…As Assembly grants approval to borrow N200b
By: Felix Ikpotor
South South Youth Initiative, SSYI, has called on Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara to spread developmental projects outside Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Council areas to other parts of the state.
National President of South South Youth Initiative, Saviour Oscar Imeabe in a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt urged Fubara to make same mistake his predecessor made by concentrating majority projects in the two councils of Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor.
The group gave the charge following the approval of a supplementary budget of N200 billion for the construction of Port Harcourt Ringroad by the State House of Assembly.
Fubara in a letter to the assembly, had said that the ringroad project would cut across six councils in the state such as Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Okrika, Eleme and Oyigbo.
However, SSYI advised Fubara to borrow a leaf from Lagos State where developmental projects are spread across all council areas in the state.
“We hear that Governor Fubara has conceived the ring-road project to be sited in Port Harcourt the same place the former administration, his benefactor, carried out all his acclaimed developmental projects”. “While we condemn the move to resume a visionless leadership in the state, ignited by the immediate past administration of Chief Nyesom Wike, we urge Governor Fubara to think of spreading development to all the other 21 local government areas of the state,” he said.
“What has stood Lagos State out among other states of the nation is simply that development is equitably spread among its local government areas. This has ensured due development on all sides. Go to Lagos State today you will observe that every nook and cranny of that has turned into a city,” Imeabe stated.
He frowned at the refusal of successive governments to develop other cities outside Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor.
“One act that has placed Rivers State below the mark of competing with Lagos State is that leaders of our dear Rivers State have concentrated development just within Port Harcourt, leaving all other local government areas in depraved situation.
“They have also deliberately abandoned the three satellite cities of Abonnema, Bori, Omoku, strategically put in place by nature and founding fathers of this state to give attention to only Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor”, the group lamented.
The South South Youth Initiative averred that, “the said N200 billion can change the fortune of other smaller cities in the state other than using it to continue vain investment in the already congested Port Harcourt”.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly has granted Governor Siminalayi Fubara permission to borrow the sum of N200 billion to fund the ringroad project.
The approval was given on Tuesday following a request from the governor.
The assembly while granting the approval said the sum would be sourced from commercial banks, adding that the project was inline with the consolidation agenda of the government.
