Wike: The Audacious Revolution of a New Rivers

Security is central to law, order and peace. Where safety, security and justice are lacking, poverty and underdevelopment abound. But where safety, security and justice cohabit, development and peace are found. If you have had the opportunity of touring Rivers State under Governor Wike, you will totally agree that his administration has over the last two years made unprecedented investments in security and the development of infrastructure in the state. He has dutifully placed the state on the path of rapid development, after the deprecation and depreciation that were the hallmarks of the previous administration.

Consider this.

September 17, 2013: The Dean of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, abducted by gunmen. He was traveling with his wife, Beatrice, from Eleme to Port Harcourt. Rivers State was under siege. The incident was just one of the frequent security breaches giving Rivers State a new coloration.

Assassinations, kidnappings, rape, extortion, armed robbery, murder and other heinous crimes were on the rise. F o r e i g n c o u n t r i e s warned their citizens to steer clear of the state. Multinational c o n c e r n s hedged on the precipice. E c o n o m i c activities were g r o u n d e d . People lived in fear. The once Treasure base of the nation became the Treasure of pressure and t r e p i d a t i o n .

Fear and good morning were like Siamese twins. That was the Rivers State before the coming of Nyesom Wike, a top finisher, who Rivers indigenes have n i c k n a m e d the ‘talk and do governor’ but who the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo would rather call “Mr. Projects”, a euphemism for the audacious infrastructure revolution going on in Rivers State.

September 20, 2017: Primate, Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh leads over 150 delegates of Anglican Bishops including their wives, clergy, senior judiciary officers and other high calibre laities to the 12th General Synod of the Anglican Church holding in Port Harcourt. The general synod, the highest decision making organ of the Anglican Church in Nigeria holds every three years.

Three years ago, the church would never think of bringing its most important personalities in Nigeria to the state; a state which was exploding then in a blaze of insecurity. Four years after his kidnap, Archbishop Kattey at the golden jubilee celebration of the state in May 2017, declared that Governor Wike was specially sent by God to rescue Rivers State. Three years ago, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) would have had a rethink before holding their Annual Conference in Port Harcourt.

As Anglican Bishops were meeting, Editors were somewhere also meeting in Port Harcourt. This was the second meeting in two years, after they converged also in 2016; a resounding testimony of the peace and development that have heralded the New Rivers. Among other areas the governor has done well, security stands out. An Editor narrated how his wife almost prevented him from coming to the conference, citing “large scale insecurity” in the state as reason.” But while in Rivers State, he streamed a live video to the wife as he dined out in the streets of Port Harcourt around 10pm, reminding her that even the Anglican Bishops meeting at the same time in Port Harcourt had “thou shall not fear,” as the theme of the general synod.

But how was Governor Wike able to return peace and tranquility to the state? Somebody said: “granting of amnesty to cultists and militants that agreed to surrender their arms. Over 22,430 cultists accepted the amnesty and surrendered over 911 assorted arms, 7661 assorted ammunition, and 147 explosives. The recovered arms were shredded and the explosives destroyed, while the programme’s success resulted in reducing the menace of cultism and associated bloodletting among youths in some of the communities.

Added to this is “the development of surveillance networks in local communities to provide intelligence for security agencies; the amendment of the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) Law, ensuring it reflects the complexion of modern challenges; the total clampdown on cultists and related criminal activities across the state; confiscation of assets derived from kidnapping and other related crimes; the strengthening of the police through the procurement and donation of hundreds of patrol vehicles fitted with sophisticated communication gadgets, and 20 Toyota Hilux vehicles and the institution of a handsome monetary compensation plan for families of security personnel who are hurt or die on the job.”

Road construction: Modern societies have accepted the fact that roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits. They are of vital importance in order to make a nation grow and develop. Besides providing access to employment, social, health and education services a sustainable good road network is a catalyst and is crucial in fighting poverty. Wike understands this phenomenon and has plunged head-long in appropriating this concept in making Rivers a model to behold. “We have engaged in the total revolution of the road infrastructure for the overall growth of the state,” Wike said.

It is not for nothing that the Vice President used the euphemism, “Mr. Projects” to describe the governor efforts in turning Rivers State into a massive construction site. One of the outstanding areas that the governor has excelled above his peers is definitely in the visible infrastructure of roads across every local government in the state. All over the state, there is one road construction, rehabilitation or reconstruction going on. His pragmatic approach and dedication has led to the construction and completion of over 100 roads in just two years, a record no other state governor has set in recent times.

These include the dualisation of the Rumukurushi/Eneka/Igwurrura road; the construction and rehabilitation of the Chokocho/Umuechem/Ozuzu road; and the construction of the second Nkpogu Bridge in Obalga local government. There is the 14km Rumukurushi/ Eneka/Igwuruta Road and important dual carriage road inherited from the previous administration. This double 7.3metres asphalted road has been completed and commissioned.

There is the 18.5km Chokocho/ Umuechem/Ozuzu road which was in a bad state but which is the key to a predominantly agrarian community which lacked access road for the transportation of their farm produce. Completed by Wike’s administration, this road provides access to three local governments.” He has also completed the 90m long and 12.7m wide second Nkpogu Bridge in Obalga Local Government Area which has turned out to be a major accomplishment as it links a very strategic road that leads to the industrials hub of the state.

This project has helped in alleviating economic hurdles and has activated rapid development in the area. But quite outstanding, is his administration’s Operation Zero Pothole. This is a vision that upholds the repair culture and has ensured that litany of potholes on the roads which signpost decay and depreciation, were taken care of immediately they occur. This has seen the massive rehabilitation of Port Harcourt’s internal roads, which included Tombia Street, Sokoto road, Churchill road, Creek road, Ahoada road, Force Avenue, Evo road, Woji road, Ohiamini road, Ogbunabali road, Eleme flyover and Kolukuma road. In all, the operation covered over 20 kilometres of roads and has yielded physical and economic dividends. Hospitals: One other area that the government in Rivers State has excelled is in healthcare.

When Wike assumed office, he made it clear that he would promote the hospital industry’s state of preparedness for meeting the healthcare needs of Rivers State. At Abua, in Abua/Odual council, while inaugurating a rebuilt hospital, he said the gesture was to enable the people access quality healthcare. “All health facilities abandoned by the immediate past administration will be completed to ensure that Rivers people have access to quality healthcare.” Governor Wike said his administration was working towards completing the Mother and Child Hospital in Port Harcourt and the zonal hospitals in Degema, Bori and Etche.

“All the hospitals being constructed or reconstructed were abandoned. They were in a sorry state of abandonment, despite the funds that accrued to the state,’’ he noted. “We have started the process to complete the abandoned zonal hospitals and the Mother and Child Hospital,’’ Governor Wike stated. Today, the overhauling of the healthcare system in the state has ensured that indigenes have access to comprehensive facilities that are people-oriented. The needs of individuals and the communities have been adequately taken care of in this regard. For example, the administration undertook a complete renovation of the 52- bed general hospital, Bodo, in Gokana local government. The medical facility was in a run-down state before the government’s intervention.

Also, the first state-run mental facility in the South-South and South-East, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Rumuigbo, has received a major facelift. The 42-bed hospital was totally renovated and fitted with state-of-the-art medical facilities to provide quality mental health care delivery. Besides, 13 General Hospitals in 13 different Local Government Areas, including Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Akuku Toru, Andoni, Asari Toru, Eleme, Emohua, Gokana, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, Opobo/Nkoro, Omuma, Okrika and Port Harcourt are undergoing comprehensive reconstruction, furnishing and retooling, with most of them already completed, awaiting furnish and commissioning.

Also, the regional hospitals started by the immediate past administration located in Etche and Degema Local Government Areas, as well as the Mother and Child Hospital in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area to serve as regional referral centres for secondary and tertiary healthcare. Meanwhile, Wike has announced that the state would construct an international specialist hospital to handle life-threatening ailments; a move he said would stem capital flight from the country. The new specialist hospital, which will no doubt promote medical tourism in Rivers, will have a helipad and modern equipment for the treatment of cancer, kidney, heart and liver diseases.

Wike who revealed this while hosting the national president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), also noted that his administration has released $4 million to equip the state-owned Braithwaite Specialist Memorial Hospital in Port Harcourt. Education is also key to development. The government of Rivers State under Wike has rehabilitated and equipped over 300 primary and secondary states across the state, while infrastructural development at the Rivers State University has been funded for the accreditation of courses. His administration has rehabilitated major secondary schools in the three senatorial districts to reintroduce boarding education, turning them into model schools.

In terms of economic development, the governor has taken a lot of measures that have improved the economic fortunes of the state. He put up machinery for diversification and financial autonomy. This has led to the internally generated revenue of the state rising from N4 billion to N9 billion, with a commitment that would make the allocation from the Federation Account less irrelevant.

He has also introduced a lot of fiscal discipline, for instance, the biometric exercise going on in the civil service has saved the state a humongous one billion Naira. Another key economic policy the governor implemented was to eliminate multiple taxations to ensure that businesses thrive to the benefit of the people. This has undoubtedly fostered the growth of indigenous entrepreneurs through contracts as well as small and microenterprises being financially supported to revitalise local economies. These efforts are fast regaining its lost glory as the financial hub of Nigeria.

As the state celebrated its golden jubilee in May, the governor demonstrated the spirit of good neighborliness and peaceful cohabitation, asking all friends and foes to come together and rebuild the state: “Irrespective of our affiliations, we should come together. It does not matter the party that we belong, let us work together to move Rivers State forward. Of importance is that we should use this period of our Golden Jubilee as a time of reconciliation. It is because of these uncommon strides that accolades and honours are falling like snows for Wike, even when he is being derided at home by detractors. One of the greatest was the recent prestigious United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) Global Human Settlements Outstanding Contribution Award which came in from New York City United States of America. This was in recognition of his efforts in the provision of decent and affordable housing for the people of the State.

What people say: “Wike has performed wonderfully well,” former President Goodluck Jonathan, had said, during the inauguration of the second Nkpogu Bridge in Port Harcourt in May. Jonathan, who described the whole of Rivers as a construction yard went on to assert that the Wike administration “has opened up Rivers State through projects. Wike has shown so much commitment to infrastructure development.”

Martins Anyadike, News Africa Magazine: Gov. Wike’s commitment to development especially in the areas of economic and social infrastructure so far, remains impressive. He has done much work in the areas of road construction and opening of the rural economy of the state. While his strides remain praise-worthy, he still needs to build momentum and more inclusive policy strategies to improve economic outcomes.

Isaac Ighure, Former SecretaryGeneral NGE: He is doing well. I do hope the projects he is executing would not be abandoned and that they are durable. I am particularly impressed by the construction of a model market. This would definitely ease the difficulties traders face. Overall, the governor had really taken the state to the next level.

Debo Oshimdun, Asst Editor-In-Chief, NAN: With the projects I have seen so far, the governor is working. He has really touched the lives of the people of Rivers State. But he should ensure that all the projects he has started are completed. He should not fall into the trap of abandoned projects. He has done well.

Fred Shaka: Asst. Director of News, Radio Nigeria: I keep wondering where the governor is drawing the strength, courage and wisdom to do a lot of the things he is doing. This is unprecedented. When you hear and read from afar the things that are being said of the governor and his state and you come here to see for yourself, then you wonder what is really going on with our politicians. I have travelled to a lot of states. I can assure you; this governor has set a benchmark for development. He is above his peers.” Well, Fred should not wonder for long. Wike is a distinguished performer. As a council chairman and former National President of ALGON, he is not a stranger to security, infrastructure and grassroots development.