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The Governor Rivers State Needs


Rivers state will definitely be one of the lookout states as far as the 2015 general election is concerned. This is hinged on the place the state holds in the contemporary Nigerian politics. A source from the Federal Ministry of Finance places the state as one of the richest in the aspects of revenue allocation, derivation and internal generated revenue.
This is a major reason why the governors that have governed the state have become very powerful players in the politics of the country. The charismatic   Peter Odili who played a key role in ensuring the influence which other governors like the short lived Omehia administration and the present Governor Amaechi attained leading to the election of Amaechi as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum before the crisis that engulfed the body.
It will be preposterous for me to say that despite the aura that has enveloped the head of the Rivers executive, the state has been stagnant. It definitely has not been stagnant. There has been some level of development in the state. Nobody can take away the fact that Peter Odili’s administration made it possible for the Kalabaries to move through land to their ancestral home lands. It was this same Odili administration that built roads and created ease of transport when he was governor. Omehia as short-lived as his administration was definitely will not be left out. I remember him signing the contract for the Mile One Market as well as other projects like the Eleme Bridge, Agip Bridge and others most of which was completed by the Amaechi administration which I candidly believe performed very well in his first term as a PDP governor. Since his voyage into the strange All Progressive Congress APC, Rivers people have been at a loss as to where he is heading.
Be that as it may, Rivers state which as I earlier posited, is one of the first three richest states in the country, has never had the opportunity to be governed by a man with the ideas to harness the economic potentials of the state. I won’t blame the former governors who were not vast in the corporate world (at least they laid the foundation) but I do believe this is the time people from the other endeavours  can make their input and bring sustainable development to the state for the sake of today’s living and our future generation.
In this light, after considering the various contenders for the race to Rivers Government House, I must stress that one candidate that strikes most of the people in the state as the best is Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs. This is one man from a noble background that has appeal amongst the youths in the state. As a state with  oil as its major source of revenue, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs considering his vast knowledge in the sector is well positioned especially with first hand information to deal efficiently in that regard while also bringing various investors to the state with his contacts.
The crisis that has rocked the state in the past two years has also created a cracks which requires the charisma of the person of Dumo to bring peace and cohesion to the state. Rivers state needs the best and if we desire the best, we cannot fail to opt for the ilk of persons that can make us realize our collective aspirations while not breaking the bond of unity that has driven the state to this height today and I strongly consider Chief Dumo in that light.
In the nagging area of zoning, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs stands a chance considering the fact that he is from the riverine part of Rivers state which has been unprivileged to have a shot at the Government House. Peter Odili who governed the state from 1999-2007 came from the upland section of the state as well as the present Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Some opinions have dropped the fact that the zoning arrangement should be between the Senatorial zones but I stand to say that inclining to such an arrangement will be tantamount to en-slavering a significant proportion of the state. Yes there are senatorial districts but these districts apart from Rivers West with the Kalabaries in majority, are minority groups. The Okrikas and the Opobo /Andonis in Rivers East and South East respectively are part and parcel of the riverine groups in the state and should be seen as such.
The riverine people have contributed immensely to the development of the state and must be compensated for their support and understanding towards an upland candidacy back in 1991. It will be great insensitivity as well as ingratitude not to allow them have a taste of that seat come 2015.  

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