RSG To Deliver 200 Schools In January

By January next year the Rivers State Government says it would deliver about 200 schools to 200 communities in 200 days.

The State Governor, Rt Hon. Chibuike Amaechi gave the indication at a forum on public procurement organised by the State Bureau of Public Procurement yesterday in Port Harcourt.

Code named “Operation deliver 200 schools in 200 days” Amaechi disclosed that the plan was part of the strategy to ensure that remote communities in the state enjoyed first class educational facilities as over 450 new model primary schools had been constructed so far.

He noted that the government had commenced plans to evolve an effective management system for the new schools but that the scheme had to go through the due process to get the best bidders.

“Development is complex and very challenging,” Amaechi said, “and development is relative to different situations”.

The Governor opined that every due process must align to the realities on ground while instituting growth and development at the same time.

He, however, sought for a procurement process that would take into consideration the exigencies of governance through efficient reduction of corruption and nepotism.

Governor Amaechi who pledged total support to the new regime of public procurement in the state further remarked that,” no one person can regulate transparency…a due process that does not deliver to its people is not a good due process.”

Meanwhile, Rivers State netted about N188billion from federal allocations from January to September, Governor Chibuike Amaechi said.

Amaechi who dropped the hint yesterday at a forum organised by the State Bureau of Public Procurement in Port Harcourt, also said the state got N14 billion from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) within the same period.

Against this backdrop, the Rivers State Governor hinted of plans to implement a capital budget next year to sustain his administration’s infrastructure development policy, “We have agreed that the budget of next year will be on project completion.”

Earlier, Chairman of the State Public Procurement Bureau, Rev Precious Omuku commended the State Governor for taking the bold step in setting up the agency.

In the words of Rev Omuku, “We have noticed some systemic change in the procurement practice but we are not where we want to be yet”.