Treasure Base’s Turmoil

Rivers State, also known as the “Treasure Base of the Nation”, has been grappling with political crisis and insecurity, posing significant challenges to the socio-economic and political fabric of the State. The State has a rich cultural history, but it has also been a source of political turmoil due to issues such as resource control, ethnic diversity, and power disputes. Power struggles, election disputes, and party strife have characterised the political crises. In addition to the political problems, Rivers State is dealing with rising insecurity. Incidents of gunmen attacks, kidnappings, cultism and communal clashes have become distressingly common. The intertwining of political interests with security concerns has created a volatile environment which can best be described as unfortunate contemporaneous events.

Incidents in the past months in Rivers State have fed into the volatile situation in the State. The alleged irreconcilable differences between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have created tension in the State, leading to an impeachment attempt on the Governor by the State Assembly. The ongoing crisis in the State could potentially have wide-reaching effects if not curtailed on time.

Also, violent conflicts lurk around Rivers State’s political upheaval. The incidents manifest as abductions, gunmen attacks and gang wars. Four soldiers were killed during an ambush in the State on a convoy of Daewoo construction company workers on the East-West Road. The security threats have also affected foreigners, such as the abduction of two Korean expatriates from the same incident on the East-West Road. Over the years, Rivers State has become notorious for gang violence. Previous administrations of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike gained some ground in putting them in check. However, events in the past months under the current administration indicate that insecurity from gang wars remains an existential problem that requires the attention of the government.

With ongoing political crises and violent conflicts occurring in the “Treasure Base of the Nation”, there could be implications in some areas. Firstly, oil production may be impacted. As tensions in the State, which is a major oil-producing state in the Niger Delta, continue to rise, the already unstable status of oil production may get even worse in the days ahead. The Port-Harcourt area of Rivers State is a hotbed for pipeline vandalism, which has defied solutions for years. Given the losses of about 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily, insecurity and a political crisis would be a distraction, especially when Nigeria needs to plug all leaks due to the current economic crunch.

Also, the insecurity in the State and the political turmoil could dissuade current and potential investors. Travel warnings issued by the United Kingdom between November 2022 and February 2023 factoring the insecurity in the State remain valid to date, factoring in the spate of killings by gunmen and cultists. The political class in Rivers State must take immediate action to resolve its political unrest and instability. There is a need for all stakeholders to embark on dialogue and mediation to iron out all political grievances and focus on providing good governance in the State. Furthermore, there is a need for relevant security agencies to heighten their response to security in the State, especially factoring in the political crisis and tendencies of violent actors to capitalise on the situation.