Issues
Rural/Urban Renewal: The New Birth
Immediately after the Civil war Rivers State was almost in rubbles following intense battle by both Biafran and Nigerian forces to gain control of the future oil centre in sub-Sahara Africa.
Hence when the Nigerian forces crushed the rebel forces most of the major structures in the city of Port Harcourt was destroyed. It was under this condition that the then young Navy Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff commenced a massive urban rural renewal drive in the three-year old State.
Borrowing from the slogan of the then Head of State, General Yakubu Mohammed, “No Victor, No Vanguished”, Governor Diete-Spiff started a rehabilitation programme which lasted through the five years of his administration.
Today landmarks of Spiff’s Urban renewal drive stands tall and one of them is the 17-storey building (Point Block) at the secretariat complex.
Others include the supabod building, The Rivers State Newspaper Corporation building and the Rivers State university of Science and technology later unveiled in the early 80s.
Soon after Spiff left office, the urban renewal drive was almost halted, except for the effort of Governor Melford Okilo, who tried to enforce the decentralization policy of Diete-Spiff.
According to the decentralization policy, sub-urban centres like Bori, Ahoada and Degema were earmarked for development, but soon after Okilo was removed by a Miliary coup in 1984 everything went comatose.
Today vestiges of those projects are still there. The old abandoned Faculty of Law building in Degema. Ahoada Town still houses many abandoned government ministries buildings.
Between 1984 to 2007, all urban renewal policies were grounded as the city of Port Harcourt and environs became a haven for lawless estate developers and house owners.
Chairman of the Rivers State branch of the Nigerian institute of Architects (NIA) now member elect of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Belema Okpokiri blamed previous administrations for the near total collapse of building laws over the past years.
In his words, “the political will was not there so it was not as if the laws were not there but rather the Ministry officials kept a blind eye”.
Fortunately things changed when Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi took over the reins of administration in October 2007. he started a massive urban renewal drive hinged on infrastructural provision.
“Before Amaechi administration”, Mr. Emmanuel mark remarked “there was haphazard development and people built houses with impunity”.
Compelled by the drive to revive the city’s infrastructure the administration started an acquisition policy to pave way for expansion of major roads in Port Harcourt, as against the heavy traffic jams now regular in most part of the metropolis.
A Port Harcourt based Estate Surveyor, Mr. Ben Oti pointed out that Governor Amaechi hinged his urban renewal policy on infrastructure because the city was becoming too congested due to influx of people and industries.
As at present, he commented that the Governor’s vision has given the city a “breath of fresh air”. I think when it comes to urban renewal we have started somewhere unlike before”, he said.
The same view was shared by Mr. Mark, the National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) “at least the city is acquiring a new look”, he remarked, “go to Rumuola, Rumuomasi, Azikiwe Road, Elekahia, and Mgbuoba all those areas are totally changed”.
However one aspect of the renewal drive that excites both Mark and Oti is the Greater Port Harcourt City Project, otherwise known as GPCDA headed by former Secretary to the State Government, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam.
The project is expected to run for 50 years and borrows most of its core aspects from the Diete-Spiff Port Harcourt master Plan of 1975.
Greater Port Harcourt from all indications was intended to address the city sprawl and conurbation problem facing the State, since most of government and private business activities are centered in Port Harcourt.
Though it was mooted in 1975, it never had an institutional framework, but the present administration gave legal backing as an act of Assembly was passed to give it impetus.
The master plan covers six local government areas including, Emohua, Ikwerre, Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Eleme and some parts of Okrika. With over 50 native settlements incorporated in the blueprint, the plan stretches around communities near the urban fringes.
Chairman of the Rivers State branch of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Dr. Chris Ibeakuzie in a recent activity of the body hailed the vision noting, “the city of Port Harcourt is undergoing visible transformation both in terms of new construction projects and in the expansion and maintenance of existing infrastructure all aimed to make the city liveable”.
Dr. ibeakuzie continued, “we suggested reviewing he gave the city a brand new master plan backed by the law creating a greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority for implementing that plan. We are hoping that the administrator of the authority shall be making comment on their effort on implementing the plan. Because there is need for the authority to set out an agenda for implementing that plan”.
Commenting on the Urban renewal drive of the present administration in Rivers State Eze Oha- Madike of Apara Kingdom, Chief Fred Amadi said for the first time the people of Rivers State is seeing a renewed city.
The traditional ruler argued that Port Harcourt City is being brought back to its former status as the Garden City of Nigeria, “you can see that Port Harcourt is being brought back to its garden city status. The city is no longer what it used to be”.
Chief Amadi is of the view that the infrastructural development is what has endeared the government to the people.
On her part, Rivers State House of Assembly member elect, Mrs Victoria Nyeche said the Governor has set a landmark when it comes to urban renewal, “for the first time in the history of the State the government is facing the problem of infrastructure squarely”.
For Princess Kate Woluchem the government has performed very well on road and infrastructure. But Mr. Ben Oti believes that urban-renewal does not only entail infrastructure development.
The estate surveyor believes that urban renewal is all encompassing – it covers water, power, road, drains and the buildings. On the other hand, Mr. Mark contended that once the basic infrastructure is provided it would spark off development.
Looking at the rural areas, there have been marked development as well. Almost all the roads in Bori have been tarred, the same obtains at Elele, Omoku, Abua and Ahoada.
The rural riverine communities like Opobo, Abonnema, and Buguma are not also left out. There are huge reclamation ongoing at the ancient city of Opobo where about 32 acres of land have been reclaimed.
In order to drive this rural renewal bid, Mr. Oti advocated for the relocation of some government ministries to rural areas, where their services are most needed. Among those he mentioned include Agriculture, Water and Rural/Development.
Even more, he recommended that the industrial area should also be relocated or decentralized. He argued that activities in the present industrial district at Trans-Amadi axis should be relocated to the outskirts including that at Ikoku Motor parts market.
One other area the estate surveyor harped on is the controversial Water front renewal plans by the government, “People should divorce the ethnic colouration on that project” he noted, “because if we renew our waterfronts it would enhance the city’s beauty and raise revenue for government”.
Mr. Mark shares the same view with Oti. He identified about 40 slums at the waterfronts around the city. “Only within Port Harcourt we have more than 30 slums, “Mark emphasized.
While commending the Government for the plans to renew the waterfronts, he added that the tempo to revitalize the riverside flanks of the city should be sustained despite the recent agitations by some people.
Already, the government have unveiled a renewal plan for the waterfronts where new state of the art housing and tourist facilities would be sited.
Governor Amaechi has reiterated that the project would be the pivot of his city renewal plans before the end of his tenure, adding that adequate compensation would be paid to those who can tender their Temporary Occupation License, to pave way for the scheme.
John Bibor
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
