Ministerial Appointment: Former Rivers’ Deputy Speaker Unhappy Over Ogoni’s Exclusion
Former Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Leyii Kwanee, has faulted the ministerial List recently submitted to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari saying the Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State is always at the losing end.
Kwanee who represented Khana 11 in the 7th Assembly was reacting to the nomination of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as a Minister representing Rivers State Amaechi is from Ikwerre ethnic nationality in the state.
According to him,’’ I was expecting Mr President to take the direction of an Ogoni man as a minister from Rivers State, but as it is today, the Ogoni has lost everything politically. I weep for my people.
‘’I am an ogoni man and I am speaking as an ogoni man, I have to protect and advance the interest of the ogoni people. Whichever side of the coins, where does an Ogoni man stand politically?
‘’He is neither a minister in the national level or nor a Governor at the state level, so where is the Ogoni man politically”.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Chairman of the New Nigerian Peoples Party(NNPP), Deacon Princewill Enyi has said that the Buhari administration can only be said to live up to its anti-graft campaign if it allows former Governor, Amaechi to face and finish all the corruption allegations against him before giving him any appointment.
Enyi said the Federal government should not be in a hurry to appoint Amaechi adding that ‘No one cleans his anus before defecation’.
According to him, ‘’By now we thought that the era of favoritism and god fatherism are over which is the assertion of the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC)’’.
However, a group known as the Rivers Union has strongly condemned anticipated protest for and against the nomination of Amaechi as a minister designate.
Chief Sunny Chukwumele called on politicians in the State to live above primodial and divicive sentiments which have continued to divide the State and undermind her progress and development.
– Tide
