About Tonye Cole’s ‘White Elephant Project … Why Many Youths Can’t Forgive Him

HighLife

An ancient Chinese proverb posits that the tallest tree always faces the strongest winds. For the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary election in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, this proverb could not have been more accurate. But between the attempts at scandals that typically accompany political victories, is there some validity to the claim that Cole is not a promise-keeping statesman?

It was a big victory for Cole in May 2022, when he was declared the winner of the APC gubernatorial primary. Cole got 986 votes out of the total valid 1,271 votes, effectively dominating his rivals. Many described Cole’s victory as unsurprising considering that he has a strong backer in the party, Rotimi Amaechi. However, there is no doubt that Cole’s prestige also contributed to his win.

However, all that debate about who made it possible for Cole to win the party’s primary has been replaced by a curious question about his trustworthiness. The reason for the rising distrust of the Sahara Group man is one of his old undertakings called the Nehemiah Project.

Cole introduced the Nehemiah Project sometime in 2012 as his way of giving back to the people, specifically, young people. The project that was powered by his Nehemiah Youth Empowerment Initiative also partnered with the late Ibidun Ighodalo to give hope to the young and help build their skills and natural talents via career empowerment schemes and conventions.

But the Nehemiah Project has seemingly disappeared, forgotten, and archived in the dusty shelves that house ‘white elephant’ projects in Nigeria. While this disappearance is not recent, the targets of the Nehemiah Project, youths between 18 and 30 years, cannot erase its memory. Thus, Cole’s popularity is always shadowed by that singular project. He has remained a disappointment to the youths, especially those in Rivers.

Even though people have their fingers crossed in preparation for the next Rivers governorship election, Cole may need to clear the air on the Nehemiah Project if he wishes to get on the good side of the youths.