Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi, has assured the people of Opobo community on the early completion of the Ogoni/Andoni/Opobo Unity Road.

Amaechi gave the assurance during the Iria thanksgiving of Mrs Felly K Minimah, wife of the General Officer Commanding the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen Kenneth Minimah at Minimah Town in Opobo Nkoro Local Government Area of the State.

The State Chief Executive noted that with construction work nearly getting close to Kalaibiama Town, the project would soon get to Opobo, where it is expected to terminate.

Said he, “I think we are close to Kalaibiama with two bridges and we know how the Opobo creeks are and if you close them, you will have challenges in the future. But the 500 metres bridge is important and that is the major one”.

According to him, once the bridge is crossed, the remaining part of the project will be easy to conclude,” and promised to release more funds this January to fast-track the project.

It would be recalled that the Governor had through his deputy, Engr Tele Ikuru last year challenged the contracting firm, Rivigo JC after being financially mobilised.

Worth over N20 billion, the road is targeted to link about 30 riverine communities in the South-East Senatorial District of the state.

Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi has congratulated Maj-Gen Minima for his elevation in the army.

The Governor remarked, “I don’t think we have had a GOC  before but even if we have had it, this is the first time we are having one in recent times. So we have come to honour him by participating in his wife’s Iria thanksgiving service”.

Earlier on, Maj-Gen Minimah had expressed appreciation to the Governor for his transformational agenda in the state.

He used the opportunity to appeal to  the Rivers State Chief Executive for the completion of the Unity Road,” I understand there are still one or two bridges remaining and so once that is done, there will be a new dimension to infrastructural development in Opobo,” Minimah said.

Meanwhile, the New Year news of the demise of five prominent citizens of the state has thrown the state into mourning.

Among the late prominent Rivers sons are, HRM, Eze Apara Rebisi, Eze Sunday Woluchem and two time governorship candidate, Chief Eric Aso.

Others are Prof N C Ejituwu, Prof Boma Obuoforibo and Alhaji Ahmed Okiri, a muslim leader.

The Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi has expressed sympathies with the families on behalf of the state Government.

At the family home of Late Chief Aso, Governor Amaechi said the state dearly missed the contributions made by the deceased in his lifetime.

“The State Government is here because of the contributions Chief Aso had made to the development of the state and we want to sympathise with the family”, Governor Amaechi said.

Responding on behalf of the family, Mr Okechukwu Aso, one of the sons of the late politician thanked the Rivers State Governor for the condolence visit, “we thank you for remembering us at this time”.

Mr Aso described his late father as one who had always stood for the truth and always wanted to create an impact on the lives of the less-privileged.

At the Palace of the Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt, Eze Sunday Woluchem, Rt Hon Amaechi urged the bereaved family to take solace in the fact that the late traditional ruler lived a great life.

He said, “be satisfied by the fact that HRM Sunday Woluchem lived a great life and that he would not be forgotten in the history of Rivers State.”

He urged the family to continue with the legacies their late father left, “don’t forget the tenets that he lived with. He was patriotic, he was both an Ikwerre and a state leader and was detribalised”.

A son of the late traditional ruler, Mr Alex Woluchem thanked Governor Amaechi for coming to sympathise with the family at this period of loss.

Also, at the family home of Late Prof N C Ejituwu, Governor Amaechi said the deceased made great contributions in academics and also to the state government when he served on the State Economic Advisory Council.

In his response, nephew to the late academic,, Barrister Edward Ejituwu thanked the governor for the visit. He said the death of Prof Ejituwu even though painful was full of good memories, since he lived a fulfilled life.

On the death of Prof Obuoforibo, Amaechi described his demise as shocking, noting that, “he was a gentleman, an academic and a leader who contributed a lot to healthcare development issues”.

Responding, widow to Late Obuoforibo, Mrs Rose Obuoforibo stated that her late husband loved the state and enjoyed working for the State Government, and thanked the Governor for remembering the family at the period of mourning.

Governor Amaechi was also at the family home of Late Alhaji Okiri, where he conveyed his sympathies and that of the state to the family of Muslim leader.

He described Alhaji Okiri as a leader and patriot who loved the state and his people, while urging the children to continue to promote peace as their late father did.

Representative of the family, Chief Aribitonye Okiri expressed the family’s gratitude to the Governor for the visit stressing that his late father ensured the peaceful co-existence of Muslims and Christians in the state.