• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Wike in 5th year anniversary, points to roads, hospital, school repairs

Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State marked five years in office and one year in second term on May 29, 2020, with self-praise in the areas of road projects, healthcare, education, and lamentation over the pains of the coronavirus.

In a state-wide broadcast, the governor talked about the year of abnormal times and moments marked by loss of 12 lives to coronavirus. “In the last six months, the coronavirus has wrought nothing but pain, sorrow and destruction on humankind. And it is most unfortunate that the speed and vigour of our emergency response measures have not succeeded in stopping this virus from spreading in our state. The reality therefore, is that we must all accept to live with this virus and its consequences until an effective vaccine is discovered.”

The governor heaped hope on discovery of vaccines and cures but said for now, the solution lies in each person’s hands. “We pray for the quick success for the global search for vaccines and therapeutics, but until then, the responsibility is still on every one of us to strictly and effectively comply with the established mitigating measures.

“Regrettably, we have observed that the advisories, directives and regulations on social distancing and the compulsory wearing of face masks are being ignored at alarming proportions in the state, much to our collective discomfort and peril,” he pointed out.

“So, many people are moving about on our streets and into other public places without face masks. We have sighted businesses, including banks and shopping centres attending to customers without face masks or maintaining physical distancing.

“We have also seen people on our streets buying and selling without face masks or observing social distancing in clear disregard of the ban on clustered trading activities and unauthorised social gatherings,” he further said.

He threatened to return the lockdown if citizens did not adhere to health protocols. “These are all very irresponsible and risky behaviour in the face of the invisible and ravaging pandemic and the enormous threat it poses to public health and the safety of human lives. Those who continue to exhibit or encourage such callous behaviour or trivialise the fatal power of this virus or still live in denial of its existence are either insane or the worst enemies of mankind,” he said.

On the positive side, the governor mentioned ongoing construction of three flyovers, the coming of the fourth one at the GRA-Mummy Road, and numerous road projects in the state.

He went on: “Apart from roads, we also made significant progress in the last one year on the progressive delivery of healthcare and education infrastructure and services. The mother and child hospital is virtually completed, fully furnished, equipped and only undergoing necessary testing and preparations for commissioning. Also completed is the comprehensive health centre at Odiokwu in Ahoada West Local Government Area.

“We fully built, completely equipped and converted the former Braithwaite Memorial Hospital to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, which is reckoned as one the best in the country, leading to the accreditation of the programmes of that facility for the training of medical students by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria,” he said.

“Furthermore, the regional referral hospitals in Degema and Bori in Degema and Khana Local Government Areas respectively are presently being furnished and equipped, while structural work is continuing on the ones located in Omoku and Okehi in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Etche Local Government areas,” he added.

He listed many government secondary schools under reconstruction. “The construction of students’ hostels for the Real Madrid Football Academy is progressing very well and the academy will soon open its doors for simultaneous academic and football and related training and mentoring programmes.”

He mentioned agricultural sector where he has been heavily vilified. “And in line with our promise to refocus on agricultural development, we are at the verge of completing the Datco cassava processing plant, with guaranteed off-taker opportunities for over 3000 local cassava farmers, and inspiring capacity to stimulate the cassava revolution in the state and related industries and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for our people.

“In the last one year of our second tenure, we have kept our promise, worked hard and achieved more with less resources, provided first-class socio-economic infrastructure and kept our state and businesses safe, secure.”

He said that the government had reduced the 2020 budget by 48 percent from N530.8bn to N300.3bn, and that he would work with what is available.