Steadily stamping his persona into mandatory reckoning by Nigerians in political leadership conversations, Nyesom Wike – Governor of the Rivers State (and of the Peoples Democratic Party – PDP), qualifies as a study in how to make things work in the country. In the course of his run in public office he has carved for himself an image that once he sets his mind on a venture, one can as well wait for him at its end point to reap the designated dividends. At least, so he has proven in his five-year tenure, as the chief executive of the oil rich state. From the terrain of political strategy, to campaign rhetoric as well as delivery of programmes and projects being the dividends of democracy, testimonials of his dexterity in enterprise have given his name a household spread across the country. If nothing else, the string of completed infrastructural projects across the Rivers State, and his dramatic outing in the recent gubernatorial polls in Edo State which accentuated his asset value for Nigeria’s politics, are there for even the blind to see. The latter dispensation accounts for the restructuring of the political map of the country whereby the entire South South geopolitical bloc of Nigeria is now a PDP territory.
The foregoing narrative of his track record projects him as a knight in shining armour which even the leading lights in the opposition APC could not resist admiring, leading to the shower of accolades on him by least two of them, for remarkable efforts in execution of infrastructural projects from start to finish, and on schedule. The first instance was from the Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo on February 13 2017, after inspecting a series of projects conceived, executed and completed by Wike, and in the course of which the former christened the governor as ‘Mr Projects’. According to Osinbanjo then “I think he deserves the title ‘Mr Projects’… he is indeed ‘Mr Projects’”. The second shower of praises on him from a top gun of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), came barely a fortnight ago – this time by Raji Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing while commissioning the newly completed state-of-the-art Rebisi Flyover in Port Harcourt, which has redefined traffic flow at the location ordinarily referred to as Garrison Junction. While commissioning the flyover bridge Fashola had commended Wike and expressed satisfaction with the urban renewal programme of the governor, even in the face of extremely challenging circumstances.
Without prejudice to whatever achievements that have been recorded in any APC state across the country, it is significant that not only have such accolades come from the APC to an opposition PDP Governor, but serve as a message to Wike’s critics and detractors who may have sworn to see nothing positive in his gubernatorial enterprise. As a corollary to the foregoing, Wike’s feat did not come without some personal cost in terms of strident criticisms by coach potato critics, as well as bare-faced detractors from factors whose fixation borders on nothing beyond mischief against his interests; not minding what impact such anti-Wike disposition will have on the people of the state.
Perhaps one of the strongest points for the criticisms remains the choice of the administration to execute six flyover projects at the same time, in preference to several other ventures competing for attention from the government. Just as well, the argument against the flyovers failed to take cognizance of the fact that these projects constitute the ever critical solution to the multi-point traffic gridlock along the entire length of the strategic Aba Road in Port Harcourt. For the benefit of doubting Thomases, the relief from traffic congestion at the now completed and commissioned Rebisi Flyover location alone, more than justifies the government’s commitment to the execution of the entire remodeling of the strategic Aba Road in Port Harcourt, which the flyovers are intended to achieve.
Also missing from the criticism is the fact that at a total cost of less than N60 billion for the six flyovers, they provide a more budget-friendly and utilitarian alternative to the white elephant project that is the ill-conceived and now failed Mono Rail Project, launched by the immediate past administration of Chibuike Amaechi, now Minister of Transportation, and which had gulped a whopping sum of at least N200 billion, before its ill-fated sojourn into its present state of stalemate. Ostensibly, enjoying a lesser mention for now is the fact that the entire complement of flyovers is being executed for less than N60 billion which is a mere fraction of N200 billion that went down the drain over the Mono Rail scam. This is not to mention the less edifying aspects of the Mono Rail project such as its limitation in reach – having been designated to run from Lagos Bus Stop to Rumuola Junction (a shorter distance than the entire length of the Port Harcourt Aba Road), as well as the little considered challenges associated with erratic nature of public supply of steady electricity for such a high tech facility.
Meanwhile, it is also not surprising that Wike’s successes in his avante garde approach to governance which is inspired by the unique circumstances of the Rivers State in contemporary Nigeria’s political terrain, has attracted attacks on him simply for ‘shaking tables’, (a Nigerian parlance for making your case in violation of what the suppressive status quo demands of you). But without ‘shaking tables’ what is governance in a minority state like Rivers State that is under perpetual political and economic assault from the majority ethnic powers in the country? It is therefore also not surprising that there is a growing lobby with the agenda of ‘Bring Wike Down’. Among the visible factors in this enterprise is the Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila who personally adopted a subterfuge to betray the PDP, the Rivers State and Wike in particular, when as Speaker he facilitated the denial of the state’s caucus in the National Assembly, of the Chairman of any of the dozens of Standing Committees. Such is the poisoned chalice of a ‘dividend’ which the Rivers State is now ‘earning’ for supporting wholeheartedly, Gbajbiamila’s bid for the office of the Speaker House of Representatives.
Painfully the ‘Bring Wike Down’ lobby is also active right in the Rivers State under the very nose of the Governor, with the playout of deconstructing him in every step he takes. With the Governor’s recent pronouncement of subsequent steps to be taken by his administration to drive the urban renewal agenda for Port Harcourt and the rest of the state, especially with respect to uncontrolled nuisance of outdoor trading, and shanty business operations, he may likely step on toes, and be confronted by the attendant outcry over the process – noble as the objectives may be. That is where he needs courage to press on in restoring the long vanishing ambience of Port Harcourt as Nigeria’s Garden City. In this respect, well-meaning Nigerians are rooting for understanding and sympathy by the public with the Wike administration as imperative. For as the cliché goes, you do not make an omelet without breaking eggs. So Wike cannot succeed without taming the run-away state of disorder, in some parts of the state.
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