Rivers to latch on London, Paris Club funds for ‘stomach infrastructure’ in 2017

 Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says his administration will embark on extensive people empowerment programmes (stomach infrastructure) in 2017, with money to fund the ‘projects’ to come from the state’s share of the London and Paris Club deduction refunds.

For the governor, the Rivers’ share of the Paris and London Club deduction refunds would be applied to aggressive projects execution in 2017, with the state government already settled salaries and pensions.

“This year will be a year of the empowerment of our people. While we are doing projects, we will be doing stomach infrastructure. Our stomach infrastructure this year will go round the people. We will transform the state in all ramifications,” Wike said.

The London and Paris Club of creditors were owed $30 billion by Nigeria for over three decades up until 2005, when the country summarily defrayed the debts with its huge revenues from crude oil sales. Oil prices went far in excess of the Federal Government budget benchmark figures, creating excess crude revenues. Before 2005, all states of the federation were being deducted to settle the debts.

But salaries and overheads in the state are to go up by over N11.5 billion this year, up from the N9 billion in 2016, which may add further strain on the expected spending binge.

Governor Wike said his administration would combine aggressive projects execution with the planned empowerment schemes.

“We will increase the tempo of projects execution in January to the level that our people will be amazed. Work starts on January 3, 2017. We will release more funds for the execution of the Ogoni Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro Unity Road; Sakpenwa-Bori Road; Buguma internal roads and several road projects will be executed,” he said.

He informed that the government would use this year and early 2018 to deliver on all road projects, a period within which the state would witness total transformation.

He commended the leaders of the state for their support and loyalty, assuring that his administration would continue to invest in the maintenance of security, noting that he would never support the intimidation of the Judiciary under any circumstance. If the judiciary failed, democracy would collapse, he said.

The governor reiterated that Rivers people deserved an award from the INEC for standing up in defence of democracy during the rerun legislative elections, saying the state government would stand by the families of those who died while defending the integrity of Rivers State.

“Nobody will intimidate or blackmail me. No one person can own Rivers State,” Wike said, noting that the state would roll out the drums in 2017 to celebrate its 50 years of creation, the Golden Jubilee.

Meanwhile, Abiye Sekibo, a former transportation minister, said Wike’s style of governance should be applauded, as it had brought development and stability to the state, which he said, had brought inclusiveness in the state.