Need For New Cities In Rivers State

Magnus Nwauwa

The creation of Rivers State out of the then Eastern Region in 1967 was a blessing to the people of this part of the country.

It was a dream come true after several years of struggle and agitation to have a separate and autonomous geographical entity which today is known as Rivers State, The Treasure Base of the Nation.

From that time till date, the state has snowballed into cosmopolitan city playing host to millions of people from across the globe.

The state, which is made up of 23 local government council areas is richly endowed with oil and gas, accounting to over 90 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

It is a state with virtually all the communities bearing and producing oil for exploration.  That also informed the location of major multi-national corporations from Lagos and Abuja to Port Harcourt in the mid 80s to commence full exploration and exploitation activities in most parts of the state including rural areas where the bulk of oil was discovered in large quantities of which a place like Oloibiri in Bayelsa State cannot easily be forgotten.

As a result of the foregoing, the city became congested and overstretched with pollution and other environmental hazards as its attendant consequences.

Against this backdrop, rural-urban migration was on the increase, paving way for rising unemployment figure which has today hit the sky-ways.

The high cost of transportation, housing and general living condition of the people has deteriorated and collapsed before the timely intervention of the present Amaechi-led administration whose policy thrust centres on urban renewal and greater Port Harcourt City project.

The new concept of transforming the city into a mega status is the only gateway to decongest Port Harcourt to catch up with the rest of the world and meet the realities of the time.

The proposed “Port Harcourt Master Plan” should go beyond the present number of communities so far designated to include more towns and villages that have enough landmass for development purposes.

For instance, places like Etche, Abua, Ogoni, Eleme, Oyigbo and some parts of Ikwerre axis have what it takes to be acquired for development.

Besides, other areas like Bori, Isiokpo, Ahoada, Degema, Abonnema as well as Okrika and a host of others that have been existing as major towns in Rivers State can conveniently accommodate some of the ministries, parastatals and other government key establishments and institutions that are presently being located in Port Harcourt.

As a matter of fact, the relocation of some of these ministries and possibly companies operating especially along Trans-Amadi axis to those places earlier mentioned would bring about drastic decongestion of Port Harcourt as workers, businessmen and women affected would have no option but to relocate their families to their new working places.

That way, the high cost of house rent will considerably reduce, while the long queues often encountered in the metropolis will gradually disappear.

Not only that, the system would witness a sharp reduction in school fees as a good number of children will attend the affordable government-owned model schools built in most parts of the state as against the exorbitant ones established in Port Harcourt by private people, corporate organizations and what have you.

The system, if adopted, would also reduce youth restiveness occasioned by lack of job opportunities as many of them will be meaningfully engaged in productive ventures in the new developed towns and villages.

Besides, food will be available in sufficient quantities as more hands will be on deck to produce varieties of food for not only domestic consumption but also for export to other countries.

Above all, the move will portray Rivers State as the pace setter of new innovations in the comity of other states in the Niger Delta and of course the rest of the country as well as restore her pride of place in virtually all the good things of life.

However, there is the need to do a test-run on the new system rather than concentrate all the investments and resources of the state in one city state structure arrangement bequeathed to us by the colonial masters before their final exit from the shores of the land.