RSG And The State’s Dev

All across the globe, celebration of 100 days in office has become a normal ritual by every new political office holder. It is an event which seeks to show how far an administration has gone within its first 100 days. The origin of the celebration of 100 days in office is traceable to Napoleon Bonaparte, around 1815. For Napoleon Bonaparte,  it was an assessment of how long it took him to return from exile and reinstate himself as ruler of France.  But  across the world, leaders have chosen  to celebrate 100 days in office  even with little or nothing  to show as  achievement. For them, it is a normal ritual which must be fulfilled. It is a tradition which must be kept. However, in an ideal situation, 100 days in office should be a yardstick for measuring performance and achievements within the period and  to set agenda or direction for the new government. It  should also serve as a barometer through which members of the public could assess  the seriousness or otherwise of the new leadership.
Those who do  not prepare  well  for the task would argue that 100 days are not  good enough time to carry out a good assessment of an administration. However, the same could not be said of a Governor who prepares adequately for  governance. The Sir Siminalayi Fubara’s administration in Rivers State, being a focused, determined, committed and pragmatic administration is not just marking the 100 days in office but using the period to showcase iconic projects for commissioning and also initiating new ones. With the array of projects   lined up for commissioning and flag-off, the 100 days in office of Governor Fubara is a worthwhile event. Hearing  Siminalayi Fubara speak at the various flag-off and commissioning ceremonies, one could only but believe that the Governor is on a mission to consolidate and continue with the development trajectory of former Governor Nyesom Wike. It speaks  volumes of a man who has properly  articulated his plans for the development of Rivers State. It speaks well of a man who came prepared.
Happily, he has assured Rivers people that he would not lower the bar in infrastructural development but maintain the momentum already started. This is interesting and exactly what everyone in the State would love to hear. The array of projects lined up for inauguration and flag – off has once more  demonstrated  without any equivocation  that Fubara is not only determined to take development to every nook and cranny of the State but also prepared to turn around every sector of the economy.  As  the head of the government of consolidation and continuity, Governor Fubara has not left out any project initiated by the former government, he has  ensured that the projects are completed and commissioned. This is what a responsible and responsive government should do.If successive governments in the State had adopted the policy of continuity and consolidation, there would not have been many abandoned projects in the State.
Governor Fubara is therefore setting a new page in the history of governance in the state. With the provision of  new network of roads in all parts of the State, transportation and communication would become much easier, thereby boosting business and commercial activities  and improving the standard of living . With the focus being placed on education,  Fubara is obviously not only desirous of  improving the quality of  education infrastructure in the State but also improving,  the standard of education generally. The  Governor is also directing attention to  the health sector by  improving infrastructure in that sector, thereby bringing health care delivery service closer to the people. In his statewide broadcast to herald activities for the 100 days celebration, Governor Fubara called on Rivers people to work with him to implement his blueprint.
In line with his commitment, Governor Fubara has painstakingly articulated about 20  iconic projects, some of which have been inaugurated  to positively impact the lives of Rivers people. With the promise to sustain the momentum of development started by the immediate past administration, Rivers State is on the way to becoming a place of boundless opportunities. Therefore, we cannot but join efforts in ensuring that this government of consolidation and continuity works.

By: Paul Deeyah

Deeyah, former Director of News, Radio Rivers, writes from Port Harcourt.