RIVERS SPENDS OVER N90BILLION ON ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IN 17MONTHS

Rivers State Government  has invested over N90Billion in the construction

of  critical road infrastructure  to develop  the economy of the state,

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has announced.
The governor  also said  that  the infrastructure development  programme

of his administration  has been insulated  from political consideration

for the attainment  of  positive  results.
Declaring open the West Africa Architects Fair (WAAF 2016) in Port

Harcourt on Tuesday , Governor Wike said :”On infrastructure, we have over

90 billion naira into construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction of

roads, bridges and jetties. This money has effectively delivered over 80

roads, while work is ongoing on the construction of about 35new roads,

spread across the three senatorial districts of the State.

“Most importantly, in order to derive maximum value for money spent, we

have insulated our infrastructure development and delivery master plan

from political considerations by ensuring that the designing, construction

and supervision of all our roads are handled by reputable professionals

and construction companies.”
Represented  by  the  Secretary to the Rivers State Government , Governor

Wike noted that his administration  overcame initial  challenges  of empty

treasury , unpaid salaries , insecurity  caused by closed courts and  a

weak economy .
He said: “When we assumed office we met a State that was at the lowest

rung in all indices of development. Besides an empty treasury, we

inherited months of unpaid salaries to civil servants and a totally broken

infrastructure. The poor security situation was exacerbated by the

prolonged closure of the courts for over 12 months leading to

unprecedented capital flights and disinvestments.
“However, 17 months after, we have recorded remarkable achievements in

several areas of development. For instance, our first sets of priority

were to clear the backlog of salaries, fix our broken roads and transport

infrastructure and create jobs by reflating the economy. In all these we

have successfully delivered.
“For instance, apart from clearing the arrears of salaries, we are among

the very few States with proven capacity to meet our financial obligations

to civil servants, contractors and vendors. On infrastructure, we have

over 90 billion naira into construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction

of roads, bridges and jetties”.
The governor  lauded Nigerian  Architects  for their contributions to the

development  of  the  country. He said since his days as council chairman

of  Obio/Akpor Local Government Area , through  to his days as Minister of

State for Education to now that he is a governor, he has collaborated

with architects to deliver quality  projects.
In his remarks , the  President of Nigeria Institute of Architects ,

Architect Tonye Oliver Braide said  that  Architects  are working  towards

developing new cities that will help grow  the economies of different

countries .
WAAF  2016 is a gathering  of  architects  and allied professionals from

across West African sub region.
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