Politics
Wike’s Gift To Ahoada: A Lifetime Transformation
The Ekpeye Ethnic Nationality is one of the key strongholds of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike. It is a fertile ground where the people are totally in support of Governor Wike for his outstanding contributions to the development of the area.
Through positive engagements and investments, Governor Wike revived the development process in Ekpeye Kingdom. Reaching to communities in line with his strategic plan to lift the area.
It has been the same story within the Engeni Ethnic Nationality where the governor has executed key projects for the good of the people.
Over the period, Governor Wike has elevated four Chieftaincy Stools in Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas to first class status.
In Ahoada East Local Government Area, Governor Wike has invested in: Edoha, Ikata – Ochigba Road ,Ahoada – Ekpena Road (ongoing) ,Ahaoada- Odiemerenyi – Ihugbogo – Odieke – Akoh Road (ongoing) ,Zonal Hospital, Ahoada (ongoing reconstruction), Western Ahoada County High School, Ahoada (ongoing reconstruction), GJSS, Ogbo and Government Primary School, Ahoada.
Others include: St. Peter’s Primary School, Ahoada, Government Primary School, Edeoha, GJSS, Odiabidhi (ongoing) and Electrification of Ihuaba, Idoke, Ihuowo, Ihuama (Ward 10) – Awarded.
In Ahoada West Local Government Area, Governor Wike is constructing Odiokwu Internal Roads, Odiokwu-Anwuigboko and Odiokwu-Oyigba Roads. Also under construction in the area is the Model Primary Healthcare Centre, Odiokwu. Also in the Ahoada West Local Government Area, Governor Wike is reconstructing Government Secondary School, Okarki and several other schools in the area.
However, the most outstanding contribution of Governor Wike to the development of Ahoada is the siting of two Faculties of the Rivers State University in Ahoada.
The Faculties of Humanities and Social sciences will operate from Ahoada Town. These faculties will re-engineer the economy of Ahoada, create jobs and improve access to university education in the area.
This is a lifetime gift to the people of Ahoada, a means of permanently creating opportunities of growth to the people.
Two highly viable Faculties of the State University will attract millions of people from across the country and internationally , to Ahoada.
The multiplier effect of this investment cannot be estimated. In very simple terms, it means more houses as quarters for staff, more buildings as hostels for students, more vehicles in the town for logistics and more security presence.
For the first time since Independence, Ahoada is getting the required attention. This is an initiative to transform Ahoada into a full fledged urban centre. An urban centre that would play a critical role in the massive growth of Rivers State and the rest of the South-South Geo-political zone.
In a bid to comply with the Governor Nyesom Wike’s directive that two faculties of the state University, Humanities and Social Sciences be moved to Ahoada East Local Government Area, the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Blessing Chimezie Didia has taken steps to actualize the project .
Prof Didia has visited Ahoada East Local Government Area and has commenced processes for the establishment of the the proposed Ahoada Campus of the Rivers State University.
He lauded the robust educational policies of the present government in the state, adding that the state government has provided the enabling environment that promoted qualitative teaching and learning in the state.
Governor Wike’s development of different parts of Rivers State is strategically targeted at lifting people and communities. For the people of Ahoada, they would witness the blessing of having a pro-people leader beyond the projects already executed for them.
Long after 2023, the developmental process kick-started by Governor Wike in Ahoada will continue to blossom. An investment in university education is a lifelong gift for Ahoada to continually renew itself.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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