The best thing Gov Sim Fubara can do for Rivers people at the moment isn’t to borrow N200billion to build more flyovers. Yes building bridges and flyovers are simplistic projects and good for ordinary men in leadership, because it will be all over the place for the eyes of everyone to see that the government has done or is doing something. But there are more germane issues which ought to be addressed quickly that will bring huge benefits to Rivers people as his time ticks away as the Gov.
These issues are:
1. Open up all the projects of the previous gov’t that has become a monuments today for use…
a. Mother & Child hospital
b. All the moribund General Hospitals in the 23 LGA’s that the previous administration claimed to be reconstructing or renovating.
c. Open up the ‘New Mile 1 Market’ for allocation and immediate use.
d. Put the cassava processing plant in Oyigbo to use.
e. Open up the Cardiovascular (Cancer Centre) for use.
2. Complete All Projects That Were Abandoned By The Immediate Past Administration.
a. The rainbow estate at trans-Amadi should be completed, especially, since all the material needed for completion of the project is already on ground.
b. The Kelsey Harrison Specialist hospital use to be a life saver. It saved my sister life in 2013. Kindly bring it back to life. And let it operate the very same way it was intended by the initiators.
Note: Kelsey Harrison was a specialist & a reference hospital that was free of charge, “IF” you are referred from any of the state gov’t owned hospitals back then.
c. Complete the Shopping Mall initiated my Sir Celestine Omahia at GRA junction, after all, Portharcourt still don’t have enough shopping centers yet. This will help beat down any monopoly from the new guys like Hypercity & Market square etc.
d. Complete the “Waste To Wealth” waste recycling plant at Tai. The city of Portharcourt will heal from the anemia of indiscriminate waste spillage, and this will create jobs as well as generate revenue to the state gov’t.
e. Revitalize the Songhai farm & the Buguma fish farms.
f. We can create a centralized “Fish Market” in Rivers state if you decide. Encourage fishing business, give grants to fishermen to boost their morale to be proud of their hustle. Note also: We are called Rivers state, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the lead in the fishery industry of Nigeria.
In Summary:
If the state Gov’t can look at these low hanging fruits which are attainable in the first 100days in office of the current administration, it will go a long way to create a fresh air in the system. People will feel at ease as these can bring in some level of correlation between the gov’t and the people.
These are the kinds of people-oriented projects that the state needs at the moment, if at all the gov’t is people centric.
