Princewill and his unusual approach to issues
- By Nwaorgu Faustinus
It is rare to see someone in a 'juicy' public office resign for the sake of justice. It is not a regular occurrence in Nigeria (if it ever happened). This is against the stance of the majority of politicians who are jobbers and always cling unto political offices as if they are born to be there.
The scenario of not knowing when to leave the stage when the ovation is high has become the hallmark of some politicians who believe they can only sustain their life through such avenues. Even when wise calls are given to them to vacate such political positions on account of poor performance, they tenacious hold onto the position as if it is the end in itself.
We are living witnesses to how a minister threatened to resign a ministerial post if the federal government does not maintain the new
pump price of fuel which was hovering within the neighbourhood of N145 to N150 until Nigerians, through the various labour unions, emptied themselves onto major roads to protest the anti-people's policy of the federal government.
The rest is now history, but the question is: did the minister resign after the federal government reached a compromise with the organized labour which led to the selling of fuel at N97 per a litre? The above situation accounts for the disregard meted to politicians.
But there are still exemplary Nigerians who place the interest of the masses and justice above their ego. It is based on this that I recall with nostalgia the decisions taken by Prince Tonye Princewill, one-time governorship aspirant of the Action Congress (AC) in 2007 and now
the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). His action then till today generates mix reactions from political analysts.
In 2007, the Prince of Niger/Delta Politics, as he is fondly called, said, "Fighting for the sake of fighting is not me. I am more at home in the boardroom than in a political party meeting.
When a Prince like me comes out to fight, something is really wrong. Something was really wrong in Rivers State, so I came out. For now we are comfortable with Amaechi's first steps and will want to keep him on the right track to avoid another fight. We however remain vigilant and contributory. His failure would be the failure of a generation and ours to bear.
I see the hand of God in this and so I bow to the superior wisdom. I have asked my lawyers to withdraw my petition at the election petitions tribunal. Prior to this action, I received not only consent from Atiku and Tinubu, but from my state exco, women's wing, youth wing, chairman's forum and my beloved elders of the party. This I believe is unprecedented in recent political history and a sign of things to come.
Let me reiterate that in reaching this decision, I have taken the interest of Rivers State as my guide. My aspirations are secondary and no financial agreement has been received from Amaechi before arriving at this.
I have no doubt that we will reach an agreement of some sort in the near future but even if I am wrong, I will have no regrets that this was the right thing to do. Many financial inducements have been pushed to my direction to encourage me to continue with the tribunal matter from sources one could only imagine.
"If I were interested in my own pocket, I would have been tempted as others have to walk this path. It never crossed my mind for one minute. As I said in my last interview, I can serve as governor or as Tonye Princewill but either way I will serve on the right side of those who have been wronged."
On 19 May, 2009 Prince Tonye Princewill, the only scion of the Kalabari Monarch, resigned his chairmanship of the Vision 2020 Sub-Committee on the Niger Delta in protest to the destruction of Ijaw community (Gbaramatu kingdom) by the federal government-backed JTF.
"Having spent time with the Technical Committee on the Niger Delta as set up by the Presidency and devoted many years before then to showing our people that there is a better way, my optimism peaked at the realization that the end of the impasse was nigh and the dark days of militancy would soon give way to a new dawn of hope, prosperity and peace built on the foundations of justice, fairness and equity.
Despite the increasing criminalization of the legitimate discontent of the people accompanied with the apparent nonchalance on the part of the federal government, I again jumped at the chance to play a role in furthering a positive Niger Delta strategy under the Vision 2020 initiative of the same federal government. This is not a result of lack of ideas, but love of my country and my people.
It was never about Yar'Adua. Unfortunately the recent decimation of riverside communities and the displacement of many innocent people with the ease of an executive order is the straw that broke the camel's back and has left me feeling that not all hands are on deck and not all parties sincere in the creation of a region and a country we can all be proud of."
Princewill went ahead, ''My continued chairing and charting the course for the blueprint of a Niger Delta region come 2020 is no longer tenable and will not only like the proverbial pissing in the wind but an exercise in futility as the recipients have demonstrated a clear inability to listen on the one hand and a clear resolve to go it alone on the other. Violence begets violence. This is a message for all sides to ponder.
"For genuine peace to reign, dialogue and understanding is the only route we can thread. The actions of the past few days have made it an even harder road to pursue. If we are to achieve anything from this debacle, it is how not to use power. The actions of a few cannot and should not be used for an excuse to visit injustice on many.
"Today, it is the entire people of the Gbaramatu Kingdom not just some of them who are suffering. For those who do not appreciate the magnitude of this and opt to stay silent, just remember that tomorrow it could be you. My thoughts at this time remain firmly with the families of the people who have lost their lives, and many women and children who have been forcibly displaced through no fault of their own.
I want to appeal to the aid agencies and various tiers of the government to come to their aid. It is at moments like this that we must remember we are witnessing human beings at their most vulnerable point. All assistance counts. We all must stand by them not just in our words but also in our actions.
In the meantime we will watch to see what the federal government does over the next few days before taking our next line of action. Fight not just crimes but the causes of crimes. When you do, work to preserve life; not destroy it."
From the forgoing, it is clear that Princewill attaches great importance to the sanctity of human life and the love which he has that informed his resignation. Political observers and analysts opined that had his life depended so much on the chairmanship of the Vision 2020 Sub-Committee on the Niger Delta, he would not have tendered his resignation letter.
His action was hailed at the time by Comrade Ebikibina Miriki, who had said, "Tonye Princewill's resignation is patriotic and visionary. It is a protest against the attack and invasion by the JTF of innocent and defenceless communities, leaving many homeless and dead, with property worth millions of naira destroyed.
Displaced women and children have no access to relief materials and this is a clear demonstration of the federal government's insincerity to address the Niger Delta issue. This also shows disrespect to the office of the vice president."
According to many, his actions (resignation) and withdrawal of his petition from tribunal are challenges that a few can stomach without pursuing one's goals.
It is yet to be seen, maybe, in the coming years, how the Prince will bounce back to the political scene as he did from 2006 to 2010 having allegedly, according to some grapevine, relapsed into political oblivion. Time will definitely tell.
Nwaorgu Faustinus writes from Port Harcourt, Rivers State. +2348035601312. ngorokpalaresearcher@gmail.com or ngorokpalaresearcher@yahoomail.com
