Governor Nyesom Wike

Unlike the previous years in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital there was no ‘official’ celebration of the 55th Independence anniversary and neither was there any state broadcast officially commemorating the anniversary.

Our correspondent who drove to three major stadia in the state viz :Adokiye Amaisiamaka stadium, Liberation stadium and the Sharks Stadium found out that there was no celebration and neither was there official independence anniversary broadcast by the state Governor Nyesom Wike to the people of the state. Our sources revealed that Governor Wike was out of the state.

Items made in Nigerian colors to Comemorate the Country’s 55th Independence anniversary on display for sale at the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia Port Harcourt, in Rivers State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke

Inhabitants of Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, were not left out of the Independence anniversary frenzy as hawkers of Independence anniversary paraphernalia dotted all major street junctions looking for potential buyers of green-white-green.

At Liberation stadium some of hawkers complained of poor sales as there was no celebration in stadium where a lot of prospective buyers would throng the venue for celebration.

A hawker, Timothy Mbachu, complained “We thought that the Governor and other people will be coming to the stadium so we came to sell our wares but we were disappointed that nothing like that happened here”.

Other Hawkers were seen hawking in traffic jams, while other enthusiastic members of the public, including children, wore costumes of the national colours.