In Chapter Ten and seventeen of his must-read literary work titled, “THE AUDACITY & INSCRUTABILITY OF BARR. OSIMA GINAH” erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, gives an account of the experiences and thoughts of an enigma and legal icon; a revolutionist and rare gem; a composite gentleman and detribalised philanthropist, Barr. Osima Ginah on his two major Principals who were former Governors of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Barr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Chief Nyesom Wike.
For emphasis, Barr. Osima Ginah stands out as one of the very few that served the most opposing political camps in Rivers State but yet maintain very close relationship with the two political camps.
Eze in hapter ten of the book highlighted “Barr Osima Ginah and his experiences working under Rt. Hon. Chibuike R. Amaechi and Barr. Nyesom Wike”
Hon. (Barr.) Osima Ginah, while in government, distinguished himself in the realm of public service as a versatile political leader and an accomplished lawyer, who made a profound impact in both fields. As a politician, Barr. Ginah has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the public interest, while championing causes that promote social justice, equality, and economic growth in Rivers State and Nigeria, in general. With a deep understanding of governance and great managerial acumen, having served in various capacities as a Commissioner, Ginah successfully navigated the complexities of policy-making, earning a reputation as a shrewd strategist, proactive, visionary and effective leader.
As a lawyer cum politician, Barr. Ginah, while serving at different times in the administrations of former governors, Chibuike Amaechi and Nyesom Wike, leveraged on his expertise to make informed policy decisions with legal acumen to advocate for legislative reforms that promote justice and equality. This synergy has earned him the respect of peers and constituents alike, solidifying his position as a trusted leader and champion of the people.
Through a remarkable career in the Rivers State Executive Council, Barr. Ginah has exemplified the highest standards of integrity, compassion, and intellect. As a Cabinet member in the administrations of Amaechi and Wike, Barr. Ginah has inspired future generations of public servants, demonstrating that with hard work, dedication, and a commitment to justice, one individual can make a profound difference in shaping a better society. Under both administrations, Ginah was capable of taking decisions and working for the betterment of Rivers State. When it comes to Rivers politics, Ginah is said to be active having worked at State Executive Council, Judicial Service Commission, and Civil Service Commission. On why he has been given appointments at one time or the other, Ginah is of firm belief that for anyone who has opportunity to serve, let the government that you are serving feel your impact as somebody that should be trusted, who has integrity, and somebody who has what it takes to man that office that has been given to him. As a pioneer Commissioner at the Ministry of Urban Development, Ginah admitted there were a lot of challenges but with patience, he saw the need to explain his policies and programmes to the understanding of the public. To actualise his mission, he engaged the populace, made them understand to key into the policies and aspirations of government. For Ginah, the catchwords to his success in politics and governance are focus, and determination; not forgetting the possibility of stepping on toes. He always does the right thing, very conscientious, never allows his decisions to be politically motivated, safe for principle, rules and regulations and the law of the land. Once you do all these, government at all times, he said, will need your service. “That is why at any time government comes and goes, they need my services because they know that I will be sincere, focussed, and will be determined to do my job in the right way. And there is no task that is given to me that is too difficult to achieve” Ginah said.
Barr. Ginah recounts his experiences while serving the two former governors and evaluated it as exemplary, memorable, and exceptional. Serving in the administration of Chibuike Amaechi, as a pioneer Commissioner in the Ministry of Physical Planning, Urban Development was Ginah’s first time in the Rivers State Executive Council. With the permission of the State Executive Council and Governor Amaechi, Ginah initiated and got the principles, the rules and regulations guiding urban renewal, and development control. As a governor that had clear focus and vision on what he wanted to achieve in the Ministry, Amaechi allowed Ginah a freehand to work, and he did. He describes Governor Amaechi as “an administrator per excellence” for the period he worked with him in his first tenure. Nevertheless, Ginah recalls that Wike, as Chief of Staff, rightly understudied Governor Amaechi. Having seen and known Ginah as a workaholic, a loyal, tested, and trusted politician, when Wike became governor, he called back Ginah to work with him in the State Executive Council. Under Amaechi’s government, Ginah saw the need to propose an entirely new legal framework that would guide the Ministry of Urban Development conduct it activities. Ginah took the steps, but wasn’t able to achieve that before he left. But on returning in the second tenure he discussed the matter with the then governor, Wike, who probably being a lawyer, understood the need to have a legal framework to back the activities of the Ministry of Urban Development. Being a very resilient and visionary man, Ginah worked hard to get an entirely legal framework that would back the Ministry. The House of Assembly in 2020 passed that bill into law. Unfortunately, it was not signed into law by Wike before he moved Ginah to Ministry of Transport. Under the Wike administration, the Urban Ministry did few urban renewal regulations and few cleanups but not as much as what was done during the Chibuike Amaechi time. While Amaechi’s focus was on the demolition, compensation, and development of waterfront, Wike’s major issue was on enacting a new legal framework for the Ministry. “His Excellency Nyesom Wike had his own focus too, but I can say that both former Governors are administrators, and achieved their own as good governors” Ginah said.
Ginah while serving as a Commissioner commanded a great personality that made his bosses to so much believe and listen to him. This played out when the Trans-Kalabari Road project was first conceived over 20 years ago. It was only when Governor Nyesom Wike came that the Kalabari people agitated, but it got to a point, the governor wanted the section of the road that he could execute; start, complete, and commission before he would leave office. As a result of Ginah’s closeness to Wike at that time, he suggested that his area in the central group area with six communities, which would take less than three years to complete be considered. Wike listened, the project began where Ginah advised and was completed before Wike left office.
Former Governor Amaechi also accorded much recognition to Ginah, which helped in building his political standard. Ginah worked very closely with Amaechi to the extent that he was called “first son” of the governor. “When you have reasonable ideas, Amaechi listens to you. If you are able to convince him he goes with it and he monitors. He also gives his backing to see that you achieved your aim” Ginah said. But as a man of principle, in 2013, Ginah left the camp of Amaechi when he saw that his opinions and suggestions were not taken any longer. There is no gainsaying the fact that Ginah was closer to Wike than Amaechi because he knew Wike back then in school at the Faculty of Law, while he knew Amaechi only when they came into government. “So, Wike and I already had relationship. When I came into government, in the first instance, I was not in cabinet but he listened and in some cases he would want us to discuss feedback about him. He will weigh the feedback I got for him, and use it” Ginah stressed. It was that closeness that made Ginah to get that part of Trans-Kalabari Road project executed (at the first phase). So, if you give Wike useful advice and you were able to convince him, he will take your advice. He has his own focus and you must understand what he intends to achieve. My being with Wike influenced the starting and completion of the Trans-Kalabari Road from the central area” Ginah revealed.
“That is the difference between two of them. I was close to Wike than Amaechi, even though in the first tenure when I came in, Amaechi being the governor, I was close to him. But when I left, I become closer to Wike than the way I was to Amaechi because we travelled together, ate together, discussed together”, he added.
Yet, to Ginah, he learnt from Amaechi to be open-minded, but easier to work with Wike. To Ginah, both Amaechi and Wike have human feelings. To him, they have their own bad sides, sometimes they could be angry. “Wike’s anger does not last long but Amaechi can carry over his anger till the next day. Amaechi has this ‘I am the boss you are the servant’ attitude, while Wike has this ‘We are working together but know that I supervise you’ attitude. Ginah explained that the boss style worked for Amaechi just as Wike’s “we style” worked for him with his friends, and few of his colleagues. “Working with both in the state executive council, all of them exerted authorities. Sometimes Amaechi would not shout at you but Wike would shout to see whether you would move from your position. They both influenced my political style today”, Ginah disclosed.
HIS THOUGHT
In chapter 17.05, Barr Osima Ginah exposes his thought on Amaechi and Wike
On Amaechi and Wike – My Thought
“I learnt from Amaechi style, he has some open mind to work with. But sometimes you may not predict him as a person but if you do the right thing he will go with you but if you do the wrong thing he will withdraw. I learnt from it my first time I worked with him in his first tenure. He gave me the enablement to work; he sold me in the public. On the part of Wike, we are all lawyers so it is easy for us to understand the language of the law. Nyesom Wike will always ask you where its backed by the law, is it any regulations or provisions in the law? Once you say so, he agrees but when not satisfied he waves it away. But it is easy to work with Wike, although haven understudied Amaechi after he went to the federal and became a Minister that also influenced me because I understudied both of them on how decisions were taken. Both of them have human feelings, they have their own bad sides, sometimes they could be angry. Wike’s anger does not last long but Amaechi can carry over his anger till the next day. Amaechi has this ‘I am the boss you are the servant’, while Wike has this ‘We are working together but know that I supervise you’. He doesn’t create the issue of the boss. Now working with both of them has their own styles, that the boss style worked for Amaechi because he worked with most of his friends and the only way he could command respect is the boss-style. Wike also worked with his friends, few were his colleagues. We came in with our wealth of experience, its business like and once this is done, Wike will also create opportunity to be friendly so that you can leave whatever that had happened between Governor and Commissioner and then you come back.
“What I learned from Amaechi is that when you want to take him for granted, he will make you understand that he is the Governor. At any such time, you see the boss nature in him. The same thing with Wike; he has the attitude that if you want to cross him from achieving a particular target, you are no longer his friend. Just ensure that you work towards achieving it, then you can come back to become his friend. Always, he will be the first to attack to actually see if you meant what you are saying. Working with both in the state Executive Council, all of them exact authorities. Sometimes Amaechi will not shout at you but Wike will shout to see if you will move from your position. They both influenced my political style today.
“At the Ministry of Transport, I also saw the need to put in place some legal framework which I was working before I left. The drafts were there. Transport is like a market place where everybody that goes there is feasting on it, and so we tried to do a one-stop-shot where it is only those who are qualified by law that can have dealings with the Ministry. We developed a system where collection of transport related fees can be done online, then you can stay in the comfort of your home and the car where it is, you can pay for your transportation at convenience without leaving your house.
From your phone you can pay levies and the money will not go into private pockets again and the governor from where he is can check and know how the money is being paid. As I said every government has its focus that was not in the priority of the government as at that time, because that did not see the light of the day. Some were unable to achieve that but the framework was done and is in the archive. Building of recreational centres and park we could not achieve even though we put all that were needed in place. Basically, the road map for transportation sector was set by me and that is what others are following now.
“It was said; charity begins at home, and as a public servant we should also grab the opportunity to attract development to our area. So, as a great son of Kalabari which project did you attract to the area that you are proud of as a Commissioner.
“As a member of the State Executive Council, first, you are not the Chief Executive, you can only suggest and if it is what the Chief Executive wants to achieve, he will take it up and then do it. Now, when you look at the Kalabari areas, then our main concern was the Trans-Kalabari Road even during Amaechi time. Amaechi wanted to link every community; that was his policy with roads and electricity. And so, we were asked to submit, I came from Asari Toru, and in the LGA, the road we submitted myself and late Dr Doris Fisher were members of the cabinet before later she left and Dr Dawari George came in. Is the Telma-Ifoko Road and Sama-Oproma Road. Those roads were not done. Telma-Ifoko Road was awarded but it was not funded. So, there were no major things that were done, except that I say peace is major thing I can say I achieved. This is because there were times when there were crises in communities, houses were burnt, Krakrama, Minama, human beings were killed. And so, people started running, militants were ravaging these communities. So as a Commissioner that came from the area I moved to meet with the people. I went to see things by myself, set up peace committee. It took us time and money but we were able to restore peace. I can say it is a very big achievement.
“I reached out to my people. In my area, there are poor families I built houses for. I trained indigent students. I paid students school fees, as the need arose. I renovated houses for people. Uptill now I am still paying school fees for people within the Kalabari area and outside the Kalabari area. I am one man that doesn’t advertise what he did but people know that I am a last resort. When you come to me for what I know I have resources to attend, I won’t waste time (not considering your identity), I will do it. I know that in the process God has used me to send some persons to abroad.
Tomorrow when these children graduate, they will know you are part of their educational development and growth. I have not also stopped paying WAEC (West African Examinations Council) and JAMB (Joint Admission and Matriculation Board) fees for students. And because of that I am very close to the people, both the old, young, chiefs and elders. I was able to reach out to them.
“In government, because I advertised my local community Angulama, greater number of them call me Angulama. If they don’t call me demolition man they call me Angulama, because back then working with Amaechi, Angulama was like a passport to enter Government House. It is in that way they also come to know that there is a community called Angulama and there is no road. And they asked me how I go to the community, I said when I get to a particular point I travelled by the boat. So, in 2009, my community organised a reception for me and the State was moved to Angulama and they saw the difficulty to the community. I think it is one of those things that influenced Wike to agree to construct a road down to Angulama and move people out, so you don’t just go and start showing them your car key, but you can also drive in.
It is an achievement, and actually it was what my people needed because I know before I came into government, severally we had written letters to government on that road. So, when I found myself in government, I decided to pursue the dream.
Today, January 4, 2025 will see Osima visiting orphanages and old people’s homes where he would be meeting and celebrating with children and senior citizens; and on January 5, 2025, the historical book on Osima, which chronicles his journey and trajectory would be unveiled.
This milestone event will take place on Sunday, January 5, 2024, at the prestigious L.A. Kings Event Centre, Stadium Road, Port Harcourt, commencing at 2 PM.
