EMERGENCY RULE IN RIVERS STATE: SELFISH RECONSTRUCTION OR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION?

 

EMERGENCY RULE IN RIVERS STATE: SELFISH RECONSTRUCTION OR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION? 

"Power, when misused, becomes a tool of oppression rather than a force for order." — Chief Obafemi Awolowo. 

In what could be described as a political crossroad, Rivers State—renowned for its peaceful disposition despite political undercurrents—has found itself under the weighty hand of an Emergency Rule declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The federal declaration has appointed a Sole Administrator, effectively dissolving democratic structures and placing the fate of over seven million citizens in the hands of one individual.

While proponents argue this move is to "restore order" amidst the political tension that brewed in the State, critics question whether this emergency intervention is truly about peace or a covert scheme for selfish political reconstruction.

"When democracy is suspended in the name of peace, we must interrogate the motive, not the method." — Gani Fawehinmi. 

Rivers State has, against all odds, remained relatively peaceful during the recent political turbulence as it has always been. The question then arises: what justifies a state of emergency in a state not at war, not in anarchy, but in dialogue? The people’s will must never be silenced for the convenience of power brokers. As Martins Amaewhule and his cohorts are in the United kingdom breathing fresh air, while their constituents are breathing the hot air of emergency rule. 

"You cannot preserve peace by destroying the process of democracy." — Adaka Boro. 

To the people of Rivers State, this isn't just a political episode; it is a moment of reckoning. Is this Emergency Rule a genuine step toward stabilizing governance, or is it a blueprint for federal domination over a state that has simply refused to bow to internal betrayal?

"Let it be known: peace built on the ashes of constitutional rights is no peace at all." — Prof. Wole Soyinka. 

As the Sole Administrator assumes total control of a peaceful treasure base of the nation, the burden of history hangs heavy. The people watch, hopeful yet wary. For in the end, Rivers State will not be defined by those who sought to rule it, but by those who stood to defend its democratic soul.

Rivers must rise—not by force, but by the will of her people.

~ Meshach Alaputa Jaja, CPA, anipr.