Boniface Onyedi
As leadership entails creditable dispensing of the trust reposed on the leader, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has in the past one year and three months effectively governed to promote stability, economic growth, development, and human welfare. This is clearly evident in the indices of his actions since he became the governor of the State.
Highlighting some of these people-oriented programmes of his administration is to keep reminding the people that there is greater hope in supporting a leader with a goal.
For instance, there are testaments from the N4billion MSMEs credit fund where over 1,395 entrepreneurs and 10 companies got loans ranging from N400,000 to N10million with more than N919.8million already disbursed to the beneficiaries and still ongoing. This loan was administered by both Rivers State Microfinance Agency RIMA and the Bank of Industry, a federal government agency that partnered the State government to deliver this life touching programme. As at today, this fund has helped reactivate many of such nano and small scale businesses and helping to boost the informal sector in the State.
Gov. Fubara has remained focused, in order to deliver sustainable infrastructure with optimum impact. This is demonstrated in the ongoing 50.15kilometer Port Harcourt Dual Carriage Ring Road which he is likely to deliver before the due date of 36 months. There is massive work going on across the six sections of the project with all the six flyovers and river crossing bridge at an advanced stage of completion.
That is beside the massive work ongoing at the N80.8billion worth 33.5 kilometers Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku dual carriage road being handled by Craneburg Construction Company and the original 12 kilometers Trans-Kalabari road worth over N225billion. A road that is running on deck on pile, and with 2 long river crossing bridges is intended to open up the Kalabari kingdom to heart of Port Harcourt City through the Rumuolumeni axis. Also worthy of note is the 5 kilometers Okania-Ogbogoro road which is already nearing completion. Massive completion work is also ongoing despite the season at the Eberi-Omodu road linking Rivers and Abia State. Very glaring is the reconstruction work on the 14 kilometers Rumukruse-Etche road which has long been abandoned as it became impassable due to the deplorable state of the road. These are just the few of the massive road infrastructure that are being executed across the State including internal roads.
In healthcare Governor Fubara has inscribed his imprint on that sector with the reconstruction and expansion of 4 Zonal Hospitals located at Bori, Degema, Ahoada and Omoku. With the same zeal, he is reconstructing the Bonny General Hospital, remodeling of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Rumuigbo as well as building a brand new General Hospital at Rumuigbo. This effort is costing the State Government not less than N26billion to accomplish. Besides, the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara is renovating more than 20 primary healthcare centers across the State. Recently, the governor commissioned a Pressure Swing Absorption Oxygen Plant at the Eleme General Hospital.
Rivers youths today are rejoicing under Sir Siminalayi Fubara for giving them voice and empowering them to lead quality lives. Apart from promoting inclusiveness in governance, the reopening of employment processes at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education is giving hope to a greater number of the youths. In the same determination to provide jobs for the youths, Gov. Fubara has also approved recruitment of personnel for the Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt.
Today in Rivers State there is relative peace as a result of immeasurable investment in security and fortifying every security architecture by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Despite minor distractions, the prevailing peace has been sustained that visitors continue to attest to the fact that Rivers State is peaceful, stable and the economy is booming. The State in May hosted the first ever Economic and Investment Summit which has opened the door for greater investment opportunities in the State. Recently, Governor Siminalayi Fubara signed into law order 2 to establish the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency as part of the deliverables from the summit. In the coming days it is expected that the board and management of the Agency will be constituted to serve as a one-stop shop for the investors.
The effort is to further shore up the internally generated revenue of the State. Gov. Fubara within 15 months of being on the saddle has changed the fortune of the State earning an average of N27billion from the initial monthly revenue of N15billion. These were accomplished through the deployment of technology and more prudent strategies.
Gov. Fubara is further acknowledged nationally as a peace advocate and has demonstrated this without qualms. Even in the face of obvious confrontation, he has maintained that peace is priceless. Indeed, at several moments he has been disrespected even by less public office holders but in his peaceful mien he ignored such tantrums and focused on delivering on his mandate to the people of Rivers State. Instead, his detractors have consistently focused on propaganda attempting to blackmail him before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Even after what would have been a channel for peace brokered by Mr. President, the die-hard detractors engaged devilish mechanisms and continued to lay landmines in form of shopping for Court orders from Abuja to serve as obstacles to his smooth administration of the State. But as usual God has always provided ways for Governor Siminalayi Fubara to navigate out of the bobble traps and forge ahead as Rivers people comes first in all his dealings.
Without doubt the journey has been rough yet stable as Governor Siminalayi Fubara is truly governing Rivers State with a goal, and that is to better the lives of the people.
- Dr. Onyedi is Senior Special Assistant, Media to the Governor of Rivers State
