THE MAN, ROTIMI CHIBUIKE AMAECHI

Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was born May 27, 1965, in a small village known as Umuordu-Ubima in Ikwerre ethnic nationality of the present Ikwerre Local Government area ofRivers State,Nigeria. Endowed with high intelligence and a fertile mind, he started his primary education at St. Theresa’s Primary School, Ubima, where he obtained his first school leaving certificate in 1976. He later attended theGovernmentSecondary School, Okolobiri, (now inBayelsaState) where he sat and passed his West African School Certificate Examinations in 1982. Thereafter, he gained admission into theUniversityofPort Harcourtand graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He later obtained a Masters degree in English from the same university.

While in the university, he exhibited great leadership potentials and was elected National President of the National Union of Rivers State Student (NURSS), a platform he used to peacefully organize and coordinate the affairs of Rivers State students in all tertiary institutions across Nigeria. This possibly was his first exposure to practical politics, though at a learning stage.
Upon leaving the University, young Rotimi Amaechi started his working career as Public Relations Officer (PRO) with the Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Limited, Port Harcourt in 1988. It was at PAMO Clinic that he met with Dr Peter Odili, the former Governor of Rivers State, who was then the proprietor. This meeting became the key that made the tremendous difference in his life till today.

He was soon to realize that the only way he could contribute meaningfully to the development of his community, state and the nation, was to be involved in active politics. His fearlessness in the pursuit of anything he believes in proved him a man of strong character and principle. These qualities, no doubt, endeared him to many across the nation.
He joined the National Republican Convention party (NRC), and was elected Secretary of the Party in Ikwerre Local Government area. His political associates found him a humble, dynamic, vibrant and reliable young man to work with.

Upon the collapse of the Third Republic, he formed the Ikwerre Forum, a socio-cultural and political organization geared towards the mobilization of Ikwerre people in the new political dispensation. When party politics returned, he joined the All Nigeria Congress (ANC) and was appointed State Administrative Secretary. Following the non-registration of that party, he joined the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) where again his political acumen saw him appointed as State Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party.

With the death of General Abacha, and the emergence of a new political order, he joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform he contested for a seat in the Rivers State House of Assembly in 1999. Being successful at that election; he became a member of the State Assembly representing Ikwerre Constituency and was unanimously elected Speaker. His sparkling performance was highly commended, and he was re-elected for an unprecedented second term. It is described as unprecedented because in his Ikwerre constituency, no one individual in history has been elected for two consecutive terms into the State House of Assembly. He was also unanimously returned as Honourable Speaker of the House.
During his tenure as Speaker, the Assembly experienced the best of relationships with other organs of government. There was relative peace and harmony which provided the ambiance for business activities to thrive unhindered. Several laws and resolutions that touch the lives of the citizenry positively in all spheres of life were passed. Under his able leadership, the Assembly was widely acclaimed as the best State Assembly inNigeria. This was made possible by his patriotism, industry, loyalty and dedication to duty.

These qualities made him worthy of the confidence of his colleagues.
Amaechi is widely travelled, and has attended several legislative strengthening programmes, courses and seminars in the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom. He is an Honorary Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives in the United States.
He is deeply involved in the activities of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and has attended several of its programmes in its headquarters in London. He is a member of the National Stakeholders Working Group of the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI), a body constituted by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was the Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, a position he held for a record two terms.

Amaechi is a charismatic leader, who has been honoured with so many awards and titles some of which are: Award for Parliamentary Excellence (Rivers Foundation, USA, 2000); International Award for Political Leadership (Jaycees International, 2000); Best Speaker of State House of Assembly Award (Nigeria Union of Journalists, FRCN Enugu Chapter, 1999); Best State House of Assembly Speaker Award (Assembly Correspondents of Nigeria, 1999); Award for Parliamentary Excellence (NUJ Abuja Branch, 2004); Award for Outstanding Contributions to Democracy (Mississippi Consortium for International Development, 2002); Best Speaker in Nigeria, (Leadership Development Forum, 2004); Ochi Aliri I of Ikwerreland (Chieftaincy title conferred by Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality, 2000); Nwo Mojiunu of Ekpeyeland (Chieftaincy title conferred by the Eze Ekpeye Logbo-in Council), and Sun Man-of-The-Year (The SUN Newspaper Publishing Ltd, Lagos, 2007) etc.

Like the literary meaning of his first name, ‘CHIBUIKE: ‘God is strength’, is a man of destiny who has certain peculiarities that could be described as enigmatic, especially in politics. He has always had a history of natural occurrences which ordinarily would have been most difficult to confront and surmount, but each time they come, he surmounts them. In the 1999 Governorship and House of Assembly elections, he felt short-changed with the outcome of the election results. As a man who all his life trusted God, and believed in the rule of law, fair play and justice, he went to the Electoral Tribunal to seek justice, and he had it, and returned to the State House of Assembly.

It would also be recalled that he passed through the arduous fireworks of the justice system, a very long tortuous road that took almost nine (9) months to earn him the needed justice at the nation’s Supreme Court on the 25 October, 2007 from where he was declared winner of the governorship election inRiversState. He had his mandate restored back and was sworn in as the Executive Governor ofRiversState.

The State Governor, Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is a practicing Christian, who in demonstration of his belief in the tenets of Christianity was conferred with the Papal Knighthood of St. Sylvester by Pope Benedict XVI, and is married to his beloved heartthrob Judith Amaechi and blessed with three children.