BY Al Humphrey Onyanabo
How long did he think this will last? How long was Nyesom Wike hoping to play god in Rivers State- he resides in Abuja as F.C.T minister cooking native soup for his VIP friends, trying to prove class while on the other hand he has a whole Governor under his armpit as a ‘boi boi.’ How long did he really believe he will remain the Champion of Rivers politics? Did he forget that Rotimi Amaechi tried to but failed? Did he also forget that Dr. Peter Odilli, the big boss of all of them tried his own luck at calling the shots as political godfather and also lost out? Human memory can be so short….
What gave Wike the confidence that nobody can revolt against him in Rivers state? Was he just plain short sighted or he allowed his over ambition and ego to becloud his judgment and therefore believed that the charade he had set up in Rivers State could go on forever?
For eight long years, Barr. Nyesom Wike took the people of Rivers State on a self-styled cruise. He ruled the state like an Emperor. He smashed and abused anybody who dared to voice a contrary opinion – kings, elders, long standing party faithful, politicians, friends…none was spared. He washed their dirty linens in tjepublic. He sat on a high throne and told the rest of the people to go to hell. And his courtiers cheered. Government House Port Harcourt became a modern day palace. There was regular feasting with a live band and Nyesom Wike was the Star act. They had to laugh to every of his cold jokes, to wanted to be invited another day. Free food and drink, even amongst the so called rich is welcome.
For eight long years, he ran the state as he wished. He dished out favours as it suited him. People enjoyed special privileges as long as they danced to the tunes he sang. The day they felt the need to listen to reggae and he wanted blues, he cut them off. He surrounded himself with yes men. Men with no voice or will of their own who echoed yes to everything he said. Why not? He seemingly had it all. The state judiciary, the legislature, and the state executive machinery and the PDP party structure were all in his back pocket. He had it under lockdown. Nobody could talk, nobody could even cough as they say in Port Harcourt. The son of a commoner had ascended the king. All Hail or be damned.
But he knew the constitution allowed him only two terms of four years each. He knew how he had treated others. He knew he had many enemies, and his eight years had many smelly secrets and skeletons that needed to stay buried and forgotten. He needed to act. He needed somebody to install so he could still rule by proxy and continue to deal with his enemies and remain as a tin god, untouchable by anybody while in retirement. Being a minister was not part of his retirement plan, that came along and he grabbed it.
Who was to succeed him? He made everybody believe he was a true democrat. He made them feel it was an open race. Politicians went to town. Started campaigns, even members of his cabinet joined the exercise. He must have watched them all jumping all over the state, holding meetings, campaigning, burning money and smiling to himself, See them, mumu, he must have laughed.
Each needed his nod of approval. He kept looking at them. Time progressed. Some fell by the wayside, burnt out the cash they had. In the fullness of time, Nyesom Wike brought Sim Fubara a politically unknown individual as his candidate. How can, they asked themselves? Who can dare confront him? Sim had issues with EFCC during his tenure as a civil servant with the Finance Ministry. Wike made the problem go away. Sim was a free man, the EFCC could not touch him anymore. Wike could also do magic.
To cut to the chase, Sim Fubara won the governorship election. Nyesom Wike used everything he had to ensure that he won or so he thought. Sources in Port Harcourt told me Sim won because the people wanted him to win. Rivers State is PDP and they wanted it to remain so. That is debatable but for another day. Sim Fubara was the candidate of Wike. He presented him and dressed him up. Nobody can therefore take credit for his emergence as Governor but the godfather himself, Nyesom Wike.
What was the deal? Sim Fubara will be a place holder Governor while he Wike will continue to run the ship and dispense favours from his house a few minutes from Government House Port Harcourt. Very good arrangement.
Sim should be glad he made him governor out of nowhere. What else does he want? He will be living in the 50 bedroom Brick House with its many staterooms and being called His Excellency. What more can that small boy Sim want? He was assured of free food, free drink, free cars, allowances…free everything for four years to do a simple job he could have chosen anybody and they would have gladly done it. And then maybe if after four years if he had been an obedient “boy boy”, he would get another four years to enjoy more freebies. A benevolent godfather indeed. I hope you know the humiliations of Sim Fubara has long started. Pause, go back and start counting.
Let me slip in that on the streets of Port Harcourt there abound rumours of secret oaths, cult membership and parties signing secret covenants. As a story Teller, I deal with facts so I won’t dwell on that. I just shared what I heard. We proceed.
I will continue with my story. No other governor has suffered as much indignity in Rivers state and humiliation as Gov Sim Fubara. Let’s start counting; Wike hand-picked all the principal officers of the State House of Assembly. Another set of ‘small boys’ who should be grateful for the opportunity to serve provided by the benevolent godfather.
The Chief Of Staff to the Governor was appointed by Him. The COS controls the day to day of the Governor and the Government house. Nobody gets to see the Governor without passing through him. He also controls the Secret Service details of the Governor. He knows at any time via a phone call where the Governor is and who he is meeting with.
As one Port Harcourt top player told me,
“There were spies everywhere in Government House. It was not just a case of a gold fish having no hiding place. Sim was over exposed. He had no body to cover him. It was like living in a glass house without curtains.” Nyesom Wike had the curtains removed.
The Chief justice of the State who controlled the courts was loyal to Nyesom Wike,The Secretary to the Government who controlled the state Civil service machinery served Wike and was brought in for continuity because of his loyalty to the godfather. There is more. The commissioners were all loyal to Wike. They had served him, and brought back to serve Sim. Nyesom Wike still pulling the strings.
The State Treasure continued to be controlled by Wike and as advised by one of Wike’s friends, Ayo Fayose, during his inauguration dinner, Sim refused to listen to what people said about the godfather, he did not ask questions when he saw figures on files that boggled his mind. He had been warned. If you don’t want trouble with Wike, hear no evil, see no evil. Can you imagine? Stupid advice from a man who has EFCC issues. What won’t Nigerians say to cement friendship? To remain relevant? To be seen as loyal? All this was said on national TV. We all saw and heard. Who knows whether it was after one his many sessions drinking whiskey with Nyesom Wike worth millions of naira a bottle? Sim obeyed. He was after all supposed to be a good boy, gentle and well- behaved.
As his tenure progressed and Sim started meeting with different people, the problems of the state and its people looked him in the face. Unemployment was high, youths were restive. Jobs need to be provided. His aides whispered the State had moribund industries that could be revived. He looked at the files. Did a calculation of what will be needed. Small change, jobs will be provided, revenues will start to flow. It was a piece of cake. What he did not know was that most of them had been deliberately neglected. May God help us all. May our good intentions not put us in trouble.
One of the long dead industries was the Shonghai Farms at Eleme. A project started by the Rotimi Ameachi administration. Billions of naira was sunk into that revolutionary agricultural development project. It was supposed to spin ball the state into a food basket. Hundreds of millions went into purchase of tractors.
Fubata and Wike when the going was good
I know a little about Shonghai farms personally. During the Wike regime I had access to foreign investors who wanted to invest in agriculture in Rivers state. The Shonghai farms was a sitting duck. I approached staff of Shonghai Farms who revealed only Gov Wike could approve the deal. The place had been under lock down for years. Grass had overgrown the tractors. Snakes had found home with other animals in the complex. Rev Father Nzamujo, founder of Shonghai in Port Novo was regreting his decision to allow the state operate a Shonghai Farm franchise. Through a senior friend, Sody Peterside, I got in contact with Hon Austin Opara, former Deputy Speaker, House of Reps, he was still pally pally with Wike then. He told me Wike was not looking in that direction yet. The investors left when they got tired.
When Wike heard that Sim was looking at the Shonghai project file and planning to reopen and replicate it all over the state to produce thousands of jobs and food for the people, he was mad. What audacity? That was something Sim in his good heartedness to help the youths did not take into consideration. Shonghai Farms was built by Amaechi. Anything done on Shonghai will give credit to Amaechi and under the watch or proxy of Nyesom Wike that was not going to happen. They were sworn enemies and it would remain so. He cannot promote his enemy, no way.
Wike forgets that Shonghai is owned by Rivers state and was set up with Rivers state Money aa for the good of Rivers people. Wike believed he knew all and could do all. To settle scores with Rotimi Amaechi he was prepared to allow Shonghai Farms to rot, he could not be bothered about the arguments of the Governor about creating jobs. The sins of Sim had started counting as the humiliations increased.
There are people in Rivers State who also told me that Nyesom Wike should have allowed Gov Sim have his way for once on the job creation adventure because Sim let him Wike have his way on The Port Harcourt Ring Road Project. Sim the source revealed, did not question anything about the project. He approved it the way Wike wanted and planned it. So much went down. One day it will be unearthed.
Another of the sins of Sim was his audacity and boldness to make payments to Principal party members such as chairmen and executive members of the LGAs without the approval of Wike. These were people who complained that they worked towards his election and should be compensated but Wike felt he was over reaching himself and trying to get too close to the grassroots which was the forte of the godfather. Based on these sins and many others, Nyesom Wike decided he had had enough of Sim. He told his boys to impeach Gov Sim Fubara and install his deputy while he will continue to call the shots from Abuja, visiting Port Harcourt every weekend with a Private Jet, surrounded by his hence men.
But Wike seems to have miscalculated. He forgot that Sim Fubara is an accountant with a brain like a computer. When push came to shove, Sim pulled down within 12 hours all the structures Wike had bonded him that made him a mini god. Good boy Sim has become a Big bad boy. Sim has become King.
Wike cannot believe what hit him. He has lost it all. 24 hours before he was arrogantly calling the shots, issuing orders to the Speaker. That Speaker is history. The Chief Justice suspended, Chief of Staff fired. Nyesom Wike has become a stranger in the house he thought he built. He now needs to call in advance before he can enter Government House like the rest of us. That is if, Gov Sim Fubara even has a few minutes of his precious time to spare. My people, na so life be ooh. Do not cry for Wike, do not mourn for him. He earned it…plus more. This is my story for today. I need a drink…
By; Al Humphrey Onyanabo (The StoryTeller)
Tel; ±2347054674906
Email; nigeria360online@gmail.com
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