By: Felix Ikpotor
The Rivers State Government has rolled out activities to commemorate Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s first year in office.
Secretary to the Rivers State Government and Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee, Dr. Tammy Danagogo while briefing Journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday stated that only a few projects would be inaugurated and flagged-off in various Local Government Areas of the state.
Danagogo said, activities for the celebration will kick off on Tuesday May 14th with the commissioning of the Old Bori Road which according to him will provide an alternative route to the Eleme axis of the East-West Road.
The SSG disclosed that subsequent days will see the inauguration various infrastructural projects in parts of the state, such as the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Unity Road, the Elele-Omoku Road, the Phase 2 of the Trans-Kalabari Road, Omoku-Egbema road, Okania-Ogbogoro Road and the Egbeda Internal Roads on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 20th 24th and 25th of May, 2024, amongst others.
He said, “On 21st May, there would be commissioning of phase 1 of Port Harcourt Electrical Village and Flagging-off of phase 2 of Port Harcourt Electrical Village.”
Danagogo added that the government will also hold an Economic Investment Summit 2024 on the 22nd and 23rd, May, with a focus on increasing the state’s internally generated revenue, attracting investment, and ensuring job creation.
Speaking further, the Committee Chair said, May 27th coinciding with Children’s Day will be marked by activities for children to be hosted by the governor’s wife Valerie Fubara during the day, followed by a state banquet in the evening to commemorate both the Fubara’s first year in office and the 57th anniversary of the state’s creation.
Other days of the anniversary celebration will feature the launch of a youth development programme on May 28th and an accountability forum on May 29th, where Governor Fubara will present his performance report from the past 12 months, with an opportunity for journalists and the public to scrutinise the facts presented.
He explained that May 31 is reserved for the presentation of certificates to certain traditional rulers with pending certificates, followed by evening praise, while June 1 is for the Rivers International Marathon which the state government hopes to make a regular event to encourage tourism and promote healthy lifestyles.
The events will conclude with a thanksgiving ceremony on June 2 at Saint Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Garrison Junction, Port Harcourt.
According to SSG, a highlight of the commemoration will be the publication of a comprehensive book detailing his administration’s accomplishments, including project costs and specifications to be distributed during an account of stewardship scheduled for May 29th.
Danagogo noted that Governor Fubara’s administration is a “calm and quiet revolution,” with a determination for prudent management of resources, stressing that only a handful of projects were chosen from various localities, clarifying that all the projects to be commissioned, except one, were started by the present administration.
He said, “We have a very concise programme of activities just to mark the Governor’s first year in office, we have come out with a 20-day programme of events. In his characteristic style of embarking on what we have come to know as calm and quiet revolution. He doesn’t want us to embark on an elaborate voyage of celebrations over a long period, spend so much money in fanfare, that is not what he is about.
“He wants us to just do exactly what is crucial and critical to let the people know what the government is doing and the direction of the government. Most of his activities, the focus on the government, the projects embarked upon, everything would be published in a book that would be distributed during the account of stewardship which is part of the activities that would take place during this first year activities.
“The book, which is the scorecard would give you every detail, kobo by kobo of what the Governor has been doing, which projects he met, at what stage he met it and how far he has taken it to and everything other details that you would want to know that your government is doing.”
“To mark this one year anniversary, there would be a few projects to be commissioned and other activities.
We would start on Tuesday 14th May and in that day, we would be commissioning the Old Bori Road which is to serve as an alternative to the East-West Road currently under construction.
“Like you can see, we only picked just a few projects to indicate to the people that even in your area, something is happening. All the projects that are completed or bring completed will be on the scorecard to be presented by the governor during the Accountability Forum, we feel there is no need going round on a one-month jamboree of projects commissioning, most of them we have committed , we have out them to use”.
On his part, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joseph Johnson, while responding to questions assured that all projects initiative by the administration of Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
“You can go home and sleep convinced that this governor is not very perfidious, not very loquacious, and the word that has been imported into our lexicon is Siminalisation pattern, that pattern is the attitude of having hard thoughts, less noise and hard work,” he said.
