As Odili Hibernates In Abuja
By Ikechuckwu Amaechi
Source: The Independent; Tuesday, 01 July 2008.
In one of his greatest theological works, The City of God, St Augustine of Hippo, one of the central figures in the history of Christianity wrote: "He that is good is free, though he be a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king."
Augustine, consecrated Bishop of Hippo in 396 AD, wrote the book in the Fourth Century. Though an African from Algeria, the book was a rebuke of the political leaders of the Roman Empire at a time it was at the brink of collapse and a powerful defence of the Christian faith. He was simply speaking truth to power.
The former Governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, no doubt knows about St. Augustine. He may even have read The City of God. Though not a clergy, Odili is a devout Catholic, a knight of the Church, a brilliant politician and physician.
But as I watched him testify last week before the Rivers State Truth and Reconciliation Commission headed by Justice Kayode Eso in Abuja, where he has been on self-exile since Rotimi Amaechi became the state Governor, I couldn't help but remember the imperishable words of Augustine, the man fondly called the "Doctor of the Church."
For eight years, starting from 1999, Odili, literally, had the power of life and death over fellow citizens in the state. He was the undisputed Lord of the Manor and he left no one in doubt that he was not only in government but also in power (apologies to General Ibrahim Babangida).
For eight years, Odili not only had the political power to do good but also the resources to impact most positively on the lives of the people. He had the war chest to make Rivers a model state and envy of the other 35 states in the country.
Had he done that, Odili would have engraved his name in gold. He would have become the undisputed King of Rivers politics. And that would have been on a platter of nothing because he would simply have used the people's patrimony to solve their problems. It was that simple.
But for inexplicable reasons, Odili chose to tread a different path. The consequence is that today, barely one year after leaving office and even when power is in the hands of a man, who in every sense, could be called an "Odili Boy," the former governor is in self-exile, afraid of Port Harcourt, his former seat of power in particular and Rivers State in general.
So afraid is Odili of his home state that the Truth and Reconciliation Committee which Amaechi set up to clear the mess they collectively created (Amaechi was Speaker of the State House of Assembly all the years Odili was governor) had to relocate to Abuja to hear his testimony.
As I watched the former governor, a man who almost became Nigeria's President last year whine and bellyache about an "attempt to smear the image and hard-earned good name and reputation of Dr. Peter Odili, discredit his government and the good works he did as governor," I couldn't help but reflect on the import of St Augustine's assertion that he that is good is free, though he is a slave and he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king.
Now, Odili has not been convicted of any crime by any court of competent jurisdiction. And he smartly used the judiciary to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting him over alleged corruption. So, that gives him some respite at least for now and it will be preposterous for anyone to convict him outside the ambits of the law.
But the point needs to be made that Odili, though a King, courtesy of his very deep pocket, remains a slave to his morbid fear of Rivers State and its people. Now, the former governor is an intelligent and highly perceptive man. He must have a reason for deciding to flee his state for the sanctuary of Abuja.
And this reason must have something to do with things he did or failed to do while he was in power. What was it that he did in office that has made him a slave? Even if it is true, as he claimed before the Commission that he received a total of N708.3 billion in the eight years that he was in power, contrary to claims that he collected N1.3 trillion, is it not an irony that he used such colossal amount to sell himself into "slavery" rather than buy his freedom from his people?
No-matter what Odili says, the fact remains that he left Rivers State worse than he met it. When he became Governor in 1999, despite the Ogoni crisis and the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his kinsmen on November 10, 1995, Rivers State was still the Garden City, beloved by all.
It took Odili's eight years in power for the city to lose its innocence, so much so that those who could afford it would prefer to fly from Lagos or any other part of the country in the morning to Port Harcourt to work and leave with the last flight rather than spend the night in any part of the state.
In a country where the safety of air transportation is still suspect, anything that would make a man risk being in the air twice a day rather than sleep in a state where he works must be something scary indeed.
But what goes round comes around. It is the same monsters unleashed on the state under Odili's watch that has driven him away.
Was Odili responsible for the emergence of the various cult groups as his detractors are alleging? Did he fund them for political reasons? Maybe. It may also be that he is a victim of circumstance; caught in a political maelstrom he could not control.
Whatever is the case, the fact remains that history has already recorded it that it was during Odili's era as governor that Rivers State went to the dogs. That is an odious legacy to leave behind after eight uninterrupted years in power with unprecedented war chest.
It is even more so when he used such rare opportunity to buy himself a ticket for self-exile, even if it is temporary. If only our leaders will learn
As Odili Hibernates In Abuja 
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