COLUMN

Nigerians, Water No Enter My Mouth (2)

I was elected into RDM's publicity and propaganda bureau shortly after its formation, and   at that time working with the radical provincial weekly newspaper, The Beacon too. The paper was founded by Minere Amakiri, the late veteran journalist from the Okrika area of Ijaw in Rivers state. I was its special correspondent, investigating and reporting the dangerous beats of state and non-state violence, corruption, extra-judicial killings and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta basin.

That RDM season was also a season of lies, rumour, blackmail and gossips and serious work like our struggles of occupying the streets of recent. Lies, blackmails and gossips, these trio ills have wings and eyes like wild hawks. They fly about freely without perching on its victims’ roofs. RDM of blessed memory for several weeks was incubating untruth and I was not aware. I was accused of attending RDM's Central Working Committee (CWC) meetings and leaking the organization's secrets to Augustine Wikinakah, the hugely built and extremely dark Ogoni man from Kpean who was Odili's Chief press secretary for a fee. I was shell-shocked when the matter was mentioned during one of our meetings. I didn't know what to say because I didn't know what they were talking about neither. I have never met Wikinakahin person, then and even now. I knew his on the pages of newspapers magazine, television and heard his voice on radio. There was no relationship of any form at all between us.

Surprisingly, I had defence of my person from several unexpected quarters. Ms. Ankio-Kio Oprum Briggs, a notable Ijaw activist born of Ijaw and Ikwerre parents defended me. I had worked with Briggs on some oil spill issues before, and didn't know she was impressed with my work. Dr. Sofiri Joab Peterside, a pious activist-academic from the Opobo group of the Ijaw extraction Ihold in esteem, stood up to defend me too. We have also worked together before. My greatest surprise was the defence put up by Mrs. Miniscent Jaja, a good-natured woman, who has a bag of rib cracking humour, an ex-chairperson of the Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area I met in RDM. Her defense of me is not what one can get from a Nigerian lawyer no matter the amount one pays. Dr. Precious Ede, an engaging environmental scientist at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) I had read few of his academic articles before( it was a rare opportunity to have met him in RDM). Ms. Boma Goodhead Dokubo, a  luminous and outspoken Amazon I have ever met( she is the younger sister of Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari) and was one of the stirring spirits  of RDM, She   was in fact, valuable in arguing that am innocent of the allegations. Alfred Alison, an exceedingly cheerful, honest and hardworking guy from the Bonny Island was always there for me. At every point he would provide an answer to any problem, and few others, I wouldn't forget these fellows and the RDM experiment at good governance in our dear state yearning for more of the robust engagement even now.

I was really discouraging for me that my friend, Charles Harry, an ex-banker from the Kalabari clan of Ijaw of the eastern delta and chairman of RDM then, though its cat's paw, heard the fabrication and maintained a subdued conspiratorial silence over it for weeks  without telling me. I was deeply angry and started slowing down on my participation in the rainbow coalition called RDM until it demise later. The cock and bull story dictated Harry's relationship with me until RDM's end and beyond. I diverted my energy and passion to my activist-type advocacy journalism. Before my exit from RDM, Deacon Elekpa, a stoutly framed man with much energy from the Emuoha area, and a fervent supporter of Sergeant Chidi Awuse, an overwhelming Rivers politician then, met me at the late Marshall. Harry's house at Abonema wharfs, west of Port Harcourt and apologized to me that he started the lie, and that I am innocent. I forgave him. Month later, we met at Visa Karina, Awuse's hotel where he told me that Charles Harry is a traitor. He said all kind of shocking things against him.

That he allegedly used RDM to curry millions of naira and favours from Odili. Several ex-RDM activists also corroborated this. As a friend I tried frantically to contact Charles Harry in those days to hear him out on this, but to no avail. Several years had passed and events have overtaken that. My relationship with Harry dates back to early 1990s, andwe shared many anti-military, pro-democracy activities, and later with the late Chief Gani Fawehimi's National Conscience Party (NCP). His arrest and detention after a NCP forum where Comrade Gani Fawehinmi was bid to address Nigerians in the state sometimes in 1994, is still fresh in my memory. The aero plane that brought Gani was ordered by over-zealous security operatives to take him back. Same day,stern-looking security operatives raided my No. 13 Victoria street residence under the scorching afternoonsun of the tropics; I narrowly escaped through my neighbour's house back widow door.   Charles's family house in D/Line was raided simultaneously. He was not lucky like me. State operatives kidnapped him; and he was in their custody for sometimes. Not long after I was arrested too, for conspiring with Charles, Paul Ekadi now living in the US and others to bring Gani and Sam Amadi, a versatile lawyer and activist working in Fawehinmi's chambers then, to incite Rivers people against the General Sani Abacha's home grown fascism, and that I incited secondary students in the Port Harcourt township area with others at large to riot against hike in transportation fare.  All these cemented our relationship until RDM estranged us.

According to Dason Nemieboka, a self-effacing and talented Okrika author and analyst I met during my days as The Beacon newspaper reporter, in page 30 of his 336 pages book, Understanding Rivers politics – A Tribute to Dr. Marshall Sokari Harry (2005), he writes, “The internal contradictions, insincerity and strategic bankruptcy led to the inevitable demise of RDM in Rivers State, which was quickly followed by the cross-carpeting of Mr. Ipalibo Harry, the former running mate of the ANPP governorship candidate, and Mr. Sam Agwor into the PDP. Chief Albert Horsefall led scores of his NDP officials and members to decamp to the PDP many months later. In the same way, Chief Tonye Graham Douglas, Chief Sara Igbe and others moved over to settle with the government privately. There was also detour by a section of the local press, which soft pedaled on its harsh criticism of the Odili's administration”.

Adieu! Our RDM, their RDM of blessed memory. The most important way to live is to live simple, natural, happy, unconventional, kind and generous, avoid profligacy, cosmetic and flamboyant lifestyle and operate within your income and budget. Hard work doesn't kill, the late Saro-Wiwa advised us in those days when he was alive.Work Hard. I don't like “free money” or “miracle money” and don't want it. I am guided by acceptable ethics, passion and humanist values. These are the principles that had guided my career as a labour leader, activist, journalist and researcher spanning over   two decades, and will continue to be my roadmaps. I don't have a price. I am un-bribable. Those in Brick House (Port Harcourt), Aso Rock (Abuja) or elsewhere and even those who blackmailed me know this. I don't worship money and won't do it inmy “old” age. I am a hungry and poor man with dignity. I have turned down juicy offers from corporations, governments, groups and individuals because I have only NEEDS which my meager income can take care of, and not GREEDS. It is really not easy to live here above board where free money flows everywhere, enough of these despicable and immature shots at blackmailing me.

My conscience is my mirror. We live in dangerous times with its turbulence and torrents. The decisive moment is now! I repeat if any one has anything facts or opinion to contradict my claims, please say it now. Not when I am dead and gone and mischief makers will dance naked on my grave. I have often heard such lies peddled against heroes like Gani Fawehinimi, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Dele Giwa, Dr. Ola Oni and few others in death. Fellow Nigerians, water no enter my mouth, and I would not allow it to.###