Rivers State Government has invested over N90billion in the construction of critical road infrastructure to develop the economy of the state, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has announced.
The governor also said that the infrastructure development programme of his administration has been insulated from political considerations for the attainment of positive results.
Declaring open the West Africa Architects Fair (WAAF 2016) in Port Harcourt yesterday , Governor Wike said ,”on infrastructure, we have over 90 billion naira into construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, bridges and jetties. This money has effectively delivered over 80 roads, while work is ongoing on the construction of about 35new roads, spread across the three senatorial districts of the State.
“ Most importantly, in order to derive maximum value for money spent, we have insulated our infrastructure development and delivery master plan from political considerations by ensuring that the designing, construction and supervision of all our roads are handled by reputable professionals and construction companies.”
Represented by the Secretary to the Rivers State Government , Governor Wike noted that his administration overcame initial challenges of empty treasury , unpaid salaries , insecurity caused by closed courts and a weak economy .
He said, “when we assumed office we met a State that was at the lowest rung in all indices of development. Beside an empty treasury, we inherited months of unpaid salaries to civil servants and a totally broken infrastructure. The poor security situation was exacerbated by the prolonged closure of the courts for over 12 months leading to unprecedented capital flights and disinvestments.
“However, 17 months after, we have recorded remarkable achievements in several areas of development. For instance, our first sets of priority were to clear the backlog of salaries, fix our broken roads and transport infrastructure and create jobs by reflating the economy. In all these, we have successfully delivered.
“For instance, apart from clearing the arrears of salaries, we are among the very few States with proven capacity to meet our financial obligations to civil servants, contractors and vendors. On infrastructure, we have over 90 billion naira into construction, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, bridges and jetties”.
The governor lauded Nigerian architects for their contributions to the development of the country. He said since his days as council chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area , through to his days as Minister of State for Education to now that he is a governor, he has collaborated with architects to deliver quality projects .
In his remarks , the President of Nigeria Institute of Architects , Architect Tonye Oliver Braide said that Architects are working towards developing new cities that will help grow the economies of different countries
WAAF 2016 is a gathering of architects and allied professionals from across West African sub region.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has expressed its commitment towards the development of technical and vocational education in the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, while declaring open a three day capacity building programme for teachers on ‘Basic Electricity and Domestic installation: Lab and Application organised by the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) project in collaboration with the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical and Vocational Education.
Ebeku said that in line with the commitment, government was on the verge of renovating technical and vocational colleges across the state.
He commended the World Bank for partnering with the State government to develop the technical and vocational education sector of the state, and urged the trainees to take the workshop seriously as it will enable them to impact positively on the society.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner For Budget and Economic Planning, Barrister Isaac Kumalu, said that the SEEFOR project, since inception, has engaged several youth through its small and public works sub-component while grants have also been given to various communities for implementation of their Community-Driven Development (CDD) initiative.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Felix Odungweru, said that School Improvement Plans (SIP) have been implemented in seven Technical, Vocational and Agricultural schools.
According to him, the three- day workshop concludes, the activities in the 2015 School Improvement Plans, and urged the participants to take the training seriously to enhance their capacity.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, Prof. Israel Owate, had said that, the new vision programme of the state government was anchored on technical and vocational education.
Owate also charged the participants to see the programme as an opportunity to improve themselves.