Last week delivered drama aplenty in the country. There were
very interesting and occasionally, distressing news items. We had the
appointment of a young woman, a not very familiar name, Mrs Zainab Ahmad
as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); the
almighty feud between Dr. Ibe Kachiukwu, Minister of State for Petroleum
Resources and Mr. Maikanti Baru, Managing Director of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the unfortunate outbreak of monkey pox in
Bayelsa State, among others.
Of considerably bigger interest to me, however, was the
reported truce between the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike and his
Bayelsa State counterpart, Mr. Henry Seriake Dickson. It was a
huge surprise to many Nigerians, last Thursday, when Wike, in company of the
former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche
Secondus, stormed the Government House, Yenagoa.
After the customary photo ops, Governor Dickson and his
guests met behind closed-doors for about three hours. Both governors emerged
from the meeting hugging each other right before the inquisitive
Government House correspondents, whom they later addressed.
Wike, beaming with smiles as though he had just found a long
lost brother, said his meeting with Dickson was very successful and expressed
willingness to regularly compare notes with the Bayelsa helmsman. He also
praised Dickson for putting Bayelsa State on the path of rapid development. "I am not surprised because Dickson
prepared for the office and so you can see the result. You know once you
prepared for an exam, certainly you will pass very well and that is why Dickson
has done very well for his people and for the Ijaw nation. What I have seen
today has made PDP proud; it has made the people of Bayelsa, the Ijaw nation
and the Niger Delta proud," gushed the Rivers State Governor.
He particularly commended Dickson for building an iconic
Governor’s Office Complex, jokingly saying that he thought his office was
grand before visiting Yenagoa and adding his colleague's office will make him
return to Port Harcourt and do something about his own office.
Wike expressed his desire to partner with Governor Dickson
in the area of political and economic development of the region as well as
develop and share common ideas for the overall good of both states. He
expressed confidence that his relationship with Dickson will consolidate the
unity in the South-South zone.
Dickson thanked Wike for the visit and the kind words he
showered on him, saying he looks forward to working with him more closely to
help propel regional integration.
"We talked about a whole lot, including security
and developmental matters within our region and in our respective states. As
we progress, you will see all of this unfold and we will do so at the regional
level in conjunction with all our brother governors," Dickson said.
The meeting came after a protracted cold war between the two
governors. For long, the relationship between both men was frosty-and all
fronts. The situation nearly shredded the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and
South-South development initiative known as BRACED Commission. The commission
was conceived to foster regional integration and economic development among
Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta (BRACED).
Their feud climaxed when Wike failed to invite Dickson and
Bayelsa State to the recent Golden Jubilee celebration of the creation of
Rivers State, an event that should have had both states playing prominent
roles, given that Bayelsa was carved out of Rivers State.
Curiously, while the feud persisted, former President Goodluck
Jonathan made no effort to intervene despite being viewed as a leader to the
rowing governors.
Indeed in some quarters, the belief is that Jonathan and his
wife, Patience, were happy at the spat between the two governors and actively
encouraged its continuation. While there is no confirmation yet that Jonathan
and his wife caused the feud, no one is in doubt that Jonathan’s inability to
reconcile the two governors puts a huge question mark on his personality and
leadership of the South-South zone. Could Jonathan have been deriving some
benefits from the quarrel? Perhaps.
My take from the truce is that Wike realised the need to
mend fences with Dickson, did so with flourish and deserves commendation for
placing the interests of the region above personal political interests. The
cessation of the feud gives many of us and of course, the PDP and the Niger
Delta, the chance to breathe more easily. It is only if the two states are at
peace that the Niger Delta region will have peace. It is when the two
Governors are on the same page that Rivers and Bayelsa states will
strengthen the opposition - PDP and use it as a platform to checkmate the
ruling- All Progressives Congress (APC). For how long will the new-found peace
last? Nobody knows exactly, but I hope it endures for the overall good of the
Niger Delta region, and the PDP which is the platform of the two governors.
*Dr Cletus Akwaya contributed this piece from Abuja.
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
