By Jim Pressman
Who says the field of study at school has nothing to do with what a man says or does as an elected or appointed leader? Listening to Governor of Rivers state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on an independent TV talk show in Abuja Wednesday February 29, 2012 reminded one that he studied English Language and Literature at the Federal University of Port Harcourt Choba in his home state before tagging along into politics with former Governor Peter Otunaya Odili and going on to be Speaker of the state Assembly for eight years…
Now as governor and a hard-working, hard-pushing one, certain limitations are impeding his pace of work for the state he is in a hurry to transform further. One of these impediments is in the way of his drive to distribute electric power which he has managed to generate in quite substantial quantity, as the Federalist, constitutional position at the moment seems to be that only the Federal Government can distribute electric power in Nigeria.
Frustrated and losing his patience, the post-Modernist literary man has taken recourse to his University of Port Harcourt lessons in ‘Deconstruction.’ He told the TV Show anchor: “There are two ways to achieving true Federalism; either you sit back and negotiate, or you go to the courts and contest the positions.” So from the look of things, he may have to go ahead and implement the second phase of his state’s Independent Power Project (RVSIPP), which is distribution to his waiting people who elected him and let the Federal Government play the aggrieved by going to court, or the Rivers state government could go head to the Apex Court to seek clarification and eventually permission to proceed and do what he has to do!
He further illustrates why the option, extending the art of judicial and legal interpretation again, to the realms of post-Modernist Literary Criticism:
“You see, in deconstruction, you break open many other meanings that were not seen by earlier readers and even others not consciously intended by the writer of the message originally.”
In fact, in a manner reminiscent of October 25 2007 when the landmark Supreme Court declaration sacked his kinsman Celestine Omehia, Amaechi rode out triumphant again February 23 when the Election Petition Tribunal threw the Omehia case out.
So, as a veteran and indeed a pace-setter in benefitting from Supreme Court judgments, it should be no surprise to us if in the near future he again breaks the barriers and expands the frontiers of jurisprudence for our Constitutional lawyers and the Body of Benchers by further unfettering his passion and impetus to create New Port Harcourt, New Rivers state and by extension a New Nigeria where the people’s resources are used to develop the the country and provide basic modern amenities for the good people of a great nation…
That, is the least a people can expect of those who hold governance in trust for them, albeit temporarily, as they continue to bear in mind that they all must someday account for their actions before man and ultimately before the Almighty Allah.
So help Rotimi Amaechi the post – Modernist Governor, Oh God!
