The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has within the last six years in office demonstrated clearly that he is a man with vision, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, has said.
Nsirim said this while speaking, last Tuesday, on a live radio programme about the upcoming commissioning of 16 legacy projects and the flay-off of 23 others to mark the two years’ second term in office of Governor Nyesom Wike.
The commissioner reiterated that before Wike assumed office as governor, he envisioned what is called the NEW Rivers Vision.
He, therefore, called on Rivers people and professional bodies to support the state government in its efforts to fully implement the vision’s blueprint for the benefit of all Rivers people.
“And that NEW Rivers Vision blueprint encompasses what he wanted Rivers State to look like in terms of healthcare delivery, education, agriculture, women empowerment, sports, security, etc.
“If you look at these major sectors of Rivers State economy, you will find that Nyesom Wike’s touch has redefined governance in such a way that even those who are in position gladly accept that he has made a mark.
“Let’s take, for instance, healthcare delivery: if you recall, before this time, all the health facilities in the state were moribund. For now, as we speak, all the health centres, general hospitals in all the local government areas have been rehabilitated and equipped”.
According to Nsirim, the state now has five zonal hospitals; the former Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital has also been converted and equipped to a teaching hospital for the Rivers State University by the Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration.
“If you come to education, we had a situation where facilities were broken down, and you begin now to see the Nyesom Wike’s touch making the difference.
“I give you a few examples: if you go to Government Secondary School, Rumuokwuta; Birabi Grammar School, Bori; Nyemoni Grammar School, Abonnema; Kalabari Girls’ High School, Buguma; Government Craft Development Centre; left to die, have been rehabilitated and are now looking like polytechnics people have in some other parts of the country.
“Also, primary schools have been rehabilitated and equipped. So, you have the education sector in Rivers State bubbling with the state government bearing the cost of SSCE and JAMB fees for Rivers State students. It has never happened before in this state. This is because the man Wike has come to ensure that education is brought closer to the people.
“If you come to agriculture, we have what we call agricultural revolution, which will kick-off with the inauguration of the State Cassava Processing Company at Oyigbo on Thursday.
“That plant is a demonstration of the kind of agricultural revolution we are talking about because the company has facilities to get to the farmers, get the cassava and transport it to the plant. Already, we have 3,000 uptakers for that project. It is something novel.”
Speaking on road infrastructure development, Nsirim said Rivers State has witnessed what could be called an infrastructural revolution.
“Those who know Port Harcourt, the city centre right now, will miss their way when they come into Port Harcourt because of what Governor Nyesom Wike is doing.
“When he said he was building the first three flyovers, a lot of people thought it was a mere political rhetoric. How can you build three flyovers at the same time? But, of course, you can see that all those flyovers have been completed, and six more are being built across the city centre, and when people see the flyovers, they say: why is this man doing this? But I call Governor Wike a man who is building infrastructure for tomorrow.
“Rivers State remains the headquarters of the hydrocarbon industry in Nigeria. Just a few days ago, NLNG commissioned its corporate headquarters here. Train 7 of NLNG will soon take off. Now, if you see the influx of people who come into Port Harcourt because of the economic viability of this state, you will understand that building that kind of road infrastructure here is something that we all will cherish in years to come.
“People forget things in a hurry. Before Nyesom Wike came in, a road like Elelenwo/Akpajo Road now Justice Iche Ndu Road was impassable. Garrison/Trans-Amadi Road was impassable. There was no connection between Peter Odili Road and Woji. But now, travelling on those roads no longer takes hours because Wike has come to create a new network of roads.
“Today, we have for the people of Ogoni ethnic nationality, the Saakpenwa-Bori Road, which became something that politicians used over the years to lure them for support. Today, Wike has broken the jinx by building a dual carriageway with streetlights.
“For the people of Abonnema, I am sure that they never envisioned that they will have a Ring Road. You need to visit Abonnema now, a city that used to have one narrow road within.
“Are we talking about roads for the people of Sira and Kira? Are we talking about road for the people of Ibaa and Obele, Isiokpo people, Emohua people or the 21-kilometre road that will be commissioned for the people of Odufor/Omuoyo in Etche, who had never had a motorable road? Or is it the road to be commissioned for the people of Umueze/Umogberi/Eberi in Omuma, and the riverine people of Opobo during this anniversary celebration?
“So, we have a governor, who is investing in infrastructure development because, if you have the right infrastructure in place, then, you can be sure that economic activities will thrive. Without the right infrastructure, economic activities will not thrive.
“If you come to sports development, Real Madrid Academy has become a major talking point in Nigeria. When the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, came to commission the Real Madrid Academy, he said clearly that Nyesom Wike is a man who is thinking ahead, that in fact, the Federal Government will copy from what he is doing here. We are believing that in the next few years, children from the academy will not only play football abroad but will also be equipped academically.”
He described Wike as a master strategist who is fully prepared to change the narrative with a developmental agenda to set new records.
He advised the opposition to stop demarketing the state with claims of non-existing level of insecurity when the Federal Government has failed to deliver on its promises.
“We must stop painting the state black simply because we want to score cheap political point. When we do that, we drive away investors unnecessarily,” he said.
He dismissed claims by detractors, adding that “Rivers State is safe. There is no part of the world where you will not find security challenges and the pockets of criminal incidents being used to paint Rivers State as insecure. The commissioning of the NLNG headquarters alone proves that, indeed, Rivers State is safe.
“As a commissioner for information and communications, I am proud to be associated with Wike’s government because I have seen that he is committed to leave Rivers State better than he met it,” he said.