Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has shed more light on why he is the target of opposition from some politicians within and outside the state.
Speaking at a meet-the-people tour of Communities in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday, Amaechi said most of the people opposed to him are in the rank of those he assisted one way or another, some by contract awards but they failed to deliver.
At Oro-Igwe, he said: “If you check Obio/Akpor, you will see how many persons that have grown through me. Almost 80 percent of those fighting me today are people who I have given billions of naira in contracts and they have put the money in their pockets, they did not deliver and they claim they are Ikwerre people.
“I have said that the road at Eneka was given to an Obio/Akpor son. The internal road at Rumuolumeni was given to a Rumuolumeni son. They gave it to one of Obio/Akpor sons to do. They have not done it. They have no fear, no shame. You know, the worst money to steal is the money belonging to your people. For me, go and check Ubima road, as an ordinary Special Assistant to Chief Rufus Ada George, the money he brought, we did the Ubima road and when I became Speaker, I got Dr. Odili to do the road and the road lasted until I became governor.”
“I did not touch Ubima money. I did not say ‘I want to be a big man, contractor, give me forty million first’. The first road to Ubima was forty million naira, one kobo I did not see. All the roads in Rumuepirikom(community of Nyesom Wike) were done by this administration. I gave the contracts to your son and paid hundred per cent. But almost all the roads there have gone bad and they are not major traffic route. It is because of greed. As an Ikwerre man, what else can I do? Please tell me what else you want me to do that I have not done? I just did not do the road, I gave it to Ikwerre people to go and do. If you are not a good contractor, you look for the good contractor to do for you, is it not? Now, you are not a good contractor, you don’t want to go and hire a good contractor, you just buy one pay loader and you begin to scratch the ground.”
He thanked the people of Oro-Igwe for the opportunity of meeting with them and urged them to beware of those who would be dishonest or would betray people for selfish reasons: “Nobody should come here and lie to you. They are careless at talking. They lie a lot. Ask them, as Speaker for eight years, Governor for seven years, they should show you my property. They are buying people’s land all over, buying people’s properties all over, building houses without fear. Ask them, ‘where did they get the money from?’ If I gave them power, I gave them money, and they couldn’t build road for you, is it when they become governor that they will build it?”
“You know, it’s funny that all the roads we did around here are broken down. The Eneka-Rukpokwu road, we did it, we gave it to an Obio/Akpor son…I am here making this assurance that I will do it again. I promise that before I leave government, I will do it and by latest October, a contractor will come to do it,” he said.
“I am an Ikwerre son and I am the governor. If you know me, I have two qualities I don’t compromise, I don’t betray people. Anybody who says I betrayed him should come forward. I hate dishonest people because I try not to be dishonest. What I can’t do for you, I will tell you I can’t do for you. It’s good to sleep well, not tomorrow you wake up, and somebody is at your door saying, ‘you promised me this.’ I am not among those lot,” he noted.
At Rukpokwu Community, Governor Amaechi recalled how he empowered several indigenous contractors who simply collected mobilization funds and either abandoned the job or performed poorly.
Meanwhile Governor Amaechi has declared his intent to build more model primary schools in the area to meet up with the rising number of school-age children in the zone.
“I have listened to you, it is compulsory for government to provide another school in Rukpokwu because of the population. The population is moving from Port Harcourt to Obio/Akpor to Ikwerre, now as the population continues to grow, the pressure on facilities and infrastructure will also continue to increase and the implication therefore is that in areas like here, where we have this kind of small school, we need to build a second one. We are building two in Igwuruta because the population in Igwuruta is very high now. So, I think that all these communities in Obio/Akpor around this axis, you need more schools so that we can accommodate more children. It is our responsibility. No politics in it. If you like, you can vote for APC, or you can vote for PDP, but to meet your needs is my responsibility. There is no village you will go to that you won’t see either a primary health care centre or a model primary school. It is my job.”
Amaechi said the tour was purely aimed at assessing the level of work done by his administration in all Local Government Areas of the State before the end of his administration.
“We are not here to campaign. We are here purely for the reason of touring the state. As governor of the state, I would go round and see for myself what I need to do before I leave and then the ones I have done that I am satisfied with. My children ask me, and you know, I have children who question me from time to time, and they ask me ‘daddy, if you leave office, what achievement would you say is the best that you can attribute to your development,’ and I said it’s in the education sector. I am proud that I will come out at the airport in Germany and children would come to me and say ‘Good morning sir, I’m a scholar of the Rivers State Government, you pay my fees’, I’m very proud of that,” he said.
On their part, the people of Rukpowu community lauded Governor Amaechi for his numerous achievements in the state and were particularly delighted with his presence.
They said, “We are beholding in our midst today the true face of democracy in Nigeria and the world at large, a very objective personality, a true patriot, a great son of Rivers state and the Niger Delta in general, the current Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Lord’s anointed, a great visionary leader and pacesetter, a man with unprecedented and unparalleled record in giant strides in infrastructural development in Rivers State in the areas of health, education, agriculture, roads, electricity, security, social services, etc; that great colossus of our time is the indefatigable and invincible executive governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, CON.”
Also at Oro-Igwe community among other places visited including Rumuokoro, Rumuigbo, Rumuepirikom and Rumuola, the people generally praised Governor Amaechi, referring to him as a born leader and thanked God for his wisdom and vision and the passion with which he discharged his responsibilities and his passion for the poor.
PRESS UNIT
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
PORT HARCOURT
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