Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN and President, Security Council for the month of April, Prof. Joy Ogwu (left), meets His Beatitude, Gregorios 111, the Patriarch of Antioch, at the UN Headquarters, New York, yesterday.

The Rivers State House of Assembly has expressed satisfaction with the fast pace of development of the Greater Port Harcourt City, just as it welcomed the vision of the present administration led by Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi in developing a new city for the state.
The Chairman, House Committee on Greater Port Harcourt (GPHC) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon. Chigbo Sam Eligwe, who expressed this position, yesterday during the committee’s oversight function, said the process of developing the Greater Port Harcourt City is amazing, as he commended the supervising authority for the progress of work so far.
Hon Eligwe said he was happy that the Greater Port Harcourt City Authority did not owe contractors, adding that the only challenges the contractors were facing were weather and logistics.
According to him, the Greater Port Harcourt City Authority does not owe any of the contractors. The challenges they complained about were weather and logistics.
“We visited a lot of ongoing projects, which include the construction of internal roads, township services, sewages, store water, reticulation, street lighting, and electrical and waste management facility. Some of them are completed while many have reached appreciable level of completion’’, he said.
The lawmaker, however, called on investors to key in to the development plans of the present administration, adding that the process is a straight one, which is targeted at moving the state forward.
In her speech, the Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Authority, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam said that the authority has done what is required to ensure the development of the new city.
Cookey-Gam commended the House Committee for the oversight function, noted that the visit had afforded them the opportunity to see the extent of work and development at the site.
According to her, “It is important to place on record that city development is a continuous exercise. The development of the city was not intended to start and end with this administration.
“We have a new layout area, as we provide infrastructure, we advise the public to take advantage of the housing project and key into it. Our responsibility is to provide infrastructure for the new area and also regulate the development of the area”, she said.
She regretted that development has taken place before without plans and regulations, explaining that the intention of the present administration was to move Port Harcourt forward and make it a hub and planned in a structured manner.
Members of the committee on the visit included, Hon Chigbo Sam Eligwe, chairman; Hon Leyii Kwanee, Hon Lucky Odili, Hon Okechukwu Akere Nwaogu, and Hon Miller Andrew Anderson.