Focus
Dissecting Rivers Consolidation, Continuity Mantra
The current Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, rode on the mantra of Continuity and Consolidation during the 2023 electioneering campaigns. This, to some extent, gave him an edge over other contenders due to the development strides of the immediate past administration of former Governor and now Minister of FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike, who, in the history of the state, constructed landmark projects that can stand the test of time.
One sector the immediate past administration made tremendous mark was in the area of road construction with massive urban and rural roads, and the unprecedented building of 12 flyovers, in addition to the massive renovation and construction of schools and medical facilities, expansion and development of tertiary institutions, amongst others.
Like the mantra goes, “Consolidation and Continuity”. Consolidation entails action or process of making something stronger or more solid or the action or process of combining a number of things into a single more effective or coherent whole. On the other hand, continuity is an unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time.
Consolidation and continuity mantra, therefore, literally emphasises the process of building on what is on ground or what is available, and evolving new ideas that would make the vision stronger. Drawing from the anology above, it could be said that the present administration led by Sir Siminalayi Fubara is working the talk.
Let look at the realism: The first step towards consolidation and continuity by the present administration in Rivers State was the conclusion of the promotion of civil servants, which the immediate past administration started at the tail end of that administration. Fubara has not only concluded the process but also backed the promotion with the payment of the financial benefits to affected civil servants.
A second leg of the continuity mantra was the lifting of embargo on employment into the state civil service by the immediate past administration before handing over on May 29. Indeed, the process of employment of over 10,000 new civil servants was also commenced. To consolidate on the legacy, Fubara is now in the process of finalising the employment into the state civil service.
These two major actions have not only put smiles on the faces of civil servants but also given the youths a reasonable sense of belonging as most of them would be engaged at the conclusion of the employment processes.
On the area of infrastructural development, Fubara has activated the Port Harcourt Ring Road that has been on the drawing board of previous administrations, and was resuscitated by the Wike administration just before the end of its tenure. Today, construction has commenced on the over 500 kilometers ring road across six local government areas, which is expected to open up the state for greater investment and businesses. The governor has also completed some roads, schools, hospital projects, all started by the Wike-led administration while others are at the verge of being completed, just as he has also initiated more projects which are ongoing.
In a bold step to improve the frontier of development in major sectors of the state, the Rivers State Executive Council has initiatived four innovative draft bills: New Town Development Authority Bill 2023, to decongest the single city status of Port Harcourt and promote the development of new towns in the state; Rivers State Youth Entrepreneurship Development Trust Fund Bill, 2023, to promote entrepreneurial growth and tackle the challenges of job creation and employment generation in the state; Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency Bill 2023, to establish an agency to promote investment drive in the state; and Power Sector Regulatory Commission Bill 2023, to drive the state interest in a deregulated power sector by making investments to accelerate accessibility of millions of Rivers people to electricity supply in both urban and rural areas.
As innovative as these bills are, it is pertinent to note that when passed into law, the bills would drive the consolidation of governance process. For instance, Rivers State has always been known as one city state with Port Harcourt as centre of attraction, hence the New Town Development Authority Bill 2023 is a good step towards decongesting Port Harcourt and developing cities like Bori, Ahoada, Degema, Etche, Opobo, Isiokpo, Abonnema, among others. One way of achieving this is to develop the unique features of these towns, especially in the area of tourism and siting key government projects in the towns. Former Governor Nyesom Wike has partly done this by siting campuses of Rivers State University in Emohua, Etche, Ahoada and Tai. The Authority, when put in place, would build further on this to decongest Port Harcourt and attract more businesses to the state.
On the other hand, the Rivers State Youth Entrepreneurship Development Trust Fund Bill, 2023, which is geared towards promoting entrepreneurial growth and tackle the challenges of job creation and employment generation in the state is another innovative towards consolidation. With the rising cases of unemployment in Nigeria, entrepreneurial development remains the harbinger to the challenges. The entrepreneurial skills development should cut across Information and Communication Technology (ICT), agriculture, and other technical skills development that would engage the youths meaningfully. To ensure that the fund is properly utilised in clear departure with what was obtainable in the past, the entrepreneurial development trust fund should be driven by credible private sector players in partnership with an agency that would be established by the state government.
Also, the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency Bill 2023 is another innovative that would promote investment drive in the state. This is because Rivers State has untapped investment opportunities in the areas of agriculture, tourism, oil and gas, petrochemicals, transportation, solid minerals, and so on.
In the agricultural sector alone, the state can export agricultural products, if the ariable land is properly put into use in addition to the unique topography of the state which is good for fish and rice farming. The various fish farms and indeed, the Songhai integrated initiative, now at the verge of being resuscitated, will play a key role in triggering diversification in the agriculture value chain for enhanced benefit to Rivers people. So, the state can be the largest exporter of fish, if the policy is properly streamlined. Again, Rivers people have no business going to other states to buy plastic products, if the bye-products of petrochemicals are harnessed in the state. This is why the agency is very important as it will identify and develop the state’s areas of comparative advantage for accelerated development.
Rivers State is very rich in tourist attractions with its long expanse of beautiful coastal sandy beaches stretching from Opobo through numerous mangrove and windy creeks, streams, and rivers as well as forests with their associated wildlife. The tourism potential of Rivers State is yet to be fully tapped, and could provide a huge revenue stream for the government.
The state is also endowed with war relics, artefacts and historical monuments with culture that is rich in festivals, traditions, ceremonies; dances, music and crafts, which are varied and diverse. The rich culture of the state, which is rooted in its unique environment of lakes, creeks, rivers, forests and swamps, provides the hallmark of its tourism development.
In a clear departure from what is currently obtainable, Rivers people should in addition to investment in hospitality industry, also focus attention in these areas of comparative advantage to create massive employment opportunities for the youths of the state. Massive investment in agriculture, petrochemicals and power alone have the capacity to boost industrial development and to create millions of jobs and accelerate the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), thus, invariably enhancing the standard of living of the people.
This is imperative because 2022 report of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) sheds light on the staggering number of people living in multidimensional poverty in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, including Rivers State, with 4.4 million. This raises serious concern on the need for effective use of resources and policy implementation in the state. There must be deliberate economic policies to reverse this statistics.
With the deregulation of the power sector by the Federal Government, the states can now generate power they need, and even commercialise surplus capacity by monetising available commodities to states with low generation capacity. Hence, the Power Sector Regulatory Commission Bill, when passed and assented to, will drive the development of the sector in Rivers State. Regular power supply remains a sure way of enhancing industrialization and improving entrepreneurship.
Rivers State is the hub of oil and gas in Nigeria but in addition, it can also be the hub of commerce and industry compared to Lagos State, if the right investment climate with effective legislation is put in place. One major area the state government needs to tackle in partnership with the Federal Government is in ensuring effective utilization of the Sea Ports and International Airport in the state. There is need to ensure sustained and improved direct international flights to and from Port Harcourt. This, to a large extent, will improve investment and create more job opportunities.
In addition, priority attention must be given to the education and health sectors with emphasis on primary and secondary education as the foundation as well as primary healthcare centres where curative medical services are offered before the secondary and tertiary health facilities. These facilities should not just be built but properly equipped to serve the needs of rural communities as the people will be happier if government health facilities and schools can be made available, affordable and accessible for them.
In all these, government must not renege in its commitment to provide adequate security. It is security that drives any form of development ideas. Therefore, deliberate efforts must be made to build on the security infrastructure already put in place. It is also this sense of security that can also boost investors’ confidence. Of course, if expansive development initiatives as outlined above are put in place, crime will drastically reduce as more crime actors will be meaningfully engaged in profitable ventures.
Consolidation, therefore, entails that while the agent of that continuity enhances the trajectory of the predecessor, new ideas should be evolved to accelerate development. These, of course, must be based on the needs assessment of the people who will be the direct beneficiaries of government policies and programmes. This means that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who currently drives the consolidation process must do those things that impact positively on the people without undermining the yet-to-be completed ideas of his predecessor. He must also continue to deliver on the focus of the mantra: Consolidation and Continuity of the New Rivers Vision! He has started well, even with barely five months gone. And given his personal disposition thus far, he does look like a governor determined not to disappoint his people, who overwhelmingly support him, and have implicit confidence in his abilities and capacities.
By: Justice Ihunwo
Dr Ihunwo, a Port Harcourt-based Journalist, is also a development communication expert and public affairs analyst.