Reading a recent attack on the person of Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, Director-General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, by Governor Nyesom Wike, through a proxy, one Simeon Nwakudu, I felt obliged to render a voluntary duty, to state the facts in a simple, unambiguous manner, and next, leave the reader to the impartial judgment of the conscience.
The style adopted herein presents both Peterside and Wike, their personalities, motives in the respective portfolios they hold, and then, testimonies about them in the public domain. I shall sum my argument to proving that Peterside is refined, responsible and an invaluable asset to Rivers State and Nigeria. On the other hand, the evidence I shall plead in my argument shall summarise Wike in his true person – a threat to Nigeria’s security; champion of violence; an enemy of electoral sanity; and an error in governance.
While that treatise, tried as the author, a political appointee of Wike and therefore beholding to him, might, to arm-twist truth, there is no alternative to the truth. The truth is a healer of the conscience except that Wike has shown to be a man without that human regulator.
First, who is Wike? What is his personality? There is no doubt that Wike’s character defines his personality. Sigmund Freud, the popular psychoanalyst, considered the father of psychiatry, argues that the adult personality emerges as a composite of early childhood experiences, based on how these experiences are consciously and unconsciously processed within human developmental stages, and how these experiences shape the personality, the case of Wike deserves a new research.
But he stresses that not every person completes the necessary tasks of every developmental stage. Under such scenario, Freud argues that when they don’t, the results can be a mental condition requiring psychoanalysis to achieve proper functioning. Wike, through his actions, may be a good species for Freud’s further analysis.
Now to the specifics of Wike’s barrage of lies. First, on the 2015 governorship election captured in the opening paragraph of the essay, never was Wike elected through a majority, lawful votes by the electorate. Rather, his ‘victory’ was secured through the blood of Rivers people.
To state that Peterside visited the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Chairman with bank statements and financial documents are nothing but a rehearsal of the Third Reich propagandist, Paul Joseph Goebbels, whose theory of “the big lie” sustained Adolf Hitler. This figment of the aide’s mind gives an insight into how Wike’s mind operates. Everything, including serious state business, must be reduced to cash and bank statements.
As to what Peterside told the APC National Chairman, it was never in doubt that he narrated the horror members of APC had been through in the hands of armed groups working for Wike Administration for which the author works for and labours, albeit fruitlessly, to prop its obnoxious human rights records. Wike has the worst personality image hiatus among governors in Nigeria. No essay or whitewash coating or image laundering shall clean the horrible person that the governor is. The Bible had Wike in mind when the Spirit asked, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?…”
Even national security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, have it on record that Wike sponsors violent activities and buys off people’s conscience with his stolen cash. He has a notorious label of a fiendish terror to electoral officials on legal duty in Rivers State. The world has not forgotten his threats to kill electoral officials after bribing them.
This link serves as a new library of that chilling episode – http://saharareporters.com/2016/12/16/video-chilling-details-governor-wike-threatening-kill-inec-officials-whom-he-plotted.
Wike has boasted that he can buy anything. And that is true! Visit Ada George Road and Ken Saro-Wiwa Road (formerly Stadium Road), all in Port Harcourt, and you would know how ‘rich’ Wike is! He has national notoriety in using cash to buy his way. Remember the certificate of opprobrium he achieved that was confirmed by the Nigeria Police during the last election in Rivers State? Because of Wike, many civil servants working with INEC are not sure how their careers would end. Wike’s bribe has summoned them before the court. Peterside was right when he said that Wike had brought the Office of the Governor in Rivers State to a state of disrepute.
Then to the second, and the most critical question that I have to answer. Who is Peterside? What is President Muhammadu Buhari’s testimony about him? How impressed is the American Administration with Peterside?
Peterside was the sole leading governorship candidate in Rivers State in 2015. His statewide acceptance and popularity drew crowds to his campaigns. Truly, he was the candidate to beat.
Why was his popularity the threat Wike and his sponsors needed to crack? The single project Wike and those who sponsored him with stolen funds, bullets and arms, had was to stop Peterside by any means possible, including killing Rivers people.
President Muhammadu Buhari, a man, not given to flippancy, unlike Wike, had this commendation for Peterside: “Peterside’s unanimous election (as Chairman, Association of African Maritime Administrators, AMAA) is not only a personal honour and an affirmation of confidence in his ability to lead AAMA but also places Nigeria in a pivotal position to rally other maritime administrations in collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) towards safer global maritime activities.” Unfortunately for Wike, nobody has such presidential commendation for him.
President Buhari had acknowledged NIMASA’s encouraging performance under Dr Peterside especially in the fight against sea piracy through inter agency cooperation. There is indeed a new NIMASA under Peterside, but it is a story of hard work.
NIMASA under Peterside has a new direction unlike the cash cow it was under Wike’s boss and benefactor, Goodluck Jonathan. NIMASA was their ATM that the national waterways were one of the most dangerous in Africa after the Strait of Somalia, Africa’s most dangerous. But under Peterside, NIMASA today is the beautiful bride while Nigeria’s waterways, including those in Rivers State, enjoy safety.
In June 2017, Nigeria’s most credible news magazine, TELL, bestowed on NIMASA the prestigious Public Organisation of the Year 2016 award following outstanding achievements recorded by the agency in 2016, despite the economic recession in the country. Wike would not like to hear this as proclaimed on the day of the award. The Chairman of the Awards Committee, Mr Babs Alasa, described the award as an honour well deserved, stressing that Peterside has repositioned NIMASA for greater recognition within and outside Nigeria in a short period.
“NIMASA has done very well under Peterside, and even President Muhammadu Buhari recognised this and congratulated him when he was unanimously elected as the Chairman of AAMA. At present, 1,045 beneficiaries graduated from NIMASA’s human capital development programme, representing 42 per cent of over 2,500 participants sponsored by NIMASA. Credibility was the criteria for nomination.”
Peterside’s testimonials also have international recognition. Wike won’t like to hear his – the United States has recognised his exploits at NIMASA. Hear the verdict from America – “It appears the energy that NIMASA has at the ports is very tremendous, as seen in all the ports we visited in Lagos.”
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) led by Commander Thomas Foster, on a visit to Nigeria, commended NIMASA for its strides in ensuring safety at the ports and expressed satisfaction with the infrastructure development regarding ISPS Code implementation in the ports. Through NIMASA, Nigeria now has about 80 per cent compliance rate for the International Ship and Port Facility Security, ISPS Code. Wike won’t understand this term.
Under Peterside’s watch, NIMASA has targeted 100% compliance. In 2016, hear what Peterside said: “We have intensified NIMASA’s drive to ensure strict compliance with the provision of the ISPS Code. The result is that Nigeria now has a compliance rate of almost 80%, as 114 port facilities out of the total of 145 ports and jetties in Nigeria are now fully ISPS compliant. Let’s not forget that NIMASA was only appointed the Designated Authority for the implementation of ISPS Code in Nigeria barely five years ago when compliance level was barely 13%. Though 8% of the remaining 31 port facilities are currently pursuing compliance, our goal is to target a 100% compliance level writing the next twelve months.”
While Wike is revoking Certificates of Occupancy of business chains in Rivers State, Peterside is pursuing Nigeria’s common good, creating jobs for thousands of Nigerians, including Rivers natives.
Wike is ignorant of the role of NIMASA so he should read up the function of a maritime administration and he will surely join to celebrate this pride of our country.
While Wike has borrowed over N150 billion under two years, Peterside has moved NIMASA to a giant revenue earner for the country. My summation in this matter is simple.
It’s on record that throughout the “abracadabra” PDP did in Rivers State through Madame Patience Jonathan, APC never lost any election in Opobo-Nkoro. Not even during the several rerun elections. The Opobo-Nkoro seat was lost at the Election Appeal Tribunal in circumstances that leave much for interpretation.
Peterside did far more in communities in Rivers as Commissioner for Works than Wike did as Governor in 2 years. Peterside’s imprint can be seen in all parts of the state till date many years after serving as commissioner.
Lies have become a way of life of Gov. Wike and his government. At no time did Dr Peterside take any bank statement to APC Secretariat because nothing of such ever happened.
It is dismissible and laughable for Wike to say that Dr Peterside has a retinue of Nigerian Navy personnel attached to him. Though his office as NIMASA Director General offers him enormous access to Nigeria’s top security apparatchik, yet he maintains a simple security apparatus. This cannot be said of Wike who moves with about 221 police officers. Peterside had never returned home with naval men. He does not need to. He is at home with the people. He has contributed significantly to the development of most communities, and many owe him gratitude for that.
As a member of the National Assembly, Dr Peterside instituted a scholarship scheme that sent several Rivers youths abroad for graduate studies at his own cost, but in his first year in office, Wike repatriated Rivers State youths sent overseas on scholarship by the Chibuike Amaechi administration.
At no time did Peterside escape with the election result of Ikwerre local government area nor did he need to. Ikwerre LGA is a haven for APC being the home LGA of Rt. Hon. Chibuke Rotimi Amaechi, leader of APC in Rivers State.
Dr Peterside is an honest man and civility personified while those who are calling him names are the exact opposite.
Therefore, my conclusion is that Wike is what Peterside has described him to be – a huge joke in governance in Rivers State that must be stopped.
*Somina Ibitari Is the spokesman of APC Youth Advocates.
