand the needs of the youth from all corners of the state, because he fully understands the value of women and will empower them into leadership and not just token appointments.
As governor, Senator Magnus Abe will review, reform and strengthen the institutions and instruments of government in order to achieve efficiency and cost saving and invest Rivers state money for the future of the state and the generations coming after us.
- The other candidates may be known to you by their names and the parties that they represent. What else do you know about them? One is a rich businessman who represent the interest of the oil and gas sector who take take the pie from us and cut us a piece.
What institutional or political office experience does Mr Tonye Cole possess besides running an oil company and being member of a political party in Rivers state?
Does anyone know about the contributions Mr Tonye Cole has made to help the state socially or economically? To what extent does Mr Tonye Cole understand the people of the state and the daily social and economic challenges which they face?
I do not know much about Mr Tonye Cole in terms of his qualifications and fitness to occupy the office of governor in Rivers state. For this reason I’ll not be able to tell you about him and who he is. I believe that you know better than I do.
- The Peoples Democratic Party has fielded Mr Siminialayi Fubara, the former Rivers State Chief Accountant. what about him? What do you know about his professional and institutional experiences which qualifies him to occupy the office of governor of Rivers state? Again, you know better than I do because I don’t know anything about him beyond what I have written. It is not in my interest to speculate or spend time to dig into the obscure history of Mr Siminialayi Fubara in order to make a point.
However, it is crystal clear to anyone in the state or any outside observer, judging by efficiency criteria, that the people of Rivers state has been short changed in social and economic development terms given the trillions of Naira the state has made in revenue in last twenty four years of PDP rule. Should this level of social and economic chaos continue from 2023?
Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is the best candidate by any measure in whom the people of Rivers state can safely invest the next eight years of their social and economic development life and not regret that they did.
Vote Senator Magnus Ngei Abe. Vote the Social Democratic Party in February 2023.
