2015 IS HERE AT LAST BEING THE NEW YEAR BROADCAST DELIVERED BY RT HON CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI, CON, GOVERNOR RIVERS STATE ON JANUARY 1, 2015 My dear people of Rivers State, Judith, the boys and I bring you greetings. New Year is an important day that predates the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It marks the end of one calendar year and the beginning of another; it also marks the end of an era and the start of another. For us in Rivers State, 2015 marks the countdown to the handover of Authority from one Administration to another. It marks a moment of sober reflection and a time to look back at the vows we made when it pleased God to hand the reins of power to us in October 2007 which was renewed in May 2011. This New Year also ushers us into an election year that would afford us a good opportunity to exercise our rights as free citizens. The right to vote and be voted for, and above all, the right to enthrone peaceful change with our votes and bring about those things that we have been clamouring for. 2015 is important for us as a people determined to take our destiny in our own hands through the choices we may make. This is why individuals make New Year resolutions and groups make strategic decisions to change their destinies, to improve their fortunes and provide a better future for their children. That exactly is the fact before us as we step into the very first day of this decisive year. We are aware that the actual change of baton is still a little far off, though political activities are already in full gear and elections round the corner. Our Administration is however mindful of the tasks still ahead. The need to remain focused in the remaining months and finish strong by delivering in the various sectors, projects and programmes for which this Administration has been commended within and outside the state. As we noted in our New Year address on January 1, 2014, we have pursued our projects with great zeal within the financial space available. We will continue to do this even as we review the projects in the face of fresh financial constraints imposed on us by circumstances beyond our control, the facts of which are already known to the entire populace. This Administration will not only pursue these projects and programmes but would document them properly for handover. It is important to note, that we have pursued a part of transparency with audited accounts and open transactions for all to see. We have always opened our books and we have been the only state with dual international rating up till date; our procurement processes have operated with world-class standards, our accounting system has been open and consistently updated. It is true that though the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Statutes provided guidelines and processes in governance but every administration has its style and colour, and this is often dictated by the passion, experience and burning desires of its chief executive. The projects, programmes and policy emphasis of this Administration are informed by the deprivations that I, like many others, experienced personally in my younger days. I have repeatedly shared some of these experienced with you. I saw children learning under trees and in dilapidated structures, some of them seated on bare floors and I set out to provide as many standard classrooms as possible. I grew up knowing that hospitals are places far away in the cities where people need to travel to in order to seek health and relief from common ailments and I decided that health centres should be within easily reachable distances from the common people. I grew up knowing gifted and bright children who could not pursue their dreams because their parents did not have the resources hence we initiated a robust scholarship scheme to train Rivers children in institutions at home and abroad. We saw stable power supply in the privileged areas of the city and knew that for the economy to expand and accommodate more people, power supply must be steady and adequate, hence our determination to invest heavily in that sector. We have remained focused on our vision to build a new economy anchored on Infrastructure, Agriculture, Human Capital and Information/Communication Technology (ICT) toward a knowledge-driven economy. We have always made it clear that we pursue a policy of delivering a developed state in which the people have access to quality education, affordable healthcare and good infrastructure. In doing this, we promised to rescue our state and the state capital from armed groups and bring back the businesses that had fled our shores. We are humans and therefore must be subject to human limitations. We did not promise to do all things and I admit we cannot claim to have done all things or solved all the problems we met on ground. I cannot even claim to have pleased every Rivers man and woman in the course of the past seven years, but, majority of Rivers people know that we have not shied away from confronting the problems that threatened our people. Even those who may not agree with the approach of the Administration have come to terms with the difference that we have made in the last seven years. This Administration came into power with fear and trembling for what God can do. That fear is still real in us even as we prepare to hand over. Our case is an example of God’s direct intervention in the affairs of men, especially at times of gross oppression and injustice. It is with that frame of mind that we delved into governance, eager to deliver projects that have touched the lives of our people. We engaged the militants and cult groups that seized our state in a fight and won. We advanced in this front for the total elimination of violence and succeeded in creating a new Rivers State, which held fresh attraction to businesses and investments. Life returned, the economy bounced back and the financial rating grew in leaps and bounds until 2012 when stage-managed political crisis caused us a huge setback. Despite that, Rivers State is today one of the stable states in Nigeria, a place for business and a destination of choice. The Administration paid huge attention and built 500 world-class primary schools and completed four international secondary schools that have won acclaim across the world. We retrained over 10,000 teachers and employed over 13000 fresh ones to improve teaching in our schools. A University of Education was established to help produce professional teachers and it has graduated its first batch of 688 graduate teachers post-affiliation. The Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) has been totally reformed and has moved from 76th in Nigeria to 12th. Over 2000 of our bright children are being trained in some of the best universities in the world on the Governor’s Scholarship Programme and many medical doctors have emerged from them. Rivers State is now exporting ICT experts and products to other states in Nigeria. This Administration has built massive agricultural projects; from the multi-billion naira Songhai International Complex, the Fish Farm Projects, the Cassava Initiative (together with a factory and mobile processing plant), amongst others. The private sector has been invited for genuine partnership and this has led to the revamp of RISONPALM, the establishment of a banana plantation, all to create jobs. The Pabod Brewery is back in action through the PPP too. Now, our people can buy some of the best agro products and processed foods from Songhai International. Grand beer and Grand malt have become major brands in Nigeria. The Administration has completed 120 healthcare centres around the state, and three Tertiary healthcare facilities. The Ernest Dublin Green Dental and Maxilo-Facial Hospital, the Kesley Harrison Specialist Hospital and the Professor Nimi Briggs Hospital at the University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu are now a reality. We have increased our healthcare personnel with over 436 additional doctors and 400 additional nurses. A Self-Destruct Syringe factory, ongoing bio-larvicidal factory, the war against glaucoma and cataract, and improving on our HIV/AIDS and Polio status, are some of the critical gains we have made in the healthcare sector. Perhaps, the Administration’s most outstanding success is the war against the dreaded Ebola virus disease (EVD) which has won huge respect for Rivers State and for Nigeria. Here, we must commend our people for demonstrating total support and loyalty to the Government. The Administration’s policy on infrastructure has been robust as Government has completed 90 per cent of the Phase 1A of the Rivers State Monorail. We have fared reasonably well with our road infrastructure having completed two major interchanges, two flyovers, 25 bridges, and five shore protection projects. We have also completed 890 kilometres of the on-going 1,424 kilometres of road projects across the state. In the water sector, while we await the Federal Government’s final approvals of our AfDB and World Bank loans, this Administration has built 1,200 cubic metres tank storage capacity, carried out 65 km reticulation; and completed six water projects with 62 beneficiary communities. The Administration has completed two brand new power stations in Afam, while expanding the ones at Omoku (150 Mega Watts), Trans-Amadi (130 Mega Watts), and Eleme (75 Mega Watts). This is in addition to seven transmission stations) and 24 Distribution Injection sub-stations that have been completed. We are also building a domestic gas plant to redistribute gas to domestic users, while also pursuing other ventures in both the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. Nigeria has moved to total privatisation of the power sector and it was proper to align with this economic direction by divesting in that sector and turning our assets to private equity. It is the foundation of the expected acceleration of the new power supply management. We inherited a wage bill of about N2.5bn but we now pay almost N9.2bn every month. We do not regret the injection of needed manpower into the system especially in health and education for the sake of the future of this state, but our monthly allocation has dropped by over 50 per cent. Our administration has been faced with a battle of confronting the injustices that have been visited on our people. Besides the denial of economic opportunities, we have lost many of our assets. Our oil wells in Soku and Etche have been ceded to neighbouring states by the National Boundary Commission, with no plan to return them despite numerous evidences in our favour. We will continue to demand for our rights as a people because that is a debt that we owe you. With oil prices crashing below budgeted levels, the pressure on our finances is very high. Despite these, Rivers State is one of the few states in Nigeria that have paid salaries up to December 2014. We will continue to review our finances and the options before us so as to reduce the impact of these natural and manmade pains inflicted on our people. My dear people of Rivers State, leadership is a responsibility and provides leaders with the opportunity to create wealth and prosperity for the people. Therefore the forthcoming elections will be a time for us to decide who our true friends are. The pursuit of the interests of our people should be the objective for every politician. In pursuing this, we must abide by the finest tenets of democracy. Differences of opinion and belief should therefore not detract from the pursuit of the common good. Our people must reject anybody or anything that works against this all-important objective. There can be no development, peace and security without the active support of our citizens. Let us together guard the peace that we have collectively won with care and vigilance. Governance is about you, not those in government. Please keep our dear state in the eye of God through prayers at all times. My dear people of Rivers State, you will recall that insecurity once threatened us when we allowed the wrong people to dictate our affairs. We must therefore guard against introduction of the use of force or violence in pursuing any ambition. As the elections draw closer, we must resolve to shun divisive tendencies and agents of doom. Interests may tend to tear us apart but we must stand as a people and resist it by coming together. This Administration from the onset has been fiercely committed to transparency and accountability, as we end our tenure, we will render a comprehensive account of our stewardship. This is in keeping with our integrity, style and commitment to international best practices in public administration. Already external auditors are fine-tuning our audit report in preparation for our stewardship of account to you, the people and in readiness for the transition to a new regime. We must agree that in 2015, the year of change, we would not either by acts of omission or commission allow our state return to the dark inglorious years when we were a pariah and the fault lines of criminality and militancy in our region. Never again shall we go back to violence, armed gangs and destruction of our assets. Never again will our children become canon fodder for a greedy and self-serving few whose consciences have been seared with iron. Never again will we allow our laughter ring hollow because of the pain of a prostrate economy. We must join hand to guarantee the future of our present and future generations. Remember that above all things, we are better united and that with God on our side, we are greater together. Welcome to 2015! God bless you and have a happy and prosperous New Year.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 13:24:12 +0000
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