RSG Offsets N712m Foreign Scholarship Arrears …Assures Completion Of Odili-Woji-Akpajo Road, Soon

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike (middle), being briefed by Acting National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus (left), during an inspection tour of Trans-Woji Road, while Chief of Staff, Government House, Hon. Emeka Woke (2nd right), listens in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Parents and guardians of final year Rivers State students in tertiary institutions abroad can now heave a sigh of relief following the payment of outstanding arrears of scholarship fees and allowances owed them  and the institutions where they are studying.
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, gave this indication yesterday after he ordered the immediate payment of the sum of N512million to offset the debts owed by the previous administration to enable the students sit for their final exams and eventually graduate.
The students, who were sent overseas to study under the auspices of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) special scholarship by the Chibuike Amaechi’s administration, had been abandoned by both the RSSDA and the last government.
The governor had earlier paid the sum of N200million as part of the money owed by the students, which brings the total sum paid by the Wike administration to N712million.
The gesture by the governor has, however, elicited reactions from many stakeholders, who praised him for being sensitive to the plight of the students and their parents.
The respondents described the act as not just securing the future of the students, but also that of the state since they are the future leaders.
It would be recalled that all entreaties by the stranded students and their parents to RSSDA and the last administration to address their plight had fallen on deaf ears thereby exposing the students to the risk of not being allowed to sit for their final exams.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has received assurance that the first phase of the Peter Odili/Woji/Akpajo Link Road will be ready in two months’ time.
Wike had on Monday, during inspection of work on the road, charged the contractor, JDP Construction Nigeria, to ensure that the Phase One of the road stretching from Peter Odili Road to Woji is open for road users, while the other phase from Woji to Akpajo being handled by Rafaol Construction is completed with bridges.
He told newsmen that the road is very crucial to tackling traffic congestion in the city, saying, “it is one of the projects which we took loan from Access Bank to complete. So, when people say you took loan, and what are you going to do with the money, this is part of why we took the loan”.
The road is over 10 kilometers, with two bridges, and when completed, will help decongest traffic at Aba Road and other major roads in Port Harcourt.
Wike reiterated the commitment of his administration to continue with projects that would touch the lives of the people, stressing that, “this road will decongest the traffic as far as those areas are concerned, and then, people who are working in Port Harcourt will also have easy access to their offices located in Eleme and Onne”.
On the planned toll gate on the route, the Rivers State governor said government will not continue with such plans, saying, “toll gate is not the major issue; what is the major issue is that our people move freely and traffic has been decongested. The business of government is not to make money. The business of government is to improve on the living standard of the people”.
Wike has expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on the Peter Odili/Woji/Akpajo Link Road, as he challenged the contractor to ensure that the first phase of the project was open for traffic as quickly as possible.
The governor said, “as at the last time I came, this project was not where it is today…Today, you can see the level of sand-filling which has gotten to this area, and they have assured us that from the flyover, in the next two months, they would have asphalted it”.
The governor promised that government was ready to meet its financial obligations as there are no variations on the project.