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By Akanimo Sampson
Though the imposed military regime in Rivers State promptly exposed maximum rule, an announcement that Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval vice admiral, making Samuel Nwanosike, an engineer, as the sole administrator of Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), with effect from April 11, 2025, was the ultimate litmus test. Most of the actions of Ibas have betrayed him as a partisan figure in the bipolar political conflict in the state.
Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika, in a statement, urged the public to ignore the fake announcement, pointing out that all official communications from the Office of the Administrator of Rivers have appropriate channels through which they are circulated.
Previously, Nwanosike, served as the chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, the home council area of the former Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi. But, he is closely associated with Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister. Many saw his purported new job as one that could shape public perception about Ibas’ role in managing the ongoing political crisis.
Ibas appears to be pandering too much to the Wike side. Rivers people expect him to pursue the bringing of the two power gladiators to a round table, with the aim of healing the wounds and launch the state on the path of peace and progress.
Rather than initiate such a move, the sole administrator is busy savouring the toga of “His Excellency”, even though he’s not an elected governor.
The Rivers military leader needs to understand that in a disciplined and hierarchical organisation like the Nigerian Navy, he once headed, conflict is basically unavoidable. So it is with political parties. The conflict among political parties usually centers around who gets to run for a specific position, and whose policy position will prevail in an important issue.
In a large party like the All Progressives Congress (APC) or to some degree, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there are basic ideological conflicts. That is the nature of parties that Ibas has been asked to preside and to rule.
Sweeping these challenges under the carpet, and attempting to solve them by fiat would not work. These disputes have to be constructively addressed by party leaders and critical stakeholders.
In the case of the worsening Wike/Fubara political antagonism, the first task of Ibas should have been to find out exactly what is behind the conflict. It could simply be about economic or political gains. It could also be about political influence. It could even be about money that comes from Abuja. Resolving these issues could be tough because some bad blood will remain between the political forces involved.
The dispute between Wike and his successor, Sim Fubara, could equally be about the policy goals of the Fubara administration or vital decisions taken. Often, political potentates are very passionate about policy disputes because theoretically, an important part of their identity is to make their constituency better.
Again, the Rivers crisis could be about something deeper than policy disagreements, which pundits claim is
based on a sharing formula.
These types of conflicts are never easy to solve because party leaders tend to avoid them when they can. But if they remain unresolved, they can break the party. One thing so far is very clear: the Rivers crisis cannot be solved by lower level politicians.
President Bola Tinubu has to show that he is a statesman by bringing his much needed charisma to successfully solve the Rivers conflict. The president should not allow his 2027 ambition to cloud him as a biased leader in the Rivers debacle.
And, since the Fubara-Wike conflict is causing bad blood in the state, virtually polarising the big oil and gas state, some concerned people of the state should consider starting a campaign against an external ‘opponent’. For instance, against some unpopular plans of the military regime there. There is no better way to develop team spirit than an actual campaign on a divisive local issue.
If all else fails, Rivers elders should seek outside help. Conflict management experts with experience in politics can arrive at a politically heated situation without any prejudice and emotion, providing guidance and support.
Outside help might be needed even if President Tinubu cannot solve the conflict. Any conflict management professional will not do the trick – politics is much, much different from that in some multinational companies.
It should however, be noted that not all conflicts should be solved at a higher level, as it would drain the time of most of the important leaders and operatives. Leaders should have enough political power within their party to solve most of the local disputes without involving the party’s Board of Trustees. That means they have to be viewed by local members as the extended arm of the party’s leadership.
Local leaders should always try to solve the conflicts without involving party leaders, but have to notice when their problem-solving methods hit the rocks.
Escalating a conflict to the party’s board is not about whether the conflict is about ideology, policy or political position. It is much more about the level of risk – if one party is threatening to quit, or leak some information, or otherwise looks like he or she will go rogue, it’s time to involve the board.
Initially, though no official reason was given for choosing Nwanosike, people familiar with state politics believed the ‘appointment’ might influence how the public sees Ibas’ stance on neutrality.
As the new boss of RIWAMA, Nwanosike was expected to take charge of managing waste-related issues across the state. With his strong political background and alliance with a key national figure, there is growing public interest in how his leadership will affect both the agency’s performance and the political atmosphere in Rivers.
Meanwhile, in a significant move that suggests that the Wike men are not yet ready for peace in that state,
they were reported to be tearing billboards with Fubara’s picture. The suspended governor’s pictures in offices and all state government owned tertiary institutions have been removed, based on alleged order of Ibas.
Ibas inaugurated the 23 local government administrators despite several court cases that restrained him from even making such appointments in the first instance. Concerned citizens are worried about the actions of Ibas, who, from the onset, publicly displayed acts of bias and partisanship in favour of Wike and his group. There have been mounting opposition against his one-sided appointments and deliberate demolition of all democratic institutions laid down by Fubara even at the detriment of his group.
Rights groups, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Rivers Elders Forum, have variously accused Ibas of acting an already prepared script, wondering how such governance style could lead to peace in the state. They allege that the imposed mnion in Rivers came on a conquest mission to ignite further crisis and hand over the state and its structure to Wike, who is alleged to have wrecked the economy of the state by open theft and borrowing.
For the eight years that he ruled (2015-2023), Wike was alleged to have plunged the state into a debt of N90 billion through borrowing, leaving the state treasury virtually empty, with hundreds of billions of naira as outstanding local debts, especially to some indigenous contractors.
Comparatively, within 22 months, Fubara left behind the sum of about N300 billion. It is a path worthy of emulation.
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