Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that 2018 will be another year of sustained execution of developmental projects across the state.
The governor said his administration will intensify efforts at keeping campaign promises to the Rivers people in 2018.
In a New Year message, Governor Wike said: “To this end, massive investments in infrastructure, access to education and training, qualitative healthcare and the creation of economic opportunities will remain some of our key priorities.
“In so doing, no part of the state will be left behind just as we shall also ensure every person is carried along on our way to building sustainable prosperity for us and our children.”
The governor while acknowledging that the challenges of development are great due to the harsh economic climate, urged Rivers people to keep hope alive and embrace the New Year with courage and hope to reap the fruits of their hard work.
“We all share the responsibility of building our state and country. Let us therefore continue to demonstrate the values of hard work, patriotism and integrity and strengthen our commitment to building a just, accountable and inclusive society of our dreams where nobody is left behind,” the governor said.
Wike said the state recorded key achievements in 2017 and wished the people a prosperous 2018.
He said: “As a government, we moved the state several notches forward. We constructed and added many kilometres of roads to the existing road network. We rehabilitated, equipped and transformed hundreds of basic education and secondary schools as well as built new faculty buildings for our tertiary institutions. We also strengthened the healthcare delivery system and improved performance.
“We promoted the rule of law and enhanced access to justice with the building of new courts for the state as well as the Federal courts and improved welfare of judicial officers for greater productivity.”
Meanwhile, Governor Wike has called on Ekpeye Ethnic Nationality in the state to work in unity for the development of the area.
Wike urged the people not to allow politics to divide them, noting that they must develop platforms to enhance the development of their communities.
He spoke at the weekend, at the Uzugbani Ekpeye Conference in Ahoada East Local Government Area, stating that Ekpeye people must be relevant in the state.
“The governor noted that once Ekpeye politicians work in unity, they will be able to attract projects for the good of their people.
Wike thanked the people for the role they played in his emergence as the governor of the state.
Regardless, fishermen in the Niger Delta region, on the platform of Artisanal Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN), have decried lost of their source of livelihood to the Bonga oil spill. The fishermen also lamented lost of over N432 millions since the incident, adding that over 15 of their members have died in the struggle.
ARFAN, which expressed the worries in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after over seven years of the spill, said the oil devastation and the chemical used by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), destroyed the total water body.
Speaking, Coordinating Chairman of the body, Rev. Samuel Ayade, expressed concerns over the delay in getting justice on the matter, saying the fishermen have lost everything to the devastation.
Ayade explained that the spill is the reason there are no more Bonga fish in the market, noting that many species of fish have migrated out of the Niger Delta region.
He said: “After the spill, they asked us to steer clear the river, so that we don’t bring contaminated fish to the public. Even as we are talking, the spill has destroyed and chased Bonga fish from the Niger Delta area. We can no more catch Bonga fish again. This is why you cannot see Bonga fish again in the market and it is expensive.
“The effect of that spill is still on us. When we fish now, we only catch sea weeds. The federal government should come to our aid. We are suffering and we don’t have any other profession.”
Meanwhile, a human right lawyer, Chima Williams, noted that the over 35,000 fishermen in the Niger Delta region, who were displaced by the spill, need attention from the government.
Williams called on the federal government to help the registered fishermen in the region to enjoy their labour, threatening that if the government fails to give attention to the individuals, his chamber would go to court on behalf of the fishermen.
|Sun