A
abujagirl
Guest
Rivers State is a haven for tourism. Our numerous river courses, forest reserves, rich biodiversity and beautiful beaches are beckoning on us for full scale development attention. Consequently, our tourism policy thrust is to provide a clear plan for the development of tourism, especially eco-tourism in Rivers State in partnership with the private sector.
This administration envisages a State that should be the knowledge-base of the nation. To this end, we will give serious attention to the provision of quality education to all at all levels by improving budgetary allocation to the education sector. We shall also effectively implement the Universal Basic Education Scheme and demand total devotion and accountability from our teachers through effective monitoring and supervision. The era of throwing money at public education without the desired results is over. We intend to reintroduce a functional boarding system in public secondary schools and increase funding for research and innovation in our tertiary institutions. We will also fund a competitive local and foreign scholarship scheme for brilliant students of Rivers origin to enhance manpower development in critical areas of local and national needs.
On healthcare delivery, we are determined to ensure that our people have access to affordable and quality healthcare. To achieve this objective, we will adequately rehabilitate, equip and staff all existing General Hospitals and health centers across the State. As a permanent solution to the challenge of inadequate manpower, especially medical doctors, in the health sector, we shall establish and ensure the immediate take-off of a Medical School in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.
As your Governor, I will ensure that we build the infrastructure, including first-class all season roads, bridges, canals, jetties and other mass transit infrastructure that the State needs to drive socio-economic development. Specifically, we intend, subject to available funds, prioritize the completion of all on-going roads projects; construct the trans-Kalabari costal road network, dualize the Ahoada-Omoku road; Sakpenwa-Bori road; and Oyigbo-Afam road, among others. We shall also tackle the challenges of urban renewal, road congestion and traffic gridlock in Port-Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor and other major population centers in Rivers State.
Our administration will ensure that the fruits of development get to every path of the State, including the rural areas by implementing an integrated action plan that takes the entire State into consideration. Already, we have concluded plans to reticulate pipe-born water to Abonnema, Gokana and Khana communities within our first 100 days in office. Furthermore, as a deliberate policy of promoting the growth of more cities in the State, we shall modernize development infrastructure at Ahoada, Bori and Degema towns to facilitate their gradual transition to new cities in Rivers State.
We will seek to enhance our prosperity through power supply and energy security. Until steady power supply is taken for granted, our development efforts will be in jeopardy and so we will strive to achieve power and energy security for Rivers State in partnership with the private sector and the Federal Government as well as ensure the completion of ongoing electrification projects. As an initial step towards tackling the challenge of irregular power supply before making fresh investments, we will conduct a forensic audit to find out the reasons behind the failure of the State to reap maximally from the huge investments already committed to the power sector by the immediate past administration. We will also review all issues relating to the secret privatization and or sale of the government investments in power and other related projects without due process.
Our women are our wealth. The new vision means empowering women through concrete and direct initiatives to enable them build strong family values and play key roles in the development of the State. More importantly, we will work to reduce the rate of maternal mortality in our society, promote gender equality and discourage all forms of discrimination against women as deliberate policies of our administration.
We believe that our youths represent our strength and our future. Our goal is to develop the youth to realize their full potentials as future leaders who constitute the critical mass of our human capital asset base. We will create opportunities for the youth to acquire needs-based vocational training and lifelong skills that will enable them gainfully fit into the society. Our Government will partner with the private sector to expose our young ones to the numerous opportunities provided by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the oil and gas industry and entrepreneurship development.
Besides, our new vision acknowledges the importance of sports and recreation to the socio-economic mobility of youths both within and outside the country. The global economy today has sports, recreation and tourism as the key pillars of development. For instance, football, basketball, boxing, athletics, generate huge revenue and resources for active participants. These activities are youth based and they would attract the attention of our government to systematically promote them.
On environmental protection, our mission is to create a responsible management strategy for the sustainable benefit of the present and succeeding generations. For us, environmental protection is a task that must be pursued with greater intensity, direction and clarity of vision because the environment as our common heritage and the foundation of our existence. In consequence, we will ensure that all relevant legislations and policies on the environment are enforced as well as ensure efficient and sustainable management of wastes through the collaborative efforts of stakeholders.
We will further enter into strategic partnership with the Federal Government, the oil companies and communities to clean-up polluted communities and adversely impacted sites throughout the State as well as ensure the protection of vulnerable shorelines through land reclamation and embankment and, afforestation through massive tree planting.
Let me also assure you that we will not abandon our responsibility to protect the weak and lend a helping hand to the needy. To this end, our administration will provide social safety nets for senior citizens, the elderly and vulnerable persons to enable them live in comfort and happiness. We will reform the pension scheme to ensure prompt payment of retirees, as well as provide free medical services for the aged and children with appropriate age brackets and improve living conditions in old peoples’ homes, orphanages, and motherless babies’ homes in collaboration with faith based and voluntary organizations.
Fundamentally, during the campaigns, we also promised to secure our State. No government is worth any value if it cannot guarantee the security of lives and property. I assure you that never for a moment will our administration be a captive of politics, when it comes to public security. We have the political will to fight, defeat crimes and criminality in Rivers State. There will be effective coordination, collaboration and synergy with the Federal Government, the law enforcement agencies and our community leaders in the prosecution of the war against cultism, kidnapping and armed robbery. We urge our people to fully co-operate with us in this direction.
My fellow citizens of Rivers State, we told you when we were seeking your mandate, that our promises are our bond. Once again, our promise to you is that, we shall work tirelessly to actualize these goals, objectives and targets. But as human beings, we are not perfect and cannot lay claim to having all the answers to the problems and challenges confronting us as a State and as a people. This is why we shall need your wisdom, prayers and support in diverse ways because working together we can do and achieve much more. We shall also call on you to make necessary sacrifices so that collectively, we can make Rivers State the place that we can all be proud of with confidence in the great possibilities ahead.
At this point, let me also assure our people that our government, and indeed Rivers State, will not be on a war path with the Federal Government. We will cooperate and meaningfully engage the Federal Government to develop the Port-Harcourt International Airport to accommodate additional International routes and flight frequencies. We also commit to working with the Federal Government to complete the Bodo – Bonny and other federal roads, as well as ensure the optimal utilization of the seaports in Port-Harcourt and Onne for greater commercial and economic progress. We assure you that Rivers State will not only continue to serve as the Treasure Base of the Nation, but we will also ensure her beautiful people, will be equal partakers of the resources of the land.
I cannot savour this day without conveying my personal appreciation and profound gratitude to His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, and his lovely wife and former First Lady of Nigeria, Her Excellency Dame Dr. Patience Faka Goodluck Jonathan for the priceless love, tremendous support and wonderful affection you extended to me and my family in the course of this venture. The former first family has remained a strong pillar to me in many ways and I cannot thank you enough. I pray to God to specially bless you for me now and always. I wish to reaffirm my unflinching loyalty as well as assure our amiable political leader that if I have the opportunity again, I will firmly stand by you.
Finally, it is with an eternal sense of love that I express my profound gratitude to my beloved wife of inestimable value, Justice Suzette, our lovely children Jordan, Joaquin and Jazmyne for graciously standing by me all through this difficult and strenuous struggle.
The work begins now! As a sign of our commitment to hit the ground running on our march to meaningful progress, please join me and the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Harry Banigo as we proceed from here to the UTC junction and two other sites to flag-off the operation zero potholes in Rivers State project. We wish to assure you that hope has returned and Rivers State shall once again be the pride of our nation.
Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for your attention and May God continually bless our land.
This administration envisages a State that should be the knowledge-base of the nation. To this end, we will give serious attention to the provision of quality education to all at all levels by improving budgetary allocation to the education sector. We shall also effectively implement the Universal Basic Education Scheme and demand total devotion and accountability from our teachers through effective monitoring and supervision. The era of throwing money at public education without the desired results is over. We intend to reintroduce a functional boarding system in public secondary schools and increase funding for research and innovation in our tertiary institutions. We will also fund a competitive local and foreign scholarship scheme for brilliant students of Rivers origin to enhance manpower development in critical areas of local and national needs.
On healthcare delivery, we are determined to ensure that our people have access to affordable and quality healthcare. To achieve this objective, we will adequately rehabilitate, equip and staff all existing General Hospitals and health centers across the State. As a permanent solution to the challenge of inadequate manpower, especially medical doctors, in the health sector, we shall establish and ensure the immediate take-off of a Medical School in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.
As your Governor, I will ensure that we build the infrastructure, including first-class all season roads, bridges, canals, jetties and other mass transit infrastructure that the State needs to drive socio-economic development. Specifically, we intend, subject to available funds, prioritize the completion of all on-going roads projects; construct the trans-Kalabari costal road network, dualize the Ahoada-Omoku road; Sakpenwa-Bori road; and Oyigbo-Afam road, among others. We shall also tackle the challenges of urban renewal, road congestion and traffic gridlock in Port-Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor and other major population centers in Rivers State.
Our administration will ensure that the fruits of development get to every path of the State, including the rural areas by implementing an integrated action plan that takes the entire State into consideration. Already, we have concluded plans to reticulate pipe-born water to Abonnema, Gokana and Khana communities within our first 100 days in office. Furthermore, as a deliberate policy of promoting the growth of more cities in the State, we shall modernize development infrastructure at Ahoada, Bori and Degema towns to facilitate their gradual transition to new cities in Rivers State.
We will seek to enhance our prosperity through power supply and energy security. Until steady power supply is taken for granted, our development efforts will be in jeopardy and so we will strive to achieve power and energy security for Rivers State in partnership with the private sector and the Federal Government as well as ensure the completion of ongoing electrification projects. As an initial step towards tackling the challenge of irregular power supply before making fresh investments, we will conduct a forensic audit to find out the reasons behind the failure of the State to reap maximally from the huge investments already committed to the power sector by the immediate past administration. We will also review all issues relating to the secret privatization and or sale of the government investments in power and other related projects without due process.
Our women are our wealth. The new vision means empowering women through concrete and direct initiatives to enable them build strong family values and play key roles in the development of the State. More importantly, we will work to reduce the rate of maternal mortality in our society, promote gender equality and discourage all forms of discrimination against women as deliberate policies of our administration.
We believe that our youths represent our strength and our future. Our goal is to develop the youth to realize their full potentials as future leaders who constitute the critical mass of our human capital asset base. We will create opportunities for the youth to acquire needs-based vocational training and lifelong skills that will enable them gainfully fit into the society. Our Government will partner with the private sector to expose our young ones to the numerous opportunities provided by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the oil and gas industry and entrepreneurship development.
Besides, our new vision acknowledges the importance of sports and recreation to the socio-economic mobility of youths both within and outside the country. The global economy today has sports, recreation and tourism as the key pillars of development. For instance, football, basketball, boxing, athletics, generate huge revenue and resources for active participants. These activities are youth based and they would attract the attention of our government to systematically promote them.
On environmental protection, our mission is to create a responsible management strategy for the sustainable benefit of the present and succeeding generations. For us, environmental protection is a task that must be pursued with greater intensity, direction and clarity of vision because the environment as our common heritage and the foundation of our existence. In consequence, we will ensure that all relevant legislations and policies on the environment are enforced as well as ensure efficient and sustainable management of wastes through the collaborative efforts of stakeholders.
We will further enter into strategic partnership with the Federal Government, the oil companies and communities to clean-up polluted communities and adversely impacted sites throughout the State as well as ensure the protection of vulnerable shorelines through land reclamation and embankment and, afforestation through massive tree planting.
Let me also assure you that we will not abandon our responsibility to protect the weak and lend a helping hand to the needy. To this end, our administration will provide social safety nets for senior citizens, the elderly and vulnerable persons to enable them live in comfort and happiness. We will reform the pension scheme to ensure prompt payment of retirees, as well as provide free medical services for the aged and children with appropriate age brackets and improve living conditions in old peoples’ homes, orphanages, and motherless babies’ homes in collaboration with faith based and voluntary organizations.
Fundamentally, during the campaigns, we also promised to secure our State. No government is worth any value if it cannot guarantee the security of lives and property. I assure you that never for a moment will our administration be a captive of politics, when it comes to public security. We have the political will to fight, defeat crimes and criminality in Rivers State. There will be effective coordination, collaboration and synergy with the Federal Government, the law enforcement agencies and our community leaders in the prosecution of the war against cultism, kidnapping and armed robbery. We urge our people to fully co-operate with us in this direction.
My fellow citizens of Rivers State, we told you when we were seeking your mandate, that our promises are our bond. Once again, our promise to you is that, we shall work tirelessly to actualize these goals, objectives and targets. But as human beings, we are not perfect and cannot lay claim to having all the answers to the problems and challenges confronting us as a State and as a people. This is why we shall need your wisdom, prayers and support in diverse ways because working together we can do and achieve much more. We shall also call on you to make necessary sacrifices so that collectively, we can make Rivers State the place that we can all be proud of with confidence in the great possibilities ahead.
At this point, let me also assure our people that our government, and indeed Rivers State, will not be on a war path with the Federal Government. We will cooperate and meaningfully engage the Federal Government to develop the Port-Harcourt International Airport to accommodate additional International routes and flight frequencies. We also commit to working with the Federal Government to complete the Bodo – Bonny and other federal roads, as well as ensure the optimal utilization of the seaports in Port-Harcourt and Onne for greater commercial and economic progress. We assure you that Rivers State will not only continue to serve as the Treasure Base of the Nation, but we will also ensure her beautiful people, will be equal partakers of the resources of the land.
I cannot savour this day without conveying my personal appreciation and profound gratitude to His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, and his lovely wife and former First Lady of Nigeria, Her Excellency Dame Dr. Patience Faka Goodluck Jonathan for the priceless love, tremendous support and wonderful affection you extended to me and my family in the course of this venture. The former first family has remained a strong pillar to me in many ways and I cannot thank you enough. I pray to God to specially bless you for me now and always. I wish to reaffirm my unflinching loyalty as well as assure our amiable political leader that if I have the opportunity again, I will firmly stand by you.
Finally, it is with an eternal sense of love that I express my profound gratitude to my beloved wife of inestimable value, Justice Suzette, our lovely children Jordan, Joaquin and Jazmyne for graciously standing by me all through this difficult and strenuous struggle.
The work begins now! As a sign of our commitment to hit the ground running on our march to meaningful progress, please join me and the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Harry Banigo as we proceed from here to the UTC junction and two other sites to flag-off the operation zero potholes in Rivers State project. We wish to assure you that hope has returned and Rivers State shall once again be the pride of our nation.
Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for your attention and May God continually bless our land.
