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Oversea scholarship under Amaechi was a fraud – Wike

By: Felix Ikpotor

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has described as fraud the oversea scholarship executed by his predecessor and present Transport Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

Wike stated this at a town hall meeting to mark his one year in office in Port Harcout.

Wike noted that there was no need for the scholarship in the first place since the courses could be provided by Nigerian universities.

The programme under Amaechi was handled by the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), an agency that has long been disbanded by the Wike led government while its staff owed several months of unpaid salaries.

Wike said: “The RSSDA scholarship programme was ill conceived, socially biased and financially fraudulent and unsustainable. The programme has been a drain on our dwindling and scarce resources, we where therefore constrained to have it scraped because we simply do not have the resources to sustain a programme as grossly inefficient and wasteful”.

“In the first place there was no need to send such a large number of students to oversea for programmes that are rightly available within the country, therefore is something political about it”.

He said  that  the  administration  has started the phased rehabilitation  of  schools  in three senatorial  districts, completed the Faculty of  Law, paid for science consumables  and restored NECO  in the  state.

Wike stated that his administration will continue to subsidise education, but added that the people should be prepared to pay maintenance fees to assist the state government run the educational institutions.

“I did not promise free education, because I know that it does not work.  I only assured that we will provide quality education for the people.  There is no free education anywhere  in  the country. All those claiming free education are playing politics”.

The Rivers governor also declared  that  his administration  has stabilised the economy  of  state through  the  strategic release  of  funds via payment  of  salaries  and payment  for  key projects.

Wike  explained  that  he started with the renewal of infrastructure  in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas  because both towns support majority  of  the  population  of  the state.

The governor also assured the people of the state that every  local  government  area  of  the state will execute key projects in all the 23 Local Government Areas, saying  no local government  area will be  denied the impact of good governance.

On the economy of the state, Wike said: “We have stabilised the economy of Rivers  State  since we took over the reins of leadership  in the state. We achieved  the stabilisation  of the economy  by injecting N151billion as salaries  and payment of contractors.

“These funds have helped us to rebuild our economy which was badly damaged  by  the  immediate  past administration “.

The governor said that no project will be abandoned  by his administration.  According to him,  his administration  will  only award projects that will be completed  within  the  life-span  of his administration.

He said the renewal of  Port Harcourt  and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas  have enhanced  the economy  of  the  state as more investors  are confident  to invest  in  the  state.

He noted that 46 roads have been  reconstructed  under the Operation Zero Potholes, 15 roads abandoned by the  immediate past administration completed and 27 new roads initiated by  his administration have been  completed and commissioned.

He announced  that  the State Government is building  an ICT compliant  security  infrastructure to help fight crime and empower the security  agencies  to  be more proactive.

Wike  informed that measures have been  put in  place to tackle cultism across the  state.

“When I met with the President, I told him that we will tackle cultism  and insecurity  in four local  government areas.  They are Abua/Odual, Ahoada East, Ahoada West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas. “

The governor warned against  the  politicisation  of crime, blaming a particular  political  party for claiming  suspected  cultists  who murder others as their members.

He also said  that the needs assessment  of  all the General Hospitals  in  the  state  have been completed,  pointing  out  that  phased rehabilitation  of  the  hospitals in earnest.

Going  forward,  the governor  said  that  employment  opportunities  will be created via agriculture  and  industrialization.  He also said he will work towards creating jobs for physically challenged persons who are educated.

“Employment generation will be our focus in the next one year. We shall support entrepreneurship to  create more jobs for the people”, he posited.

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