Amaechi: An Enigma in Book Record

At the launch of a book capturing his eight years tenure as the Rivers State Governor, Hon Rotimi Amaechi was described severally by friends and admirers, writes Shola Oyeyipo

On Wednesday, May 13, captains of industries, crème de la crème of the society and indeed major players in the All Progressives Congress (APC) that is getting set to constitute the new government in a matter of days converged on the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos for one purpose – to celebrate one of their own, outgoing Governor of Rivers State, Hon. Rotimi Chibuke Amaechi.

The event was the launching of a book authored by the duo of renowned media practitioners, Dr. Chidi Amuta and Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, which was forworded by Prof. Wole Soyinka and titled: Dynamics of Change: The Amaechi Years – a documentation of the activities of Governor Amaechi in his eight years in the saddle in the state.

In attendance were very many dignitaries. Hardly was anyone patient enough to run through the very lengthy list of important personalities that graced the occasion, so they adopted existing protocols.

The list included Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Prof Wole Soyinka, Bishop Mathew Kukah, Justice Karibe Whyte, Senator Bola Tinubu, Justice Oguntade, Dr. Jim Ovia, former and present Managing Directors of Shell Petroleum, Whyte, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief John Oyegun, Mallam Nasir El-rufai and the Ogun and Zamfara States Governors, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Alhaji Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari respectively.

Others are Senator Olorunibe Mamora, Senator Daisy Danjuma, former Ekiti State governors, Chief Segun Oni and Dr. Kayode Fayemi; APC National Secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala Goni, APC National Woman Leader, Alhaja Rahmatu Tijani Aliyu, Mr. Tonye Cole and the Rivers State APC governorship candidate, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, amongst others.

However, one significant thing that happened at the well-attended event was name calling. Amaechi was called several names by those privileged to speak about him. Although positive names, they all seemed to capture the character of the man, Amaechi, who people see from different perspectives and lenses.

For instance, he was described as ‘great friend,’ ‘strong headed,’ ‘adamant,’ ‘reliable ally,’ ‘General of the common sense revolution,’ ‘non-extravagant’, ‘honest and blunt to a fault,’ ‘good example of common sense revolution,’ ‘a man with courage of conviction,’ knowledgeable,’ ‘driven by the well-being of others,’ ‘unhappy with unjust system,’ ‘restless,’ ‘activist,’ ‘change agent,’ ‘a hounded man,’ ‘a social democrat,’ and a ‘dogged fighter,’ among several other names.

While telling his own story, Amaechi however denounced a name nobody called him at the venue – stubborn. He had to tell the people that he was not a stubborn person as some people may have concluded, owing to the fact that he was one person that stood firmly against President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration till it was eventually ousted and that is the reason he got the title: ‘General of Common Sense Revolution.’

“I’m not a stubborn man. If you have better opinion, I will succumb. I’m principled. Some people say if the president speaks I shouldn’t speak. If I continue to shut my mind they’ll cheat Rivers State. I’m not stubborn. I just want us to know the rules and live by the rules,” he noted,

He explained that his grouse with President Jonathan, which ultimately led to his exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was a result of what he considered wanton confiscations of oil wells belonging to the Rivers State people, which he couldn’t bear.

“They were taking our oil wells because Bayelsa State produced the president. So, I allowed Kalabari chiefs to protest at Abuja and that rattled them and now, after they have agreed that there was a mistake in the boundary adjustment they have named a Bayelsan as the Surveyor-General.

“Though unfortunately, they stole the result of the elections in Rivers State, we hope the court will give us back our mandate,” he said optimistically.   

Amaechi, who openly said he would have been doomed had President Jonathan won the 2015 elections, also gave an insight into what seemed as a frosty relationship between him and former Lagos State governor and a national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu in the build up to the merger of the four legacy political parties that gave birth to the APC.

“One day, I went to Asiwaju’s house. I knelt down before him that he should not let us fight because if we lose the election I would be finished. They had already said I should not be allowed to leave the country after the elections. I knew I would be in trouble if we had lost the election.

“Some of my friends told me they can’t talk to me at the airport. Some told me not to come to their houses with my phones so that the president would not track me to their homes.

“I told him (Tinubu) that it is not how much we would make from the system that matters but that he would make history as leading the first civilian coup in Nigeria. I reminded him that so many Yoruba leaders tried but couldn’t achieve it. Just imagine that the PDP won the election, what would have happened to me?” he noted.

The event also brought to fore those people who baptized Amaechi with his Marxist orientation, his former lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Amuta. Interestingly, Amuta was a student of Prof. Soyinka at the University of Ife, Osun State and today; the two of them are some of his most reliable associates.
He therefore has good words for some people whom he considers very understanding of the cause and purpose and who have spurred him on in public life.

“I need to thank Prof. Wole Soyinka. I never carried anybody’s bag, but I carry his bag because he blesses you with brilliance and knowledge. He fights on my behalf whether I’m right or wrong because he wants to preserve my life.

“The persons I admire a lot as fathers are Chief Bisi Akande and Chief of Staff to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Justice Karibe Whyte and Prof. Soyinka. They are among the few persons that can tell me to stop. But Prof Soyinka and Justice Whyte would not stop you when they know what I’m doing is right because the first thing to them is that my life is protected,” he said.

Tinubu was the one who described Amaechi as “A good example of common sense revolution – not a violent one – to tear things down, but to rescue us from violence and poverty, where the collective well-being of the people will be top on the agenda. It is a call to return to a level of decency between the governed and the leaders. We are here because of one of the generals of the common sense revolution.”

Soyinka said: “I admire Amaechi’s courage of conviction. People should put themselves out and make sacrifices for the country. The political atmosphere in the country today – whatever name you call it – I recognise two people who are the architects: Tinubu and Amaechi. I urge Amaechi not to slow down now, if he slows down, it means he is playing with fire.”

Also describing Amaechi in his own words, Cole said: “He totally lacks extravagance. He threw all protocol away and made the exalted office of the governor opened to all. He genuinely cares about the welfare of the people – the downtrodden. He was passionate about bringing good quality education to the state. Everything he did was driven to cater for the poor.

“I have been on negotiation tables with him; he squeezes unimaginable profits out of every transaction. I have never seen him ask or receive 1k from one contractor. There is none that I know to be more loyal to a friend than Rotimi Amaechi. He tells you exactly how it is. He is straightforward and adamant about his position. He is very principled and he is someone you want on your side when you go to battle.”

Every other person, including father Kukah, who did a robust review of the book, bringing out some of the flaws and the highpoints, also said: “The contributors did what friends should do a friend,” by documenting the landmark achievements of the governor.