What Is Happening??

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Since yesterday, the internet in Nigeria has been in an uproar after our President declared a state of emergency on Rivers State, suspending the governor, deputy governor and a host of other government officials for the next six months. And since this happened yesterday, it has been all that anyone has been able to talk about.

As in, can you blame them? It’s not every time that we get to see a sitting governor be suspended from office. We can expect them to be impeached, but suspension? As expected, many people are against this move because they deem it unconstitutional.

But then, this is not the first time such a thing has happened. The last time a sitting governor was suspended was during the tenure of Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, he declared a state of emergency in a northern state due to the violence being unleashed on it by the Boko Haram terrorist sect. At the time, when it became clear that the governor in charge couldn’t handle it, he took over and sent in the military.

However, things are very different this time. There has been tension brewing in Rivers State for a while now, especially since the last governorship election that Governor Sim Fubara won. However, it’s no news that there has been alleged conflicts between he and Wike, his predecessor, causing their followers to break off into factions.

And from the looks of things, this conflict seems to only be getting worse. Yet, in all the ways it has gotten worse, it has not gotten all that bad. So far, from what I’ve gathered, no one has lost their lives yet. Yeah, both factions have taken things too far from time to time, and in my opinion, it has never really escalated to the point that demanded a declaration of a state of emergency. So now, you see where all the anger towards the ruling comes from?

People just don’t understand how this could qualify as a state of emergency when there are numerous states in Nigeria that would benefit from such a ruling. States in the north where they’re being plagued by bandits who kill and kidnap school girls, it has been going on for years… but that’s not enough to warrant a state of emergency. What about other parts of the southwest where kidnapping is rampant, or in the southeast where kidnappings and unknown gunmen are having a field day, taking lives as they wish and destroying property?

Sadly though, none of these states are worth getting a state of emergency. Except Rivers, which in recent years can arguably be seen as one of the least dangerous states in the country. Honestly, I have no idea what is going on or what is happening right now. I’m not in politics, I’m not in the corridor of power, so I’m only seeing things as they are happening, right with everyone else.

Is there a motive behind all this? Is there a grand plan? Is all this for the good of Rivers citizens? Or is it just another manipulative attempt to allegedly mask selfishness? For me, I have no idea. We’re all going through yet another power play, and as always, the grass and the trees will be the victims when the elephants begin to fight.

It’s just sad.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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