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Friday, 12 March, 2010 01:55 pm
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| The Demons Around Rivers State Information Ministry |
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| Written by Odimegwu Onwumere | ||||||
| Monday, 28 July 2008 | ||||||
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The Rivers State’s Information Ministry is situated at the Podium Block. This is in the premises of the Government House, Port Harcourt. For those who are not in the-know, High Chief Ogbonna Nwuke is the State’s Commissioner for Information, albeit that would be no big deal to some people. Many people might say that a man like Nwuke is supposed to be holding a position in the national level due to his antecedents as an assiduous statesman, an orator, a pressman and a man who handles the Nigerian Project and also treats anybody that comes in contact with him as his own son, brother, sister, mother, father, and so on. Those who know Nwuke would always testify that he is down to earth. And one might call him MR. Humble for his humility and unashamed stand for the truth and our democracy. However, there was no how Nwuke would have gone for any national appointments, as people are agitating in many quarters, without first holding or starting with the position from the grassroots of which the ebullient and dogged fighter for the truth, governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi saw in Nwuke as a man who doesn’t terse the truth and appointed him to spearhead the Rivers State’s Information Ministry; information business Nwuke had been into for decades now and has made successes in it as a journalist of not only local repute but also of international repute. And this is how people in the developed world start before soaring to the bigger offices. Bit it perturbs one that while the Governor Amaechi-led government is fighting very tenaciously to restore peace and tranquility to the once serene Rivers State by the instituting of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) headed by Justice Eso of which a lot of Rivers indigenes have appeared before it to free their minds on allegation and counter allegations that were leveled against them which Governor Amaechi was the first person to testify before the Commission that he was not a cultist and has not killed any person now and before he became a governor, it is shameful that a lot of people in the state still see the attainment of peace as a thing very hard they would support. To this people, they make fame by backbiting and mudslinging at the innocent people in the state without any cause or reason. And the Hon. Commissioner for Information in the state is now on their altar; but what gain does one achieve in treading and stocking mischief? Recently, the traducers who can’t do any other work other than traducing even if a million naira jobs is given to them, accused the Commissioner of “not carrying people along”. What ever that means! But as Nigerians, we could understand that this axiom simply means that they wanted the Commissioner to be corrupt for their nefarious wants and make them the Chief Executive Officers in the management of the businesses that go on in the Information Ministry of Rivers State of which Nwuke undoubtedly would not accede to or adhere to without the Due process or Rule of Law in place. Nwuke knew that the present administration is not like the 1999-2007 administration in the state and in the whole of Nigeria, where it was “the winner takes it all” or a “do-or-die’ affair without the observation of the Constitution. He is taking his time! If what the traducers who now have Pull Him Down (PhD) informal certificate in mischief that are now after Nwuke means by Nwuke is “not carrying people along” is for Nwuke to take his office for a family affair, then they have missed the point and should look for other office where they could lay hand on corruption easily as Nwuke in his understanding is not an advocate of corruption and would not be a stooge for any body to carryout his or her shoddy activities, because transparency is Nwuke’s byword. Rivers people and indeed Nigerians could bear witness to this that one of the statements of encouragement Governor Amaechi made to all the Commissioners when they were newly sworn in and to all holding public offices in the state was that he would not treat anybody who was found abusing his or her office for the betterment of his or her own purpose inlure of what the office was meant to serve with the kids glove. After that statement, Governor Amaechi has been showing a good example of his own office. At least, he opened himself for investigation by that single act of appearing before the Justice Eso-led TRC. Governor Amaechi has not stood foolhardy on any issue that concerns the state without consultation of the stakeholders. Then, if a governor of Amaechi’s integrity could bend-down for our democracy to have a meaning and human face, how on earth would any officeholder in the state or any indigene and their visitors not follow the footstep of the Governor? The governor has said it the umpteenth time that the Rivers State government of today is no longer “business as usual”. Things are being done the way they are being done in the world’s democracies. At least, the TRC otherwise means the Freedom of Expression that is in the Constitution. In a nutshell, the High Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, as far as the Information Ministry was concerned, is doing his best to carry every Rivers person along as confided or enshrined within the rules and regulations that govern the ministry. Those calling him name are ignorant of the duties of a Commissioner for Information. Just giving Nwuke a name, is like giving a good dog a bad name to hang it. And that act is not good. Odimegwu Onwumere, poet and author, is the founder, Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State.+2348032552855. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  Quote this article on your site | Views: 1148 | Print | E-mail
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