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.
