Our attention has been drawn to a reported live television programme held in Abuja by John Bazia, the recently degraded Commissioner of Chieftaincy and Community Affairs in Rivers State.
While on the programme, John Bazia had made some spurious remarks about the person of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and likened him to an “attack dog” lacking vision.
Bazia who was relieved of his position as Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs by Governor Wike for his penchant for pilfering and ignoble conduct claimed on two live television programmes that “Wike cannot by any means compared to Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi especially in impacting lives and improving the State’s economy.”
Much as we sympathise with John Bazia who is no doubt seeking political relevance desperately, we view those comments as reckless and immature.
Having served under the Wike’s administration, John Bazia cannot deny the fact that Rivers State under Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has witnessed unprecedented infrastructural revolution which has been acknowledged by several well meaning citizens within and outside Rivers State, including the All Progressives Congress (APC).
No matter the extent to which John Bazia is driven by hunger, we least expected that he could condescend so low to engage in such frivolities just to impress his newly found masters.
Bazia and his cohorts cannot feign ignorance of the NEW Rivers Vision blueprint which formed the basis on which Governor Nyesom Wike has recorded unequalled developmental strides in his six years on the saddle of leadership of Rivers State.
With the avalanche of abandoned and white elephant projects left behind by the Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, it is rather appalling for John Bazia to allude that Governor Wike cannot be compared to Rotimi Amaechi who inflicted colossal loss on Rivers people through his ill conceived projects.
Rather than promote the interest of his new found masters, Bazia’s uncouth utterances have further drawn public attention to the Amaechi’s insult on the sensibilities of Rivers people by refusing to do a proper handover of government to his successor apparently in an attempt to conceal his administration’s fraudulent conduct.
The likes of Bazia may need to be reminded that the public still awaits the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to come forward and clear himself of his indictment of embezzlement of Rivers State funds by a judicial commission of inquiry.
Rather than urge Amaechi to account for the embezzled funds, Bazia has engaged in desperate diversionary antics by making unsubstantiated claims against the person of the Governor Nyesom Wike whose demonstration of high level of prudence in the management of scarce financial resources of Rivers State has resulted in the massive infrastructural development that is being witnessed all around the State today.
John Bazia should have known by now that Rivers people are wiser and can no longer be bamboozled by the antics of unfounded comments.
It is indeed laughable when Bazia who is supposed to be lettered make statements like “You build one bridge, what has bridge got to do with empowering the people, creating room for sustainability so that you can grow the economy of the State?” Such expression of illiteracy brings to question the educational qualifications John Bazia claims to possess.
Bazia may need to be informed that apart from opening up the environment for robust economic activities, construction of bridges and roads has immediate economic benefits derived from the 70% local content and the hub of small and medium scale business activities around such construction sites that last for years.
For the avoidance of doubt, we may like to draw the attention of the likes of John Bazia to the avalanche of accolades poured on the pragmatic approach of His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike in the management of the lean resources available to the State to achieve unprecedented success in infrastructure development of Rivers State within this six years of his administration.
Amazed by the performance of Governor Nyesom Wike even in the phase of serious economic downturn in the country, Adamawa State Governor, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, while inaugurating the Emeyal, Elelenwo, Ndoni and General Diriayi street on December 21,2020 ranked Governor Wike very high, saying the Rivers State Governor has exhibited total commitment to advancing quality of life of his people with his landmark projects.
Fintiri described Wike as an irrepressible democrat, who has continued to demonstrate uncommon vision and rare courage in working for the Rivers people. “Let me assure the government and good people of Rivers State that the difference that Wike is making in Rivers State is unprecedented and can hardly be equaled,” Fintiri alluded.
On January 4, 2021, was the turn of Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed who performed the inauguration of the 10.3km long Sime-Nonwa-Kira road in Tai Local Government Area where Bala commanded Governor Wike “for delivering such quality roads project that connects several communities to ease movement of rural dwellers.”
The Bauchi State governor confessed that he feels proud to be a Nigerian anytime he sees how Wike, in spite of daunting challenges, has continued to deliver democratic dividends to Rivers people.
It is therefore highly irrational and uncharitable for Bazia though seeking relevance, to exhibit such high level of rascality, particularly when considered against the backdrop of the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike’s achievements which cuts across party lines.
It is rather unfortunate that Amaechi now finds a willing tool in the likes of John Bazia to try in vain to erase the sad record of his lack of vision and abysmal performance which resulted to grotesque white elephant projects such as the ubiquitous Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital and the frenetic building of model schools everywhere just for the sake of putting a structure somewhere to justify the unprecedented looting of State funds.
Against the backdrop of sad tales of eight years of anguish the Ameachi’s administration left behind, John Bazia and the moribund APC in Rivers State should be informed that even the current economic realities brought about by the incompetence of the federal Government led APC Government coupled with the existential truncation caused by the sudden outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the PDP Government under Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has not been deterred from initiating and delivering quality projects to the people of Rivers State.
It obviously takes clear vision and prudent leadership such as demonstrated by Governor Wike to achieve such laudable results. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike remains the Governor whose record of achievements will be unbeaten in the history governance of Rivers State.
Also, contrary to Bazia’s claims that all that is heard of Wike is name calling, it is on record that Governor Wike has executed and commissioned three flyovers while Romuola, GRA and CFC flyovers are near completion. Construction works are ongoing on another three recently awarded. That cannot be termed name calling.
Also, describing key members of the APC who lately decamped to the PDP in the State as moles, simply confirmed to public that he, Bazia was indeed a mole while he was in the PDP and that politically justified his sack by Governor Wike.
From all indications it has become clear that all the ratmatazze so displayed in the statement of John Bazia has exposed him as a man who is still battling with the shock of his degradation as Commissioner.
It is important at this point to recall that John Bazia served as a member of the State House of Assembly (the first time in the PDP) and those who knew him at that time confirm that he had a frosty and hostile relationship with the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, which was one of the reasons, he a two term legislator, did not return to the House and was disdainfully left in the political wilderness from 2007 – 2015, when the Speaker became Governor for two terms.
Governor Nyesom Wike rehabilitated John Bazia, gave him another chance in the PDP House in 2015 by appointing him as Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, even after his ineptitude as head of the Presidential Campaign in his local Government area. However, his tenure as Commissioner was also largely uneventful, uninspiring and neither added any meaningful value to the Cabinet nor improved the fortunes of the PDP in any remarkable way.
Amieyeofori Ibim is Special Assistant (Media) to the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Communications, Rivers State.
