Good Governance Tour Of Rivers: Matters Arising

The National Good Governance Tour of Rivers State began on Thursday, February, 14, 2013 with a courtesy call on Governor Chibuike Rotimi  Amaechi in Government House, Port Harcourt.

It was followed by the tour of projects undertaken by the federal and state governments in various local government areas of the State.

They include Federal Government projects at University of Port Harcourt, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, National Integrated Power Project in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Fish Farm, Buguma and parts of the controversial East-West Road under construction.

Others visited were the Omerelu-Owerri federal road constructed and completed by Amaechi-led Government, Eleme Junction overhead bridge, Model Primary School, Akpajo, Ambassador Nne Kurubo Model Secondary School, Rivers State Power Project, Afam and Songhai Farm in Tal Local Government Area.

Of equal importance was the visit to the Banana Plantation at Lusueh, Sogho, National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), Bori, the Unity Road criss-crossing Ogoniland through Kpean, Asarama, Andoni, Opobo-Nkoro and the Oil and Gas Free Zone, Onne – Eleme Local Government Area.

Interestingly too, the Good Governance tour took a boat ride to Ikuru Town, particularly the Ikuru Town Beach, a potential holiday resort.

The climax of the 3-day visit was a town hall meeting at the Afred Diette Spiff Civic Centre, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, which was televised on NTA, Broadcast live on Radio Nigeria Network service and streamed live on the internet.

It, therefore, granted worldwide audience and also allowed for divergent views to prevail on the proceedings.

One thing is clear; the leader of the team and Minister of Information, Labaran Maku said the purpose of the tour which is still ongoing in other parts of the country was to provide adequate information on projects undertaken and constructed by federal and State governments.

In fact, at the courtesy call on Governor Amaechi, before the tour began, Mr Maku said the tour was non partisan, contending that it would grant members of  the  team and the public at large the opportunity to access and evaluate claims by government on projects under construction or completed.

The tour team comprised journalists from private and public sector media, the critical civil society representatives, information officers from Federal Ministry of Information and representatives’ from National Orientation Agency, National Planning, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, NUJ, RATTAWU, among others.

At every site and at the town hall meeting, there was question and answer session, which most  broadcast media reported live.

It is no exaggeration that the tour gave opportunity to journalists to report on projects in rural areas across the country that their organisation would not have funded them to cover for news report.

This is noteworthy since because of poor funding, most media establishments in the country cannot fund news coverage of events in the complex Niger Delta Region among other areas.

The fact that parts of Rivers State are waterlogged and in fact characterised by creeks, estuaries, sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore, making the cost of projects in the state  higher compared to cost of project in other parts of the country, is incontrovertible.

During the question and answer session at the Ambassador Nne Kurubo Model Secondary School Ebubu – Eleme LGA, Governor Amaechi disclosed that Rivers State Government paid seven hundred and fifty million naira to a private Indian Firm Educom to run the school, explaining that the school is being managed like a private school. This explanation probably had not been made public before the tour.

Governor Amaechi also said, in addition, Rivers State Government pays five hundred thousand dollars, about six hundred million Naira as commission to the same Educom for its services.

At the town hall meeting at Civic Centre, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku advised Rivers State Government against giving the management of model primary and secondary schools to one private manager as it would lead to monopoly.

Mr Maku also opined that it was not right to say no Nigerian can manage the schools at a time when coach Stephen Keshi, a Local Coach led the Super Eagles to victory at the just concluded AfCON 2013, which according to him, is an indication that Nigerians are competent in administration, leadership and other spheres of life.

However, the divergent views on management of the schools did not stop Mr Maku from commending Rivers State Government for its investment in education, agriculture, health and transportation etc.

Governor Amaechi while answering questions at the town hall meeting refuted the view that his government did not give room for citizens’ participation in policy formulation because according to him, the Rivers State Government holds its own town hall meeting in the local government Areas and also holds media briefings to get input from the people.

Other points of contention were refund of money spent on rehabilitating federal government roads and the requirement for a refund by Federal Government as outlined by the Minister of Information.

Governor Amaechi also disclosed that Rivers State Government did not owe pensioners in the State, a statement that the state Commissioner for Finance, Doctor Chamberlin Peterside confirmed.

Truly, the interface which the tour brought to bear on divergent State and national discourse remains unparalleled and necessary for the growth of democracy.

It may, therefore, be unnecessary to condemn the National Good Governance Tour in its entirety in a nation where citizens hardly have access to their leaders.

Perhaps, what is required of the governed is to take advantage of different opinions raised during the tour of Rivers State, for instance, to continue to engage the leadership for the overall development of Rivers State.

For instance, it may be unfair on the part of Rivers State Government to tell Nigerians and indeed tax-payers that Nigerians are not competent enough to run the model primary and secondary schools, when members of the executive council in the State and the taxpayers are Nigerians. No doubt, such view can generate more heat than light and cause disaffection between government and labour.

Probably, it is pertinent to give room for competition in the management by giving room for other indigenous organizations as well as international agencies to participate in addition to Educom of India to create competition.

Another challenge is how to bridge the gap between the new model schools, new hospitals and health centres and the already existing ones in poor state.

If the old schools and hospitals continue to rot away because of little or no atterition, the new ones which are few in the first instance would eventually crumble soon.

Sika is of the Radio Rivers, Port Harcourt.

Baridorn Sika