…Plans PPP On Tourism, Sports

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has said that plans are afoot by the State Government to evolve a Public, Private Partnership (PPP) scheme on sports and tourism development in the state.

Governor Amaechi gave the hint yesterday while inaugurating the new State Tourism Development Agency, the Sports Council and Rivers State House of Assembly Commission at Government House, Port Harcourt.

The Governor said it was one way to develop the state’s potentials in tourism and sports, as he tasked the new board members to evolve strategies in realising his administration’s vision, especially on tourism.

He apologised for the delay in setting up the board, but tasked members of the agency on the need to quickly formulate, a stable programme  such that,” people can go to the website and know when to come to Rivers State and the kind of Carnival we intend to carry out.”

He assured that the state was poised to support the board in making sure it achieved its mandate, as he underscored the need for public, private partnership to fund and develop tourism in the state in the next two years.

In the same vein, he enjoined the new sports council to strive in developing sports especially at the grassroots.

Amaechi said,” let’s do everything possible to engage our youths through sports.”

Already, he stated that the government had embarked on massive construction and rehabilitation of sports facilities like the number one and four fields in town area of the city, including the new sports city at Omagwa.

The Governor, however, charged the newly reconstituted Sports Council to evolve a PPP scheme in managing the numerous sports facilities, “We have wonderful facilities but we don’t know what to do with them since we don’t have sports competitions all year round “,he remarked.

In a similar vein, Governor Chibuike Amaechi has charged the new members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Commission to work with the Speaker of the House in sanitising the public service in the Assembly Commission.

He recalled that the State House of Assembly  commission was set up when he was a Speaker and “the essence of setting it  up was to ensure that there was a complete separation from the public service of the legislature and the public service and that of the Executive”.

Amaechi reiterated that the public service in the legislature was completely different from that of the normal civil service and therefore needed to be properly regulated.

The Rivers State Chief Executive, therefore, charged the new board members not to fail in their responsibility as public expectation was high on them.