The violence in Rivers

RECENTLY,  the Rivers State governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, declared that he was bothered about President Bola Tinubu singling him out in a statement on the crisis in the state. The governor spoke in the aftermath of the violence that engulfed the state following the local government elections held on October 5. Arsonists had set some local government secretariats in the state on fire following the statement by the Inspector General of Police (IGP),  Mr Kayode Egbetokun, ordering the immediate withdrawal of police personnel from the secretariats of the 23 local government areas in the state. The hoodlums wanted to prevent the newly elected council officials from assuming office. Speaking on a television programme, Fubara said: “I do not have any issue with the president’s intervention but I am a bit concerned when my name was the only one mentioned. Like I said, since it’s coming from the president, I’m not going to comment on it. The issue is very simple. It’s as simple as ABC. Everyone in Nigeria, everyone in Rivers State, knows where this issue is coming from. It’s not rocket science. We know what the issue is and the issue is not Fubara. It is not. I believe strongly that with the recent intervention of the Inspector-General of Police, maybe we will have a breathing space. Maybe him pulling his men out of those secretariats might be one of the reasons why they took advantage of the situation but I will appeal that while the men are there, the elected officers should have the opportunity to do their work. At least, let them provide security for them, which was even what I was thinking of.”

On his part, Fubara’s predecessor and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, accused the Rivers State governor of inciting violence in the state following the local government election. He accused the governor of disregarding a Federal High Court ruling which he claimed prohibited the election due to procedural violations by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission regarding voter registration. However, the Rivers State government indicated that the said ruling only prohibited the police from monitoring the election and that it had a valid court order ordering it to proceed with the election. On its part, a prominent sociocultural group, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) Worldwide, urged President Tinubu to pay close attention to political developments in the state in order to avert the breakdown of law and order. The group made the plea in a statement issued by its president, Benjamin Okaba, in Abuja.

The purpose of any government is to guarantee the safety of life and property. Peace and safety are a sine qua non for development, economic growth and prosperity. But what currently subsists in oil-rich Rivers State is a climate of pervasive fear, uncertainty and despair among the citizenry. A few power mongers on an ego trip have made the state almost ungovernable, undermining the essence of government, and promoting subterfuge. . They have turned deaf ears to the calls for ceasefire and compromise.

Sadly, the path the parties to the conflict have chosen to traverse is strewn with dangers.  In 2003, militants operating from the creeks wreaked havoc on the state. Thousands of hapless citizens were forced to flee as warlords sacked most riverside communities. The then President Umaru Yar’Adua introduced the Amnesty Programme with the dual purpose of halting the descent into anarchy in the Niger Delta region and ensuring the reorientation and reintegration of the militants behind the reign of terror. With the scar of that massive destruction still ingrained in the psyche of Nigerians, the ongoing debacle occasioned by the supremacy contest between Governor Fubara and his predecessor/Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, is most troubling. It is as if there can be two governors in the state at the same time.

Beyond accusations and counter-accusations of betrayal, the muscle-flexing has degenerated to deep ethnic cleavages with the attendant consequences of implosion, arson and killings. The rule of law is being relegated in favour of the destructive tendency of self-help. The state House of Assembly was torched following an impeachment move against the governor and consequently, parts of the building were pulled due to the structural effects arising from the arson. In the wake of the recent elections, the secretariats of at least four local government areas were set ablaze and invaluable property was vandalized. Ironically, none of those elements involved in the destruction of the public property was arrested by law enforcement agents. Vandalism, arson and killings are symptomatic of savagery and should stop forthwith. The resort to crudity cannot be justified under any guise. Sanity must be restored. Violence will stall genuine development and progress, scaring away investors.  So, the divided elite must beat a tactical retreat from the path of ignominy and shame. The tension across the state will ease once those behind the uncanny political fight put Rivers State first in their agenda and sheathe the sword. Governor Fubara must uphold the rule of law and ensure that there is no place for arsonists in the state.

It is also imperative for the leadership of the judiciary and the law enforcement agencies, especially the Nigeria Police, to review their roles in the Rivers episode, particularly regarding the twin issues of neutrality and public confidence. The conflicting court rulings on issues have obviously heightened tension in the state. No doubt, the integrity of the institutions critical to peace and tranquility will facilitate the quick restoration of sanity in the state. There has to be a quick end to the current mental siege on the citizenry.

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