Opinion: Political cultism and the Rivers Assembly cage fight

by Saatah Nubari

Jonathan Amaechi

I would love to use the phrase “we are doomed!” but for my optimistic nature. We live in a country where our “leaders” come out to talk against corruption, but when they leave their office, they leave with their state treasury in their pockets.

I never knew I was going to write on this today. I was actually writing on “revolution and Nigeria” when I came about the videos of the free for all fight that transpired in the Rivers State house of Assembly.

It is pitiable, the situation we find ourselves in this country. When the so called leaders who advice the youths to shun violence, adding the catchy phrase that “cultism doesn’t pay” are avid members and sponsors of secret cult groups around our campuses and environment. These leaders who have sworn to protect us are the ones causing the mayhem and killing us.

It is rather unfortunate that the hallowed chambers of a state House of Assembly will be turned into a ring likened to the WWE cage fight, but this time around, unlike the WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE show, there’s the option of “call your cult members” and the assembly men made sure they used it. I watched with utter dismay as a Hon. Member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, in the person of Hon. Evans Bipi, brought thugs to the House and kept chanting cult slangs notably “Aro Mate!” with them. It was even more saddening that the Deputy Governor of the state was there and could not do anything. I saw security operatives being challenged by the cultists in a brazen show of power, there has never been a more disturbing sight.

I would love to use the phrase “we are doomed!” but for my optimistic nature. We live in a country where our “leaders” come out to talk against corruption, but when they leave their office, they leave with their state treasury in their pockets. We live in a country where everybody is a hypocrite. We live in a country where we see the evils being perpetrated by people in power, but we keep quiet for fear of being persecuted or killed. We live in a country where anything goes. Some years back, there was a fight in the National Assembly in full glare of the world, what a shame. It is high time we stood up and speak against what is wrong. We should stand up and make our voices heard, not because we want to get popular like most twitter activists, or that we want to get our political career back on track like irrelevant politicians now do. We should refuse to be taken for ride by these politicians, they should all go!

We are on the brink, and silence or the “sidon look” attitude should be discouraged. Our future is being ruled and decided by cultists. Our Nigeria is being violated by criminal elements wearing Agbada, Jarabiya, etibor and red caps sitting in air conditioned offices. I watched with dismay as Hon. Chidi Lloyd, the leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly broke a mace — the symbol of authority on another assembly man’s head and the man was covered with blood.  We need a complete overhaul of our politicians in Nigeria, from the PDP to the APC, from Sokoto to Rivers. We need politicians with character and not the touts sitting in air conditioned offices. We need politicians with heart not politicians who pledge allegiance to various secret cult groups. The time has come to speak up. There has never been a grander stage and there might never be a greater time for us to do that. We need people to steer our Nigeria from this ditch ahead, and neither the PDP nor recently formed APC can boast of the license to do just that.

They say “evil doesn’t pay” well it pays 29 million naira per month in the senate, puts the whole state treasury in your pocket if you’re a governor. It is obvious that evil is now a job, and our politicians are the highest earners. Like Emma Goldman said, and I quote “People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.” Or like Fidel Castro said “A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past.” 

Are we ready to stand up for our future? I am.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Comments (10)

  1. From Gov house member comissioners in Rivers state are all cultist

  2. did you watch the vidoe of leader of the house hitting is fellow human being with a weapon,i wounder if we have human feeling

    1. It's well o! Hw my strong n cute babes? Hailings from dis end..

      1. May God save our country from d grip of dese power monks. President Jonarhan is an utter shame n disgrace to ds country. His quest for power will eventually ridicle him, no matter who his backers are. He will eventually come to terms that power belongs to God. To think dat he can cause chaos in rivers state bcos he has problem wt Amaechi is laughable. Imagine a Bayelsa man, dictating to a rivers man. Rivers people wake up! U ar d first class citizens!

  3. ‘Time and chance happeneth to them all’ The appalling show of brawl, kung fu, boxing, wrestling, tug of war, free-for-all etc, by Rivers Assembly men is nature’s way of unveiling d real persons in many of our political leaders. The truth has a way of proving itself. Bt will we not VOTE ‘THEM’ again? Keep the answer until 2015.

  4. Very soon not too long God will send one who will be bold enough to step into the void captures the political infighting and round up all this wolfs in shephards clothing .if I am the one I will rather free a criminal that has concience than most of our judges who do not have concience, who are partners in crime helping pen robbers to loot our treasury that is economic sabotage,betrayal of trust thereby exposing the lives of those who have hope in them.They should be reminded in prison for life.May the almighty hear our prayers Amen.

  5. Thuggery,robbery,loothng,big-manism,opresion,bombing,lobbyng to mention but a few,is d order of d day in Nigeria.d same old story.

  6. pple of’river state we are nt save ooo. Let stand up n fight 4 our rigth ooo b4 we died lik goat God forbid died e 4 dis unfaithful leaders of our faith country.. God save us Amen

  7. my dear,it is realy pathetic.jst dt we r living in an insane country wher power is bn hijacked by rogues.wat playd in river assembly isnt suprisn cos dt was wot NASS thot them

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