Coronavirus: Wike Appeals For Sustained Support 

As the world continues to wage war against the dreaded Coronavirus, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has appealed to the people and residents of the state to sustain the ongoing fight against spread of the virus.
He made the appeal last week while receiving food donation from Dufil Prima Foods Plc in Government House, Port Harcourt.
The Governor said: “ We are aware that the COVID-19 is what we didn’t expect, but as christians, we are prayerful, believing that the situation is not going to last forever. So we are calling on our people to cooperate with the government and remain at home”.
The Governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Special Duties, Hon Bariere Thomas, assured that the food items donated by the company would get to the less privileged and thanked the firm for responding timely to the situation.
Head of Administration of Dulfil Prima Food Plc, Mr Chinedum Wali, said the company brought the food as token to assist and support the less privileged. One thousand cartons of noodles and five hundred cartons of pastas were donated.
Members of the Rivers State Executive Council, in the week under review announced the donation of their  April 2020 salaries to support the state government’s fight against coronavirus.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, disclosed this last Thursday, in Government House, Port Harcourt.
Also in same spirit, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, announced the donation of their one month salary in support of the  Rivers State Government’s fight against the dreaded Coronavirus in the state.
Disclosing the gesture at a press conference Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Ikuinyi -Owaji Ibani, said members arrived at the decision after an interface with the Rivers State Ministry of Health on the fight against the virus.
“As responsible representatives of our various constitutuencies, we resolved that one month salary of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly be deducted by the Ministry of Finance and remitted to the committee set up to fight coronavirus in the state”, the Speaker said.
Ikuinyi-Ibani added that the sacrifice by lawmakers was not to the exclusion of other individual contributions of members in their respective constitutuencies to ameliorate the shocks associated with the pandemic.
“We restate our commitment to the fight against coronavirus pandemic and our full support of all efforts and actions taken by the Rivers State Government to keep our people safe and healthy”, he stated.
Another major event last week in Brick House was the lifting of the curfew placed by the Rivers State Governor Chief Nyesom Wike in some parts of Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The Governor had, in a state broadcast last Thursday lifted the curfew on Education Bus Stop to Agip Junction along Ikwerre Road and Obiri Ikwerre Junction to Ozuoba, Rumualogu and Choba effective from Friday, April 3, 2020.
He had imposed the curfew following the non adherence of traders to the directives placed by the state government.
Governor Wike also  lifted the suspension of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
He said that implementation of the palliatives to cusion the effects of recent directives on the citizens would soon take place.
Last week, the Rivers State Ministry of Housing  Tenders Board officially opened bid for the sale of the uncompleted state government owned 17- storey building, formerly known as the Nigerian Stock Exchange building, in Port Harcourt.
The bidding process took place at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Housing Commissioner, Elder Chinedu Tasie Nwabueze noted that the bidding process was transparent, while civil society, professionals and the media witnessed the event.

By: Chris Oluoh