I Shunned Nigeria’s Centenary to Pay Back Jonathan – Amaechi

RIVERS State Governor Rotimi
Amaechi has said that he stayed
away from the Nigeria’s centenary in
Abuja in order to get even with
President Goodluck Jonathan whom
he said failed to honour the invitation
to 100 years anniversary of Port
Harcourt last year.

The Governor explained that even
when prominent indigenes of the
state visited the President in Abuja
and invited him to the 2013 event in
Port Harcourt, he refused to be at the
occasion.

Amaechi, who spoke at a book
presentation to mark the 70th
birthday of the former Vice Chancellor
of the University of Port Harcourt,
Prof. Nimi Briggs, on Saturday,
explained that he had expected
Jonathan to honour the invitation
from the state.

He said, “When they ask me why I did
not attend the celebration, I said five
prominent Rivers men left here to go
and invite the President. When they
approached me that they wanted to
go and invite the President, I said,
‘don’t bother your head, the President
won’t come.’

“They said ‘no, not after he had seen
us.’ They (Rivers indigenes) are
seated hear, Justice Karibi Whyte,
Prof Tekena Tamuno, Prof E.J.
Alagwa, Chief Agbaru and Prof. Nimi
Briggs; and they went. They were
very well received by our President
and they were very impressed.

“They came back to my house that
day in Abuja and they told me that
they met with the President and I was
excited. Everybody in the Federal
Government told me the President
would come (for the Port Harcourt
centenary). The President did not
come.

“So, I told them that I would not go to
(Nigeria’s) centenary because Port
Harcourt turned 100 and the
President refused to come even
though he grew up here. I said I
would not go to Nigeria’s Centenary
in response to his (Jonathan) refusal
to come for Port Harcourt Centenary.

“I did that not because I wanted to
disrespect the President. I respect
him for his age and his achievement
in the society. I thought that the
Federal Government should have
respected and honoured that
invitation,” Amaechi said.

On the political crisis in the state, the
governor said the only way the
problem could come to an end was
for the state to benefit from Federal
Government projects.
He acknowledged the presence of
some elders in the state that could
make him move from the All
Progressives Congress back to the
Peoples Democratic Party, but added
that such elders had not been
convinced on the need for him to
leave the APC.

He said, “They asked me, how would
you end this crisis? I say with me, it
will be difficult to end because I stand
forward to look at Rivers State. I said
the only way to end it is to change the
face of Rivers State. If Rivers people
get better things, I will change.

“Then I put a caveat; I said there are
some old men here who can make me
move from APC to PDP because they
will never tell me to move to PDP if
they are not convinced that it is the
right thing to do. This means you
can’t influence them with anything
rather than what is right for Rivers
State and Nigeria.

“They are here; they know themselves
and they have been part of the
struggle in a very quiet manner and
they support me. My prayer is that
God will continue to bless all of you.