By: Kelvin Ebiri
Our attention has been brought to an insidious article, “Exclusive: How Governor Wike Bribed Top Official in Buhari Government With Millions of Naira To Get ‘Award In Infrastructure,” published in Sahara Reporters dated 14 October, 2022.
It is indeed pitiable for the journalism profession that reprobates, now masquerade as journalists to publish completely baseless, malicious and slanderous article against innocent individuals, including Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
Let it be emphasised that with Sahara Reporters, unchecked, humanity is in danger. This is given what it has cooked up as truth about the decision and the right judgment of the federal government of Nigeria to confer, on governor Wike, the “Distinguished Award in Infrastructure Delivery.” The award will be presented to the governor at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on October 21 at an event tagged “Nigeria Excellence in Public Service Award.”
For Sahara Reporters; in its conjectures, to be considered for an award, governor Wike will have to buy it. Such debased thinking, and to have also published it for public consumption, as fact reporting, is not only despicable, malicious and atrocious, but also utterly repugnant.
For emphasis, let it be stated that Sahara Reporters is utterly wrong in its dubious attempt to delegitimise governor Wike’s integrity and achievements.
When journalists lie, they diminish credibility of their medium and personality, and the entire profession. In the widest imagination, what Sahara Reporters published on October 14, 2022, is to say the least, is a smear campaign created to construct a dubious narrative that the award was procured. But, we wish to remind the reprobates in Sahara Reporters that in journalism, distortion of facts are considered sacrilege.
Sahara Reporters needs to be told that since May 29th, 2015, and up until now, there has been steady, and sustained revolution in the delivery of critical infrastructure in Rivers State. These are not tech encased 3-D effect. No. They are visible, tangible and people focused projects. They are delivered to enhance the living conditions of Rivers people and residents in the State. Governor Wike knows that without the right infrastructure in place, economic activities can not thrive. That is why he has invested hugely in infrastructure development.
With these infrastructure and other aspects of policies of government implemented, particularly in fiscal performance that has ranked Rivers as best in Nigeria according to BudgIT, the State capital, Port Harcourt has been put back on the map of places that are reckoned as fast growing city with indices of modern development.
What is now, and enduring too, considered as convincing ripples is the attraction it offers to investors who are coming in droves to do business. The projects are in quantum. They are of quality and the infrastructure spread across sectors. They are visible to the blind to see. The deaf also hears of them.
So, instead of its preference for deceptive presentation of thoughts, Sahara Reporters should have, at least, bent to using journalist knacks to look up for confirmatory information as feeds to their doubt, by visiting Rivers State, and to understand the rationale why it is most fitting that governor Wike be the right person to be conferred the award in infrastructure.
If Sahara Reporters has done so, it would have accessed good information that will sail it away from conjectures that it published. Its narration was really clothed in ambiguous or vague declarations. By so, stamping itself as a medium that tells fiction, manipulates information and uses needless emphasis to exaggerate its contrived position, or at best does minimisation.
During an interactive media chat in Port Harcourt on Friday, 14 October, 2022, Governor Wike said the award is most deserving and worthy to celebrate. He revealed how he got a letter of notification and invite as mail, from the presidency on the award in infrastructure. He was surprised at it. To the extent that, he was chosen by an All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government above the lot of APC governors.
By that choice, President Muhammadu Buhari showed courageous leadership and should be applauded. For it is on a PDP governor that such award will be conferred. A party in opposition to APC. It is an acknowledgement of performance by all means.
More frankly, no government, not even the federal government can start and finish 12 flyovers in four years. Governor Wike did it. He is doing it. He owns the record, unbeaten. It is novel. The infrastructural delivery of governor Wike is sterling and intimidating. It is delivered in the healthcare, education, agriculture, rural transformation, housing development, administration of justice, social welfare and Sports development.
Specifically, Governor Wike has connected the ancient Opobo island to the rest of the State and country, by tarred road. Construction of phase one of the Trans-Kalabari road is nearing completion.
Governor Wike has turned and transformed not less than 18 major single lane roads into dual carriage. They include Igwuruta – Chokocho road, Saapkenwa – Bori road, Tam David West Boulevard, Rumuokwurishi – Eneka – Igwuruta road, Rumuepirikom – Rumuolumeni road, Rebisi – Trans-Amadi – Oginigba road, Justice Iche Ndu road, Eagle Island – Illoabuchi road, Elelenwo – Akpajo road, Birabi road, Emeyal road, Tombia road, Forces Avenue, Olumeni road, Abacha road, and Harley street, Tombia Extension and the Ezimgbu road. They have street lights, pedestrian walkways and covered drains.
Already, a lot of roads connecting and interconnecting several communities across the State have been completed and few are ongoing. They include the Bori – Kono dual carriage way, the dualization of Ahoada – Omoku, and Egbema- Omoku roads, the Eastern bypass – Ogbum-nu-Abali dual carriage way, the Woji – Aleto – Alesa road and the Wakama – Ogu – Bolo road.
In the same vein, Elele-Alimini, Isiokpo, Rumuche, Okochiri, Amadi-Ama, Omoku, Odiokwu Bolo and some others now have a new lease of social and economic life. Internal roads to boost local socioeconomic activities have been provided in Ogbakiri, Omerelu, Okochiri phase 2, Omagwa, Mgbuitanwo, kilometre Rumuodogo 1 and Rumuodogo 2, Igwuruta, Odufor/Omuoyo, Umueze/Umogberi/Eberi among others.
We boldly invited Sahara Reporters to visit the 132-bed Mother and Child specialist hospital in Rumumasi; as well as the five-star, Dr. Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases Diagnostic and Treatment Centre in Rumuokuta.
Owing to the burgeoning population and demand for land in the coastal areas of Rivers State, Governor Wike embarked on extensive reclamation of land with the primary intent to overcoming the problem of overcrowding in the future in places like Abalama, Bakana, Kula, Ogu, Abonnema/Obonnoma and Okrika.
Indeed, Governor Wike is a master strategist. He has changed the narrative of governance from self seeking, to securing and promoting the good of the people using developmental agenda to set new records.
Sahara Reporters, an online news agency, says it promotes citizen journalism, exposes corruption and human rights abuses including other political misconducts. These are noble, no doubt. But instead of keeping faith with such mandate, regrettably, Sahara Reporters keeps an off tangent course, not aligned to what it claims should guide its journalism business, and operations.
But, Sahara Reporters over the years has proven that it gambles away the sanctity of facts. It romances falsehood with delight. Peddles fake news with distinctive and pervasive inclination, a levity that truly beats the imagination of how it can really expose corruption if what is seen is the ethics it has adopted for its operations.
Finally, we wish to advise the public to always question what they read on Sahara Reporters, as the deluge of false information they publish as stories are intended to manipulate public perceptions.
Kelvin Ebiri is the Special Assistant on Media to the Rivers State governor.
