Non-Indigenes Are Homeless In Rivers Politics 

–written by Odimegwu Onwumere –

At the Waterlines axis of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, a giant billboard is conspicuously inscribed: “No Tribe, No Tongue in Rivers State, Vote for Amaechi.” This brings the question of the indigenes and non-indigenes dichotomy in Rivers State to bear once again.
 
On January 29, 2011, a Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba, Boston, Massachusetts, in a reply to an article of yours truly titled, “Why Non-indigenes may not vote in Rivers State” wrote that  during the Chinua Achebe colloquium at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island, he had a brief interview with Governor Chibuike Amaechi, the governor of Rivers State. He said that Amaechi had  announced how thousands of Rivers people are sent overseas to study and he asked Amaechi how the program worked. In particular, he asked Amaechi if a Rivers born person of non-indigenous parents would qualify for the scholarships.
 
“Amaechi told me that 30% of the scholarships go to the children of non-indigenes. I tried to explain that all children born in Rivers State are indigenes of the state, but I did not get anywhere with the argument. I tried another version of the argument. I asked if the children of Rivers State indigenes now immigrated to USA would qualify. He said no. I asked why not, but he could not be persuaded,” Aduba wrote.
 
Aduba further expressed in the mail that he mentioned to Amaechi that the parents who live in Rivers State and pay their taxes and contribute to the states development are indigenes, but his points went nowhere. Aduba wrote that he has had similar debate with Lagos State officials with about the same level of success. Children of non-indigenes are homeless people in Nigeria. Free movement of people across LGA, state and zone borders is the most important requirement in any economy that wants to develop. It is the infusion of new blood that results in development.
 
Aduba cited that when the British Empire existed and people came from the colonies into England, Britain became an empire in which the sun never set. When Britain closed her doors on new immigration, she went into decline. When the African slaves, Irish, Italian, and Jews entered the United States, the country grew. On the other hand, closed societies like the Soviet Union did not experience the development that Western Europe had when they had open borders.  Nigerians and other nationals are now flooding China and India and their economies are growing and flourishing. Closed doors have the same impact on development as closed minds. PH, Lagos, Kano, Jos etc take note.
 
In the same vein, a Emenike Nwankwo, PhD, who believes in the quote of Ayn Rand thus, “Competition is a by-product of productive work, not its goal. A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others” called me from the United States of America, in respect to, “Why Non-indigenes may not vote in Rivers State”.
 
A mail he circulated online after our conversation reads: “I just got off the phone with Mazi Odimegwu Onwumere. He was surprised that I was calling from USA after reading his article online. I gave him kudos and encouragement for his noble work. He did not understand the magnitude of his action as a concerned citizen. I thanked him for this article and asked him to organize the non-indigenes in PH, tell them to vote a non-indigenous candidate in River State under APGA. If nobody is running to govern under APGA then he should arrange to have somebody to apply to run. Only way they can get the recognition they deserve is when a candidate that depends on non-indigenes vote in Rivers state loses because non-indigenous people did not vote. I told him that anybody from Nigeria can run for office of governor in any state. This was news to him even when as educated and bold as he is. He said the killings there scare people from active politics. I told him he was already into active politics by his article that is now worldwide.
 
“People like Mazi Onwumere needs to be empowered and encouraged. The hatred of non-indigenes in Rivers State must be challenged. Non-indigenes there must coordinate efforts so one of them can contest the election as governor, even if only to draw off the non-indigenes votes from those who use them but show no appreciation. From his write-up, it is obvious the elected officials are returning the gesture to non-indigenes but it must be made grassroots. The grassroots should have equal access to government employment at all levels. Many of them are indigenes by birth even when their parents came from other states in Nigeria. They have to organize to make their case known. This April, they should meet with the candidates to negotiate their take before the election is casted and vote for the candidate that shows more appreciation for their vote.
 
“If that did not work, then they should vote anybody who comes out to contest under APGA just to make their point. In PH, there should be non-indigenous members in the House of Assembly, and commissioners, because they have the voting power to deny any governor office. They should use their voting power because that is what democracy calls for. You vote where you live and get your own oil revenue where you are counted. When Nigeria took census in PH, the non-indigenes were counted and their allocations help swell what Rivers State collects from Abuja. They should be considered as equally as the indigenes as to benefit equally in the dividends of democracy where they live. Their vote is there power! They should use it to get what they are looking for – jobs, housing, respect, etc. No guarantees, no non-indigenes votes in April”.
 
One Wharf  Aiseokhuoba Snake, Idi-oro, Lagos, wrote: “You speak of Rivers State and her people. Recall that these people are the same ones who stole their brother’s properties under the pretence of “abandoned properties”. There is nothing they do that surprise me, but one day, the day of reckoning will be on us. Agwo emeghi nke o jiri buru agwo,umuaka achiri ya hie nku”.
 
One Nwanna added, “The question now is where is Nigeria heading to? What is wrong with us? They drove Igbo away, still wahala exists…? Look at Jos, are Ndi’Igbo their problem? What is wrong with Nigerians…?”
 
Going back to memory lane, on Oct 14, 2009, a George Onah wrote an article with the title, “Rivers’ govt to introduce levy on taxable adults”. In that article, it was noted that the Rivers State government led by Governor Amaechi planned to introduce levy on taxable adults, including professionals and artisans in the state, (not only the indigenes?) to cushion the spending of the government on free education as well as free health care. A bill tagged ‘social services levy law’ was proposed by the government and was going to be sent to the State Assembly after a committee headed by Justice Karibi Whyte (rtd.) would have submitted its report to the stakeholders in the state. At a stakeholders meeting, Governor Amaechi drew attention to the reforms in the education sector and the need to sustain the facilities in healthcare delivery.

“The government hoped to spend about N9 billion per annum, while the education sector has not proposed its spending, which would affect children of both indigenes and non-indigenes,” said Amaechi. Onah wrote that a breakdown of the tax showed that persons in employment would part with one percent of their annual remuneration, while self-employed persons carrying on business as artisans/tradesmen would pay N5, 000 per annum. Imagine Amaechi! Similarly, professionals, including lawyers, architects, engineers, accountants etc., will pay N25, 000 every year. (And there is no indigene or non-indigene barrier here?). This is bizarre!

If Amaechi warned the people of the state to stop talking about 
discouraging non-indigenes from operating in the state because the Rivers people must begin to lay new foundation for the betterment of the future, how many elective positions have the non-indigenes been allowed to occupy in his government? The appointments given to some of them who are Amaechi’s cronies are insignificant and paltry. And if Capt. Elechi Amadi, told participants the stakeholders meeting  that “education cannot wait because the Asian Tigers we are talking about today went back to education and educated their people; so education cannot wait”, anyone who wants to understand Amadi better should go and read his book, “The Sunset in Biafra” and be shocked his hatred for Ndi’Igbo in particular.

A Clarice Azuatalam of The Nation, on 21/10/2009, published an article titled, “A way to rid Rivers of miscreants”. In that article she said that one major challenge of Rivers State governor Chibuike Amaechi now is how to raise funds to push his developmental projects. He wants to rid the state of criminals, but he needs money to push his education reform through. With education, only few will indulge in criminal acts. That was what necessitated the social services levy, a bill of which is now with the state Assembly.

As explained, it is of a necessity that the assertion above is not the problem of the state but inequality of persons in Rivers State because of State of origins. About 24 model secondary schools spread across all the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state that were also under construction as at when Azuatalam filed her report, how many non-indigenes are going to be allowed to teach there?

The compulsory boarding for students with just two living in a room, the governor had said, and the information communication technology centres, well-equipped libraries, mowing machines that would be mowing the fields, free books, desks, feeding, power and water too, how many non-indigenes would not be reminded that they are not from Rivers State if their wards went for admission in the schools?

If Amaechi was quoted as saying that government does not want to repeat a situation “where uneducated poor people bear arms to attack the rich”, it is good he is reminded that the unwholesome segregation against the non-indigenes in Rivers State is an act known of majority of the educated people of Rivers State origin than the uneducated. The governor’s one time lamentation that the rich live in fear as some of them now go to their villages with up to four mobile policemen whom they pay because they are afraid of the poor criminals in their areas if oversight; it is the non-indigenes that live in fear in Rivers State because of the inimical hatred the indigenes show them.

Remember the report in The National Point newspapers of 04/15/08, with the caption: “10,000 Non-indigenes to be sacked from Rivers State Civil Services”. This sent unprintable tension in the affected non-indigenes. According to the paper: “Tension is mounting in the Rivers State Civil Service following the allegation of many employment of non-indigenes in the civil service.” Very sad!  The report had it also that the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Rivers State chapter, aided the Rivers State Government to the hounding of the non-indigenes out of the state, forgetting that some of them were born in Rivers State and had lived in it for over forty years now.

“The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Rivers State chapter have commenced a campaign to fish out the non-indigenes within the civil service for the state government to take action. It was alleged by the state labour union that an estimated 10,000 non-indigenes are working within the Rivers State civil service,” the paper had reported. This was happening in the state that prides itself as the Treasure Base of the Nation?

Is there any justification by Amaechi that in the about 150 health centres spread across all the 23 LGAs, there is a non-indigene that he officially asked to man a section or the whole? Government was employing medical doctors to man these health centres, how many of the doctors are non-indigenes. Amaechi’s reforms in Rivers State are yet to recognise the presence of non-indigenes in the state. If Amaechi stated that if government is for both rich and poor, “then we must do something that would favour all”. What this implies is that the government in Rivers State is just for the rich and the poor indigenes; no non-indigene included.

The N9 billion naira which was expected to be spent on health annually because it was being estimated that the population of the state must have reached up to 5.4 million by 2011 as against the 5.1 million population figure allotted to it in the 2006 census exercise, how many of the non-indigenes are contractors in the Amaechi-led government of Rivers State? And if about 283,000 pregnant women were expected to benefit annually from the free medical services, has the pregnant non-indigenes been given recognitions in these hospitals as wont their indigenous ones? 

It is a known and recorded fact that politics in Rivers State do not recognize the collectiveness of the so-called non-indigenes residing in the state. Even that the non-indigenes participate actively and heavily in the politics of the state during elections, they have been benchmarked by the almighty indigenes and are given minuses as they relate to participating in active government-policies and governmental appointments that meet the eyes. And where any government in power wants to recognize any non-indigene by act of nepotism, in the area of awarding mere contracts, the almighty indigenes shout hoax. In a case such happened, one is bound to read such article with headlines as “Politics of non-indigeneship in Rivers State Contracts Award, Indigenes Angry” by the indigenous writers and publishers. Is this a lie?

How many reasons stated by the Amaechi are strong and germane in favouring the non-indigenes since Oct 25th 2007 Amaechi mounted the saddle, if the people are to enjoy the free education and medical services? Rather, any participation by non-indigenes in anything in the state elicits wide and varied reactions from the indigenes. This would be when the governor would set up a titular committee to fine-tune any bill before rolling it out to the people.

As pointed out, no non-indigene is allowed at any of the stakeholders meeting in Rivers State; the main challenge is that they are not from the state. And here is Rivers people clamouring that, “No Tribe, No Tongue In Rivers State. Vote For Amaechi.”

Odimegwu Onwumere is the Coordinator, Concerned Non-Indigenes In Rivers State (CONIRIV). Mobile: +2348032552855. Email: nirivpol@gmail.com.