… Inaugurates LGA Coordinators
By: Felix Ikpotor
Ahead of the 2027 electioneering season, a group, Rivers Liberation Movement (RLM) has called for a shift in the political leadership structure of Rivers State to accommodate proffesionals and persons with proven competence.
The group urged parties in the state to open their doors of nominations to young visionary professionals, adding that leadership roles should not be reserved for those with money alone but should be based on merit.
Convener of the movement, Dr. Leloonu Nwibubasar, made the call during the inaugural leadership submit of the group with the theme; “Leadership, Followership and Loyalty: The Rivers Democratic Experience, ” and inauguration of its local government areas executives in Port Harcourt.
Nwibubasar noted that Rivers State has remained the way it is despite the enormous resources at its disposal because of the kind of leadership it has produced over the years.
He said the state deserves a leadership that understands policies, respect institutions and think beyond mere election circles.
Nwibubasar stressed that the group which is not affiliated with any political party, was born out of the desire to change the narratives in the state and build a better leadership system through engagement of core and visionary professionals.
“Rivers State is blessed with natural wealth, human talent and strategic advantage, yet our people struggle, not because God withheld His gifts, but because leadership lost accountability and followership lost courage.
“The Rivers Liberation Movement was not born out of anger; it was born out of purpose.We believe peace is the seed and prosperity is the harvest. We believe true wealth is collective.We believe the future of Rivers is not tomorrow; it is the work we begin today. The era of spectatorship is over. A new Rivers State will not be handed to us. We must build it with our own hands, ” he said.
The convener, who is a former commissioner for Employment Generation in Rivers State, regretted that the gate of governance have often been closed against professionals despite them being the backbone of every great society.
He held that no state can rise above the courage and competence of its professionals, assuring that the group is gathering leaders who can heal the system.
“We need leaders who understand policy, respect institutions and think beyond election cycles.We need execution, not theatrics.We need competence, not godfatherism.
” Rivers must elevate vision over violence and character over chaos.We are gathering leaders — doctors who will heal our broken system, teachers who will nurture vision, lawyers who will defend justice, engineers who will build hope, and young professionals who will pioneer innovation.
“Our mission is simple but profound: to liberate Rivers State from stagnation and reclaim her rightful place as a beacon of progress, integrity, and prosperity in Nigeria, ” Nwibubasar posited.
The convener in his address demanded for youths and women inclusion in leadership and decision making.
He further charged the newly inaugurated LGA executives to spread the message of the group round the nooks and crannies of the state.
In his keynote address, a professor of Political Science and International Relations, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, IAUE, Vincent Elemaya, said Nigeria is endowed with enormous resources but the lack of strategy and focused leadership has kept the country in an underdeveloped state.
”The state is lacking in political will to drive development and place her amongst the commity of states, ” he said.
He also faulted the recruitment process into leadership positions as part of the challenges bedeviling development in Rivers State and in the country.
