Wike: The Governor Rivers State Deserves

Without sounding immodest, Rivers State is in dire
need of an astute leader to expedite its development within the shortest possible time. To achieve this enormous but possible task of rebuilding the state, the people must look beyond the shout for change and circumspectly search for the one with the capacity to deliver.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governorship candidate in the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial election in the state, Chief Barrister Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, had shown through various debates organised by both the Rivers State Think-Tanks, a collection of Rivers intelligentsia, and the Justice Development and Peace Commission, a Roman Catholic  organisation, that he was the best man for the enormous responsibility of leading the politically battered Rivers people to the Eldorado.
The former Minister of State for Education and a foremost high ranking  administrator par excellence, Nyesom Wike achieved profundity and good analytical precision in the presentations of his blue-print for Rivers State, which covers all sectors, provides for the mentally challenged, the aged as well as the less-privileged.
Under the swooping watch of Chief Barrister Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, there will be a new Rivers State without mentally challenged people roaming the streets naked and without indigent people dying of variable sicknesses due to the high cost of treating such ailments.
“It is heart-breaking that mad people litter the streets of Rivers State, importantly Port Harcourt City and its adjoining environment, working naked with nobody caring for them.
Under my close watch as the governor of the new Rivers State, there would be no such thing, as adequate care will be given to them to ensure that they are re-admitted into the society”, Wike declared.
To achieve this, Nyesom Wike said he designed two health schemes primary health care for the prevention of diseases, to ensure a healthy society and health plan, which would be funded through a charity commission, to cater for curable illnesses of persons who cannot afford treatment cost. The health plan would also take care of the motherless babies, the aged and the indigent in Rivers State. The maltreated and underpayment of civil servants of Rivers State will, for once, end because a man with compassion has come on board. He had stated. “Today minimum wage for Rivers workers is N14,500 as against N7,500 claimed by the Amaechi-led administration and if we must tell ourselves the truth, nobody can survive and derisory amount of money.
“My first priority is to re-engineer the civil service system because they will be the one to implement the projects we have. I will ensure that the civil service becomes a workable system by paying a liveable wage instead of minimum wage, provide enabling environment for them to function effectively, provide them with proper housing and affordable transportation”.
On infrastructure, Governor Nyesom Wike, who has reconstructed over many deplorable roads in Port Harcourt, gave assurance that he will declare Port Harcourt a disaster area and relocate to another area in the first two years, to ensure that the city is tacitly rebuilt. He also assured of using reputable construction companies, such as Julius Berger and Setracto for the construction of quality roads and walkways respectively.
To reduce the burden of parents in Rivers State, Governor Wike said education will be genuinely free in the state from primary upto the tertiary levels because education   is the pivot through which all developmental activities revolves. He promised to radically implement the original plan of the 6-3 3-4 education system, saying that the three years of senior secondary education provide for vocational education for the students to learn particular profession that in turn will help them become employers of labour when they finally graduated rather than becoming unemployed.
On the terrible revenue collection in Rivers Sate, Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, promised to eliminate all illegal multiple taxation, levies and emblems unjustly imposed on people, saying that he will introduced Personal Income Tax card (PIT), which will enable all Rivers State residents to take up contracts as will as transact businesses with the state government.
Wike, the governor Rivers State deserves, said he has no need to borrow money anywhere to develop Rivers State, saying that the state made between N4.8 billion and over N5.2 billion from Federation Account allocation monthly and another N6.58 billion allocation for local government also monthly, which is exclusive of other monthly allocation, such as SURE-P, 13 per cent derivation for oil producing states, internally generated revenue (IGR), excess crude account, NNPC and other differentials.
“We do not need to borrow money to develop Rivers State. Though former governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who did borrow money could not transform the state, even failed to settle workers and other indebtedness, slack in tackling such hydra-headed problems. It will not holds sway in this dispensation”.
Toby writes from Port Harcourt.

Bethel Sam Toby