Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fierce political storm has erupted over comments made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at the funeral of the mother of a prominent Rivers State politician, with a former aide to the Mayor of Port Harcourt launching a blistering attack on what he calls the minister's "vainglorious" and "patronage-driven" approach to youth development.
The controversy stems from Wike's address at the service of songs for the late Mrs Werege Susanna Owhor, the 102-year-old mother of Hon. Frank Owhor, a former Attorney-General of Rivers State and a long-time political ally of the minister. At the event, which drew political associates and friends, Wike was reported to have publicly advised his close associate to "cascade" his wealth to his people, a statement that has been interpreted by critics as a theatrical display of pseudo-concern for the masses.
In a detailed and scathing critique shared on his social media platform, Mr Chidozie Victor, former Press Secretary to the Mayor of Port Harcourt, pulled no punches. Victor questioned why Wike continues to use such public platforms to lecture "fat cats" who are already politically and economically comfortable, instead of creating direct structures that would empower a new generation of independent young people.
"Why has Wike continued to empower men who are already 'fat cats' instead of deliberately building a new generation of young people who can stand on their own?" Victor asked. He argued that Wike's style of empowerment, which involves telling wealthy allies to share crumbs with the masses, is nothing more than "patronage dressed up as empowerment." Victor insisted that the minister could have easily summoned Frank Owhor privately to give the same advice, rather than turning a solemn burial into a political theatre designed to "play to the gallery."
The former aide drew a sharp contrast between Wike's political philosophy and that of his estranged political godson, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Victor suggested that Governor Fubara's approach, which reportedly sought to put state resources and opportunities directly into the hands of the younger generation, threatened the old political order built around powerful gatekeepers.
"That is why I believe his battle with Governor Fubara was never merely about personalities or political disagreements," Victor wrote. "Governor Fubara was pursuing a different philosophy—one that sought to put more of the State's resources and opportunities directly in the hands of the people, particularly the younger generation."
Victor's critique taps into a long-standing frustration among many Rivers State youths who have accused Wike of neglecting youth empowerment during his tenure as governor. His statement that "a politically dependent youth is easier to control than an economically empowered one" encapsulates the core of his argument: that Wike's political survival depends on keeping young people dependent on his associates for survival, rather than creating a system where they can build wealth without kneeling before anyone.
Frank Owhor, the man at the center of the controversy, is a high-profile figure in Rivers politics. He served as Attorney-General of Rivers State from 1996 to 1999 and was a key player in Wike's political machinery, serving as Secretary of the Wike Transition Committee and a member of several federal boards. His mother’s burial became a gathering of political elites, but Victor used the occasion to challenge the substance of Wike's message.
Victor concluded his statement by rejecting the narrative that empowering "fat cats" constitutes youth empowerment. "True empowerment is not giving more power to those who already have it," he declared. "It is creating pathways for those who have never had it to acquire their own. Rivers youths do not need political patrons to survive. They need opportunities, capital, institutions and a system that allows them to build wealth without kneeling before anybody."
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