Waterfronts’ Demolition Begin Next Week –Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said that demolition of waterfront settlements and Port Harcourt city would commence next week

The governor who stated this yesterday in an interactive session with journalists at Government House, Port Harcourt said the exercise would not wait until the conclusion of the amnesty period granted militants in the Niger Delta region by the federal government.

According to him, the move would halt the alleged stockpiling of arms by the residents of the waterfronts, some of whom have vowed to resist government action.

Besides, Governor Amaechi noted that the need to protect the lives of the generality of the residents of  Port Harcourt city surpasses the interest of the few at the waterfronts, hence the need to demolish the shanties from Rumuepirikom waterfront to waterfronts around the old Port Harcourt township in order to reduce the high rate of crime, cannot be  over stressed.

He diffused insinuations that the demolition exercise had tribal undertones, saying the level of criminality at the waterfronts is such that even the police and other law enforcement agencies found it  difficult too apprehend criminals there.

“Those living in Old Port Harcourt township are living on time bomb, I ‘ll demolish from Rumuepirikon waterfront because my priority is safety of lives”.

On electric power generation, the governor said plan are afoot for  the construction of a power project in Afam for the generation of another 180 mega watts of electricity, adding that by 2010 the government would generate 500 mega watts of electricity for the use in the state.

He also said that the government has completed three modern hospitals02 in Port Harcourt, the ultra-modern Maxilla Facial Hospital, the Niger Hospital and the hospital in the University of Science and Technology that was upgraded.

Meanwhile, he said that around the state over 40 hospitals have been completed while government would take delivery of about 100 hospitals and schools between now and December.

Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi (right) listening to Hon Gregory Pie-Noah, former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly (left) and Senator Wilson Ake (middle), at the State House of Assembly during the mock session in honour of late Senator Ibiapuye Martyns -Yellowe, last Saturday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga