In Rivers, it’s a promise kept

Compass

11 February 2011

In Rivers, it’s a promise kept

WHEN Rotimi Amaechi was sworn in as Rivers State governor more than three years ago, it was evident that the state needed a change - a change in governance and policies.

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From inception, one of toughest challenges that Amaechi’s administration faced was insecurity. Criminal gangs operating in the state murdered people at the drop of a coin; and kidnappers were on the prowl.

Amaechi, who described this then as evil, and unacceptable, had vowed “this administration will do everything within its powers to return normalcy to the state and ensure the security of lives and property.”

Barely two months into his administration, he commenced an onslaught on Ateke Tom and his militias operating then from Okrika with impunity. The incursion forced out Ateke until the 2009 amnesty. Another massive military action forced out Dagogo Farah, a commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in the Tombia axis.

Marauding gangs no longer could move about with impunity in Port Harcourt. As a first step to understanding and resolving the issues of violence in Rivers State, the governor constituted a Truth and Reconciliation panel headed by Justice Kayode Eso to reconcile aggrieved people.