INDEED, RIVERS  STATE IS NOW WORKING 

Source: thewillnigeria.com

Few months  back, Rivers  State  was the home of negative  news, attracting all the negative  commentaries  by paid commentators  who knew nothing  about the state,  except  what their paymaster told them. These negative  reports and commentaries  damaged  the reputation of the state and her people.

The negatives that defined the state in those dark days were deliberately drafted by the immediate past administration to divert attention from her failures and the mass looting of state resources that took place at the time. At the close of that administration  on May 28,2015, the state was left in debt, unpaid salaries and pensions, abandoned projects, failed infrastructure,  growing insecurity, looted facilities, low investors confidence and a comatose  economy.

The height of  the failure  of  the  immediate past administration was the  public boast by the  former governor  that Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike would fail since there will be no funds for him to work.

Five weeks  after the  last administration was swept away  by the  people  of  Rivers  State , the state has started working  again.  It has been moved into the  fast lane of development,  with a view to reversing the losses recorded during  the  propaganda driven administration that closed shop on May 28.

Almost all sectors of  the state have been positively impacted by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. The efforts of the governor  have been  deliberately  crafted to kick-start the state and empower  the  people.

At the  risk of being  repetitive, the courts in Rivers State are working.  You may take this for granted at this point, but the courts were close for about a year. The State Assembly is now one of  the  most vibrant in the country.  Six weeks ago, Rivers State had a fractured legislative  arm, with a group of  lawmakers dinning regularly at the Banquet  Hall of Government House. In essence,  constitutional separation of powers is now in place.

The Operation Zero Potholes instituted by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has taken off across  Port Harcourt.  Key roads totalling  33 kilometres are being  reconstructed or rehabilitated by the  administration.  These roads are being handled by two construction  giants.  Governor Wike is personally leading  monitoring and evaluation team.

The abandoned  health sector  is receiving  unequalled  attention. Governor Wike has started with the approval of the  total rehabilitation and equipping of  the  Bori Zonal Hospital and the Elele-Alimini General Hospital.

Steps have been  taken to  boost the  economy of the State.  One of such steps is the framework to end multiple taxation.  The other is the collaboration with the Federal  Government to make the two sea ports in the state functional.  Governor Wike has also concluded plans to  host an international investors forum aimed at attracting foreign  investors to the state.

Though the state is yet to get to her preferred destination in terms of security,  steps taken by Governor Wike  has improved the security situation of the state.  Wike has sent a bill to the  State House of  Assembly  to further  discourage kidnapping, cultism and armed robbery.  He has entered into partnership with the State Police Command to prioritise the  fight against kidnapping, cultism and armed robbery. He believes  that  a safer state will give him the  leverage to deliver  on his campaign promises and also allow  investors to thrive.

The abandoned Law Faculty  Building at the  Rivers State University of Science and Techonology is already  being completed.  Work on  other educational projects  are fully on course across the state.

The immediate past administration left without  paying  civil servants and pensioners. Many believe  that  this was a trap meant to pit Governor  Wike  against  the  workers and pensioners.  The People's governor  has overcome  this ugly  challenge.  He has paid the outstanding  April and  May  salaries for civil servants which he inherited from the past administration  and has also  paid pension arrears for three months.

The  action of the governor has drawn commendation from the Nigerian  Union of Pensioners, NUP. The   State NUP Chairman, Mr. Edward Festus-Abibo expressed gratitude to Wike for showing love to pensioners in the state.

He said: “The governor's order that our three months pension arrears be paid is a very welcome development. This shows that he (Wike) has sympathy for the elders, who have spent most of their lives working for the state.

“The immediate past era in the state were the dark years and dark days of pensioners. Posterity will judge the immediate past administration. As I speak to you, some pensioners have died while most of them are hypertensive. The non-payment of their pension worsened their condition.

“We as a group will make out time to visit the governor to thank him for remembering pensioners and ordering that their pensions be paid at a critical time when it was reported that he (Wike) met an empty treasury,” the state NUP chairman said.

The State NUP Chairman  is not the  only  appreciative  person  in Rivers State.  People from all works of life and political  persuasion have appreciated  the fact that Rivers State is now working again.  On all platforms,  they have  called on the  governor to remain  resolute in his commitment to building a new Rivers State where everyone will benefit  from the resources of the state.

Governor Wike in one of his inspection visits to a road project site stated that  funding  will not be a challenge  in the state government’s commitment  to  rehabilitate  and reconstruct  key roads  in Port Harcourt.

It for this reason that the governor acting on behalf of the State with the approval of the  State House of Assembly took a loan of  N30billion.  The  governor met Rivers State in a very bad shape and he is determined to change the story of the state.  The beautiful results of his efforts are glaring. Rivers State is picking up by the day.

Governor Wike was prepared for the mission to rescue the state from under-development and failures of the immediate past administration, hence he hit the ground running.  His experience and capacity have influenced his quality delivery. As we progress, the achievements will continue to stream in for the people.  This is not  a governor  who gives needless lectures on why things cannot work. He is a proven performer. A man who lives by his words.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Rivers State is now working.  With Wike,  Rivers State will be the envy of other states. No wonder,  Rivers people resisted all financial inducements and threats to vote massively  for Wike on April 11,2015.

Written by Simeon Nwakaudu.

Disclaimer: "The views expressed on this site are those of the contributors or columnists, and do not necessarily reflect TheNigerianVoice’s position. TheNigerianVoice will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here."