Amaechi Restates Commitment to Educational Development

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has vowed to take education to greater heights in his quest to produce good writers.

Amaechi disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, while speaking at the second edition of the Garden City Literary Festival.

Amaechi, who declared that he has zero tolerance for crime, said, "literature is about telling stories that can change the situations of man," adding that the state government's support for the literary festival is aimed at bringing critics and writers together, while also growing crop of young writers that would take over from old ones.

Amaechi said, "I am planning to insitutionalise this literary festival and make it independent of government. In the nearest future, it should have its board of trustees and other independent sources of funding."

Earlier, John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo lamented the bad governance the country has witnessed, saying, "Nigeria is a Tragedy."

Famous for his book, "All for Oil and Ozidi," the writer lamented that instead of providing services for people, our leaders do otherwise, adding that those who put themselves as public officer's end up playing master to the people and stealing their money.

Speaking on his life as a poet, he said, "all my years as a poet, I refused to be an activist, and rather see myself as a teacher, in another sphere of creativity."

Clark is of the opinion that as Nigerians, we should practice our own art and tell our own stories our own ways. "I have believed that we should practice our art, let politicians and soldiers do their thing."

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