‘Rivers Monorail Project On Course’: As Semenitari Debunks Reports …On Lassa Fever Deaths

The Rivers State Government says its monorail project is still on course despite speculations that the project has been abandoned.

The commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Gogo Levi Charles who said this yesterday in Port Harcourt during the break-down of the 2012 budget also said that the first phase of the project will be extended to the Waterlines junction.

Charles said that the administration is also determined to complete all ongoing projects within the fiscal year.

He said that the government intends to pursue the provision of potable drinking water, and  the construction of the model secondary schools of which six have been completed, while the on-going construction of model primary schools will be completed.

The commissioner also said that government would complete the 250-bed mother to child hospital, while the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) will not only be relocated to its new site, but will be  transformed into a world class university.

The commissioner said that agriculture will be given its pride of place in the scheme of things with the development of the oil palm initiative, while massive road rehabilitation and construction will be  vigorously pursued.

Mr Charles said that the 2012 budget which is N23billion higher than that of 2011 is predicted on a benchmark of $60 dollars per barrel of crude oil.

Improvement in federation allocation to the state owing to the return of some oil wells to the state as well as improvement in internally- generated revenue owing to the relocation of NLNG corporate headquarters to Port Harcourt.

While stressing that the board of internal revenue is being  computerized to ensure efficient service delivery, Mr Charles said that the government also intends to cut down on its administrative cost this fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has denied reports that the state recorded 48 deaths from lassa fever.

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari who said this yesterday in Port Harcourt, during the 2012 budgets breakdown briefing , said that only one death was recorded in  respect of Lassa Fever in the state.

Mrs Semenitari said that the state Ministry of Health has setup medical teams to deal with lassa fever in all government heath centres.

She said that government has upgraded the Gokana Water Scheme, while the Ataba Water Project has been completed, noting that the effort of the government in the provision of water to the people of the state has attracted the assistance of the World Bank.

The commissioner also said that the ban on the sale of fuel in jerry cans is to reduce scarcity of the product in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, told newsmen yesterday in Port Harcourt that the decision was not aimed at hurting any specific group of people in the state.

Our correspondent reports that last month, the state government banned the sale of fuel in jerry cans in the state to check the activities of some petrol stations.

Semenitari explained that some filling stations refused to sell fuel to cars and preferred to sell in jerry cans to make more money, adding that the policy was aimed at stopping what was going on at the petrol stations.

‘’ A situation where filling stations refused to sell petroleum products to cars and were selling only in jerry cans so that they could re-sell at a premium to road users, we found to be unacceptable”.

‘’ And, we have to sometimes take decisions that will benefit the majority of the people and that decision meant that needed to stop the sale of petroleum products in jerry cans to enable cars get petrol.

‘’ It is not meant to be a long term policy. It is an intervention to change what was going on.’’

The commissioner said the state government had tried to reduce the incidence of fuel scarcity in the state.

She said the Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources had been monitoring the loading of petroleum products from various depots and fuel tank farms in the state.

She said government was determined to ensure that major road projects in the state were completed on schedule.