Eze Chukwuemeka Eze

The first part of this article was published on Monday June 21, 2010.

Governor Amaechi is not ignorant of the problem of Rivers State and he summed it thus “we knew that the problem of the state was basically education, the state of our quality of education was abysmal and we knew that the quality can only improve if we take over primary education”, the governor emphasised, as he expressed concern over what local government councils were doing with the money meant for that.

The government is currently running free primary education with free books and uniform with provisions of library and internet facilities for the primary schools. The government has acquired 150 hectres of land to relocate the premier University of Technology in Nigeria; the Rivers State University of Science of Technology (RSUST), to a bigger and better permanent site. The new site is expected to have facilities that will accommodate no fewer than 50,000 students. The Rivers State Government has been adjudged the best performing state in the education sector within the South-South zone. In recognition of this the Federal Ministry of Education has rewarded the state with the sum of N70 million for its performance. Due Process procedure has been complied with in respect to the furnishing of the model primary schools as well as completed health centres, noting that they would be furnished soon.

Given the importance of the health sector in any given community, the Amaechi’s administration has completed about 100 out of the 150 health centres being built by the state government across the state at the cost of about N3billion. Each of the health centres will have ambulances and state-of-the-art medical equipment. About 200 medical doctors have being recruited to man these hospitals.

However, due to the threats of ocean surge and the loss of its lands to tidal waves and erosion, the state government decided to reclaim the lands first. The land reclamation exercise is going on in Buguma while the contract for similar exercise in Abalama was signed some few months ago. Also, the administration is reclaiming land in Andoni while the land reclamation exercise in Opobo alone costs about N3billion. It is worthy of note that the land being reclaimed in Opobo is bigger than Opobo town itself.

Already, 376 communities across the state have been earmarked for electrification. Based on his promise to consolidate on the power programmes of his predecessor, Governor Amaechi has ordered for additional equipments and contracted expert vendors for the completion of the moribund turbines such as Trans-Amadi Gas Turbine and Eleme Gas Turbine projects for effective power supply in the state. Also, additional feeder stations are being completed in places hitherto without power supply.

The New Rainbow Town is a N50billion housing project, which includes cost of land, infrastructural provision, structural inputs and the cost. The financing of the project was done through a unique and innovative Private Public Partnership (PPP), which involves the Rivers State Government and First Bank Plc. While First Bank is the Private Sector Partner (PSP), through a special project vehicle (SPV) company that owns and holds the assets of the project, City Scape International Limited, a real estate provider is the project developers of the New Rainbow Town.

While the Rivers State government is paying 20 per cent of the total sum, First Bank Plc will foot the remaining 80 per cent. The New Rainbow Town, which took its name from the demolished shanty Rainbow Town that was initially occupied by miscreants, is occupying a 32.42 hectare of land. It is a fully integrated 840 Unit Community Housing/Commercial Scheme. In addition to the various types of accommodation being provided at the New Rainbow City, the project also boost of an office, a large shopping mall, an educational centre and a clinic.

The Obi Wali Integrated Cultural Centre, located along Abonema Wharf Road has already been taken over by the Silver Bird Group, who built ultra-modern Cinemas there. The state government having acquired and demolished adjourning buildings to the Cultural Centre, located along Bonny Street intends to build a world-class cultural centre there.

The Governor has to the credit of his administration, several infrastructural development in the different sectors of the state and they include the ongoing construction and commissioning of projects as well as the introduction of modern urbanisation initiatives i.e. 200 link roads, 105 health centres, over 300 model schools, upgrade of refuse disposal, urban renewal, upgrade of security outfits, Private Public Partnership Initiatives, dualisation of eight major roads in Port Harcourt-Rumuola-Rumuokuta (completed), Oginigba-Rumuokbiakani Road (completed), Eastern by pass-Amadi Ama-Oginigba (reconstruction completed), Old Aba Road (80% completed), Elekahia-Rumuomasi (70% completed), Rumuokuta-NTA-Choba Road (60% completed), Tam David-West Road (80% completed), d mega-Airport-Isiokpo-Omerelu dualisation (42km Federal Road, 50% completed), Rumuokwurusi-Eneka-Igwuruta Road (ongoing), award of 850 km of roads, completion of 260km of roads. Two overhead bridges completed, two under construction, four bridges completed and four under construction. It is to the credit of this administration that very soon communities in the Riverine areas hitherto inaccessible by road will be linked to the road network.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr.  Magnus Abe expanding on the vision of this administration stated, “As part of its tenure strategy, the Government sees the whole of Rivers State as one big family in need of urgent attention. The onus is on us as a responsible government to ensure the provision of basic infrastructure in every community in the state irrespective of whether they have representation on the State Cabinet”.

President Goodluck Jonathan  had during his visit to the State commissioned some of these projects including the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road, a Federal Government Road constructed by the Rivers State Government to ease the suffering of commuters at N45b, lay the foundation of the Adokie Amiesiemaka Stadium that will host the forthcoming National Sports Festival that will be hosted by the Rivers State Government this year, lay the foundation of the Rivers State Monorail Initiative that is intended to revolutionise transportation in Rivers State and a challenge to other States of the federation, the commissioning of the Trans Amadi based Gas Turbine. This GT project has been upgraded and is being managed through the State Independent Power Project (IPP) among other projects.

The State Government has paid the sum of N11 billion out of N60 billion meant for the monorail project under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to ensure effective management. The government as part of efforts to create employment and boost the economy of the state has concluded arrangement with two foreign firms to open two new oil palm farms in the state where 60 per cent of the shares for the farms would be sold to Rivers people.

Other projects in the pipeline include the Scrap to Wealth plant established at Kira-Tai which will be functional before the end of the year. The Greater Port Harcourt project is ongoing. PHCN has been tasked with the distribution of electricity generated from the State Independent Power Project’s (IPP) Gas Turbine located in Trans Amadi axis in the Port Harcourt metropolis. The government is not relenting as it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to embark upon water project under which water would be made available to every home in the state before the end of the year to add to the already 260 mega watts of power so far generated for the citizenry in Rivers State. The ICT Scheme recently commissioned is expected to link all primary schools and health centres in the state. The state government is currently sourcing for funds to embark on a six lane road project at the cost of N59 billion while the Monorail transport system would also gulp huge sums of money to deliver which on completion would help in decongesting traffic in the state capital.

Amaechi’s administration has hosted major events to sell Rivers State to the outside world than all the states in the federation put together-he hosted the ION Film Festival where the world best film producers were feted with the hospitality of Rivers State, he hosted Miss ECOWAS Pageant, Garden City Literary Festival, the recently concluded Guild of Editors, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), a trade delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on an enlighten mission for private companies within the South-South zone on how to access business opportunities available within the ECOWAS sub-region among many other major events hosted by the Rivers State Government.

The Deputy Speaker of Ugandan Parliament and Chairperson of CWP, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, lauded the developmental efforts and policies of Governor Amaechi especially those geared towards improving the lot of children and women, saying that the issues already canvassed confirm that what the CWP was set to achieve are already in place in Rivers State.

Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is a Media Consultant based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.