Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Port Harcourt, the River State capital, yesterday demanding, among others, the resignation of Governor Chubike Amaechi.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions like “Amaechi is a Failure,” “Amaechi, be bold to resign,” “Amaechi Abuses Court Order,” “No CJ, No Good Governance,” “Amaechi, Stop Insulting Traditional Rulers,” “Amaechi, where are the laboratories for the 24 secondary schools?” “Government House Assembly is illegal.”
“Amaechi 2014 Budget Is Fake.” The demonstrators caused a heavy traffic jam at the UTC Junction and adjoining roads for over six hours, forcing motorists and other roads users to seek alternative routes. Leader of the protesters, Onari Awo Tariah, explained that the choice of UTC Junction was deliberate and strategic because it was the terminal point of the administration’s multibillion monorail project, which he described as a wasteful venture with no benefit for residents of the state.
Tariah, who apologised to motorists and residents of the city for the inconveniences they suffered as a result of the protest, described the suffering as inevitable for a better future.
He explained that the protesters would have stormed the Government House, but chose the junction to draw the attention of the world to the waste called monorail project. Amaechi, Tariah demanded, should resign from office because of the failure of the monorail project or the protesters would occupy the Government House to force the governor to leave.
The protesters said they were not giving Amaechi an ultimatum, but as a wise man he should resign. “If you cannot perform, you resign. Let him resign. It is better for him.”
He added that the protest was against bad governance and a demand for the resignation of the governor and the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly
Source: New Telegraph
