Nyesom Wike: Governor for All

By

Simeon Nwakaudu

In six months, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has transformed Rivers State from a pariah state to Nigeria's giant construction site where the people are pleased with his performance. A performance that serve as a critical indicator of greater things that lie ahead.

He has changed the narrative of Rivers State from a state where things hitherto did not work, to one where everyone, indigene and non-indigene, is competing to ensure the smooth implementation of the New Rivers Vision Development Blueprint.

Beyond his superlative performance as a mobiliser of resources and avid infrastructural development enthusiast, Governor Wike has established a formidable government premised on qualification, inclusive governance and deliberate vision to rapidly develop Rivers State.

Members of opposition in government

Governor Wike has set a worthy example for all states of the country by the way he constituted the state's executive council and the Local Government Councils.

In line with his pledge to always respect the rule of law and take into consideration the wellbeing of all local government areas and residents of the state, Governor Wike appointed 24 Commissioners. Twenty-three from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state and one representing the non-indigenes in the state.

For the Local Government Caretaker Committees, Governor Wike appointed members of the opposition into each of the 22 LGAS where vacancies exist. The inclusion of the 28 opposition political parties in the administration of the local councils of the state has brought increased stability in the polity for community development.

The 28 opposition political parties through Mr. Reuben Favour, Secretary of the Inter-party Advisory Council, IPAC, commended Governor Wike for his political accommodation and his commitment to including all stakeholders in the development of the state.

Even the security agencies are not left out in Governor Wike’s all-inclusive governance. Since his assumption of duty as Governor, Wike has made available 110 vehicles available to the police and other security agencies for the maintenance of security across the state. He has also provided logistic support to the security agencies to tackle security challenges in the state.

Like IPAC, the Police High Command remains grateful to Governor Wike. The Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Zone 6 Calabar, Baba Adisa Bolanta, thanked Governor Wike for his entrenched support for the police through logistics and other investments.

Promise is bond

All actions of Governor Wike are tailored towards the development of Rivers State. No action is driven by personal gain. Everything is determined by the overall public good.

During the campaigns, Governor Wike traversed all the local government areas of the state and all neglected communities and stakeholders. He solicited their votes and they elicited pledges from him. He entered into a covenant with the people and that's why they overwhelmingly voted him.

In his development blueprint, the New Rivers Vision, Wike’s covenant with the Rivers people, the governor stated thus on Page 23: "Our promises are our bond. "

This has been the guiding principle of his administration. Fulfilling campaign promises and setting the stage for the fulfillment of more campaign promises. No part of the state has been marginalised in terms of appointments and projects execution.

Governor Wike has over the last six months ensured that development takes a firm root in Rivers State, using the execution of  projects  to drive the economy of the state and specifically empower all segments of the society.

Infrastructural development is key

In Governor Wike’s strategic development process, the roads and key projects get constructed by credible companies, the less privileged gets empowered and projects executed contribute meaningfully to the development of the economy.

If there is one governor who hit the ground running in the present dispensation that Governor is Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.  Initially, his opponents claimed he would not work. They were shocked that he started working on the day of his inauguration.

While Governor Wike’s colleagues went for inaugural parties, he left the Yakubu Gowon Stadium for a brief official ceremony at the Government House, Port Harcourt, before heading straight for the damaged roads to flag off the Operation Zero Potholes project.

This project is being handled by two giant construction companies, Julius Berger and CCECC are handling key economic roads in Port Harcourt, Obio Akpor, Ikwerre and Eleme Local Government Areas.

Aside these two companies, other reputable companies handling road construction inherited by the Wike administration were also mobilised to complete abandoned projects across the four urban local government areas and some other towns.

Already, well over 80 kilometres of urban roads have been completed in the urban renewal programme of the Wike administration. Being a riverine state, most of these roads have major bridges and culverts and are constructed in line with modern technology to ensure that they meet the needs of the people.

Education is top priority

In the course of the last six months, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike also completed the Law Faculty of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology and has commenced the total rehabilitation of 11 Secondary Schools spread across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The schools include: Government Girls Secondary School, Rumukwuta ,OGS Okrika, BMGS Bori, Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borikiri,  Nyemoni Grammar School, Abonnema; Mariam High School Bane, Government Girls Secondary School, Isiokpo ,Kalabari National College Buguma, Western Ahoada High school, Ahoada,Government Secondary School, Ubima and Government Secondary School, Okarki.

With the desired milestone reached in the urban renewal programme, the Wike administration will beginning January drive both the urban renewal programme and rural infrastructure simultaneously.

Governor Wike said that by the time his administration completes the first term of four years, majority of Rivers communities would have been completely transformed with improved infrastructure.

Addressing journalists after inspecting the Woji-Akpajo road with bridges recently in Port Harcourt, Governor Wike said that the dualisation of the Sakpenwa-Kpopie-Bori road will be kick-started in January, 2016.

He said: "The design of the Sakpenwa-Kpopie-Bori road is ready. I have directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works to advertise the road. Despite our financial constraint, we shall complete the road.

"We started with Port Harcourt and the adjoining urban areas because these are the places people see when they arrive Rivers State. Now that we have achieved the required milestone, we shall face the hinterland ".

Other key roads to be constructed next year by the Wike administration include the Trans-Kalabari  Link road and the Opobo-Andoni Unity Road. Already, Governor Wike has met with stakeholders from these areas to get community buy-in.

Governor Wike has made Rivers State the sports capital of the nation in the last six months. The different levels of the nation’s  football  national  teams have played their qualifying matches at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, while other national sporting events such as the zonal naval games have been hosted in the state.

In the health sector, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike took very concrete measures  to ensure the creation  of additional treatment centres for persons living with HIV/AIDS in all the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.  In liaison with Local Government Councils, all the 23 LGAS will have new centres where patients will get their anti-retroviral drugs.  The governor noted that by beginning of next year, the Zonal Hospitals in the state will be re-equipped and rehabilitated for optimal service to the people.

To ensure heightened security across the state, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has re-intriduced the release of financial support to security agencies in the state.  This was suspended by the immediate past administration of Rotimi Amaechi. In addition, Governor Wike supplied the security agencies with 64 state of the art Security Utility Vehicles, while another 46 Security Utility Vehicles were donated to the Security Agencies in the 23 LGAS. Gradually, security is improving across the state.

Governor Wike met an extremely dirty Port Harcourt. This was because the immediate past administration of failed to pay the refuse collection contractors for several months running into over N3billion. The Wike administration has engaged with the refuse contractors, paid up the inherited and embarked on urgent reforms that have improved the sanitation of the state. The successful sanitation programme is still ongoing, with residents appreciative of the governor's initiatives.

It is worthy of mention that Governor Wike’s administration restored the dignity of the Rivers civil servant by clearing the three months salary arrears owed by the immediate past administration. Governor Wike also cleared over six months pension arrears owed retirees in the state upon assumption of duty. Since then, he has been regular in the payment of salaries.

The Wike administration revived the State Judiciary and has instituted financial autonomy for that arm of government. He opened the courts that were closed for one year by the former administration.

The governor engages in periodic consultations with critical stakeholders and they appreciate his approach to inclusive governance. This approach has confounded the depleted main opposition in Rivers State, the APC.

In the course of the last six months, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has intervened in the reconstruction of Onne  axis of the  East-West to create access to the main port in the region. He has also completed the Industry/NPA, another Federal project to develop the business district  in the state

Today,  the Rivers APC that earlier accused Governor Wike of not being friendly with non-indigenes are the ones organising press conferences wherein they claim that Governor Wike’s inclusive governance should be condemned.

Wike is governor to all

However, the truth is constant. Governor Wike is governor to all. Rivers people, indigenes and non -indigenes, voted for him and he made a solemn pledge to be fair to all, irrespective of their affiliation or origin. Governor Wike brought down the riverine and upland dichotomy through his political sagacity and he has used his political engineering skills to integrate all stakeholders in his government.

He has lifted Rivers State above the murky waters of under-development foisted on it by the immediate past administration  of  the APC. This is the reason why the leaders of the Rivers APC are restless making baseless allegations to stay relevant. However, Wike’s development train has since left the station and can no longer be stopped. On board are development loving indigenes and non-indigenes who are happy that Wike is Governor for all.

 Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media