First Lady’s mum’s burial: Jonathan, Amaechi fly same chopper to Okrika •Spend over one hour in the air - TRIBUNE

• Written by  Bolai Ogundele - Port Harcourt
• Friday, 01 November 2013 

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan and the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Thursday flew in the same chopper to Okrika town for the burial of the adopted mother of Mrs Patience Jonathan, sparking speculations of a possible rapprochement between the duo.
Meanwhile, the burial ceremony of Madam Charity Oba, the adopted mother of the First Lady, Thursday brought a carnival of sort to Okrika town as groups and communities from the two Okrika-speaking council areas and a section of Port Harcourt hit the town in celebration mood.
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that President Jonathan and Governor Amaechi, in company with the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, flew from the Port Harcourt International Airport in the same chopper to Okrika town.
Governor Amaechi, who arrived Port Harcourt earlier, had waited for the arrival of the president with his Bayelsa state counterpart, Dickson. Other personalities like the Rivers state deputy governor, Tele Ikuru; supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, with his political group, Grassroots Democratic Initiative (GDI), as well as members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, were also waiting.
The president’s aircraft touched down at the airport at about 1:30pm, after which he was immediately joined by the two governors in the chopper that took them to Okrika.
There was, however, an initial confusion over the direction the trio headed as confusing reports put their destination as Bayelsa and Okrika, the situation was further made difficult as more than an hour after leaving Port Harcourt, there was yet to be any confirmable location, a situation which gave rise to speculations of a secret meeting between the president and the Rivers State governor to discuss the way forward on the lingering face-off between them.
A very close source to the Rivers State governor, however, said nobody could comment on the issues discussed by the duo yet, except both and the Bayelsa state governor, who incidentally is also the chairman of the PDP reconciliation committee, who was in the chopper with them.
According to the source “nobody can really say what the mood was, but one thing is certain, they were in the same aircraft for a period of time and it is possible that they might drive in the same car when they get to Okrika, but what we all expect is that this provides them with a very good opportunity to discuss on the possible way forward and it will be everybody’s delight to see that this is settled once and for all,” he said.
Security was heightened within and around Okrika town with countless numbers of soldiers, policemen, men of the Department of the Secret Service, Civil Defence Corps and Federal Road Safety Corps, guarding the perimeters of the town, especially the personal residence of the First Lady and the home of the deceased.
Besides the men seen on Okrika mainland, keeping watch, there were several naval boats stationed and patrolling the waterways around Okrika. There were also military fighter helicopters patrolling the air of the area, just as there was an aerial camera bearing balloon, overlooking the perimeters of the area where the events will take place in Okrika.
There were also heavily armed soldiers deployed across the town, some mounting check-points at different spots in the town. Military presence was heavier around vicinities with proximity to the mansion of the First Lady, especially close to the nearby waterway, which was already saturated with naval gunboats.
A police source informed the Nigerian Tribune that the heavy presence of policemen deployed to guard Okrika for the period of the event was drafted from neighbouring states to complement the men and officers of the force from Rivers, who had also been deployed there.
In a related development, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, was accompanied to the Port Harcourt Polo Club, venue of the service of songs, by the wife of the vice president, Hajia Amina Namadi Sambo.
Dame Patience sobbed quietly, covering her face with her two hands when the Church Band from Abuja gave a special rendition in the honour of the late Madam Oba. The First Lady was comforted by the wife of the Vice President, who whispered to her and patted her shoulders intermittently.
Football and Nollywood stars were also at the service of songs to show solidarity with the First Lady. Most of the women clad in special designed apparels for the occasion went into a frenzy when Patience Ozokwo, made her appearance on the ground of the Port Harcourt Polo Club.