Politics
2019 Is Sure For Gov Wike – Hon Eke
As preparations for the 2019 general elections gather momentum, amidst alignment and re-alignment of political forces, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State believes that in the race for the Brick House, nothing can change the status quo.
In this exclusive interview with the Acting Political Editor, Soibi Max-Alalibo, the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Hon. Solomon Abel Eke reveals why Rivers State is a no-go-area for the opposition, and many more.
How does it feel like being the Chairman?
For me, it’s a call to service. Ascending to this high position of Executive Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA is guided by my sense of responsibility to the people of Obio/akpor LGA. So, I see it as a call to serve. And with humility and due respect, I owe everything to God, and the good people of Obio/Akpor LGA. We need to make our place better; we do not have another LGA. God brought us here, and I know it’s for a reason.
What would you say are your targets as Chairman?
I have always said that this is a government of continuum. It started from where Nyesom Wike started from 1999 to 2006. Then, from Timothy Nsirim, under whom I served as Vice Chairman, up to 2014. As a former VC of the Council, I know where we stopped; I also know some of the things we had in mind to do. These are the things I’m tackling head-on. For instance, since we broke out of Port Harcourt City Local Government, Obio/Akpor does not have a library. Currently, we have a suitable land for it. So, I’ve made necessary arrangement to embark on it. It will be among projects to be commissioned in my first 100 days in office. We also do not have a sports centre. So we’ve decided to build a sports centre for the people of the LGA. We do not have a cemetery. This will also be provided. And, considering that Obio/Akpor is still developing, with people migrating to the LGA almost daily, we also need to make provision for absorbing the influx of people to avoid unnecessary congestion of our roads, and in order to create sanity on our roads, we’re building more parks for cars. If you live in Obio/Akpor you’ll know that road congestion has been a key issue. We’ve already created some parks, but we shall still come up with more modern enclosed parks like we see in advanced countries, to be commissioned within our 100 days in office. Within the first 100 days too, we are going to institute a green culture: we’ll plant flowers and trees at strategic places in the LGA, such as roundabouts and parks to beautify them. This will be done through the Parks and Garden Committee. We also have in our agenda, a deliberate and planned step to sanitise, secure and develop Obio/Akpor.
In sanitising Obio/Akpor, we want to make sure that cleanliness is maintained. To ensure this, we have commenced fencing some of the key markets on major roads, such as the Oil Mill market. We’ll also do same for the market at Rumuokoro Roundabout, and any other place such markets are found. This is to ensure that those who sell are cordoned off the major roads on which they have hitherto caused nuisance.
We will also provide a health insurance scheme for everybody in Obio/Akpor. They include indigenes, those who live in and do business in the LGA. With just a token of N4,000.00 (for men) and N5,000.00 (for women within reproductive age) for registration in the scheme, bills from people’s health challenges will be catered for by the LGA.
The amount for registration for women within reproductive age is higher because some of them may require caesarean section that would require more money. But it will be done with no additional cost to the patient. The LGC will foot the bill.
Again, we have commenced the training of our youth in various skills to either make them employable, or turn them to entrepreneurs knowing that Obio/Akpor is a viable LGA that is developing at a fast pace. For this purpose, we are training our youth in such skills as pipeline welding, soap making, hair dressing, etc. As the popular saying goes, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”, we do not want our youths to be idle, so they cannot easily be tempted to go into social vices.
Any challenges so far?
There’re indeed challenges. But such challenges are not insurmountable. Most of the challenges we face now are the result of people being used to doing things in a given way, and so find it difficult to change to a better way. For instance, markets are provided for traders to sell their wares in them. But these traders prefer to sell on the roads, thereby constituting nuisance. So, when we now tell them to go into the market to sell, they go to the streets to protest. We have decided to take steps to talk to them in order to convince them that beyond the need for them to sell in the markets, they also endanger their lives by selling on major roads. As we do the talking, we are also taking precautionary measures to gradually send them to the market.
What would you say are the chances of PDP in Rivers State in the 2019 governorship election?
The truth is that in Rivers State, there is no rivalry to the fact that PDP is a household name. Governor (Nyesom) Wike has done so much that virtually all parts of the State have something to thank the government for. His projects are far reaching. Beyond this, he has a listening ear. It is for the same reason he has ensured that the third tier of governance, which is the Local Government, is resuscitated to enhance governance by bringing it down to the people. Rivers People are very comfortable with the PDP-led Government, so there’s no way they can give room for APC, which has already failed Nigeria at the centre People are wiser now, they can compare the hardship caused by the APC-led Nigerian Government, and so nobody can come and deceive Rivers People to the point of not voting for PDP in 2019 in Rivers State.
In his first three years in office, Wike commissioned projects every day for over a month. There is no Government in Nigeria that achieved such feat, at least not in this present dispensation. And, the good thing about these projects is that one way or another, they touch the lives of the people positively. So, having done this much within three years, it is obvious that Rivers people will support the Governor to do more in delivering more dividends of democracy to them.
What is your advice to the people of Obio/Akpor, Your co-chairmen in the State, and Rivers people?
My advice for the people of Obio/Akpor, who voted me into power, is for them to have faith in me. I can only urge them to follow my leadership path for which they voted for me, promising them that I will not lead them astray. I am making sure that I carry on with the development pattern set from the tenure of the Governor when he was Chairman.
To my Co-Chairmen, I urge them to toe the line of the Governor in developing their LGAs by executing projects that will touch the lives of their people directly, because it is the only way to live up to the expectation of the people and our “Mr. Project”.
To Rivers people, I can only say that everybody needs a good life, and the Governor is creating the enabling environment, so, let’s support him. Let us not be deceived by these “money bags”. Since three years they have been in power at the national level, they’ve not brought any development to Rivers State. But the PDP Government in Rivers State has been doing a lot because they are answerable to our people: communities that do not have roads, they cry out to the Governor and he provides for them in good time. He promises and fulfills his promises. There are so many things. The essential thing is that anything identified as the problem of the people and brought to his knowledge, he takes care of it. He has a listening ear, and this is what we demand of our leaders. Let us therefore come out fully to support him and resist any attempt to compromise this position because at the end of the day, if you sell yourself for peanuts, you’ll suffer for it.
Soibi Max-Alalibo
The immediate past President of Obolo Youth Coalition( OYC), Mr Ijong Ama Nkpon Amon, has commended the National Assembly committee on constitutional review for the inclusion of Obolo State as one of the states proposed to be created in the country.
Mr Amon also urged the NASS Committee to give priority to Obolo as the proposed state is viable in terms of human and material resources.
It would be recalled that the proposed Obolo State compromises eight local government areas, one from Rivers State and seven from Akwa Ibom State.
The OYC former National President who briefed newsmen on the issue described the proposed Obolo State as the most viable among the 31 proposed new states in the country.
He also described the inclusion of Obolo State among the list as a dream come true for sons and daughters of Obolo nation who have for years yearned for a political entity that will bring the Obolo people who are scattered in various states across the country together.
According to him, the proposed Obolo State is even more viable than some existing states in the country as it has both human and material resources to survive, adding that the proposed state is not only rich in oil and gas but has enough marine and forest resources to generate revenue.
Mr Amon who recounted how the agitation for the proposed state started said Obolo State agitators were the first to submit a memorandum to both chambers of the National Assembly for the creation of Obolo State.
According to him, the agitation started way back in 2022 when, as the president of Obolo youth coalition, he submitted a memorandum to the National Assembly, adding that he was happy that his efforts were yielding results.
The youth leader also said that there is no impediment to the creation of Obolo State as population wise and natural resources the state is fully qualified
“Obolo is over qualified in terms of geographical spread and resources.
Also population wise and land mass, Obolo is richer than some states in Nigeria. Obolo is the most viable, it has oil and gas,fishes and forest resources”, he said.
Mr Amon, who is also a one time Speaker of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Youth Parliament and president, Andoni Youth Coalition, further said the creation of Obolo State will not only help to improve the conditions of life of the Ijaw nation but also Niger Delta at large.
He argued that even if the creation of the state does not come to pass, history will record that Obolo people once agitated for their own state but expressed the hope that the agitation will yield positive results this time around.
Mr Amon urged Obolo people to be resilient and continue to pray for the actualization of the Obolo State.
Meanwhile Mr Amon has said that the creation of more states in the country will pave the way for the practice of true federalism in the country.
He told newsmen that it would enable states in the country to depend less on federal allocation as they will be made to source for revenues to survive.
According to him: “creation of more states will give more powers to the states to source for revenues and pay taxes to the federal government and this will bring true federalism”, he said.
By: John Bibor
A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has faulted calls for the creation of 31 additional states in the country .
Speaking during an interview yesterday, the PDP chieftain said creating additional states would not solve the country’s challenges or promote its development.
Recall that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, last Thursday said the House had received proposals for the creation of 31 new states.
Hon. Kalu, who is also Chairman of the House Constitution Review Committee, said that six new states were proposed in the North-Central, four in the North-East, five in the North-West, five in the South- South, five in the South-East and seven in the South-West.
According to him, the proposed states include Okun, Okura and Confluence from Kogi; Benue Ala and Apa from Benue; FCT State; Amana from Adamawa; Katagum from Bauchi; Savannah from Borno; Muri from Taraba; New Kaduna and Gujarat from Kaduna State; Tiga and Ari from Kano; Kainji from Kebbi; Etiti and Orashi as the sixth states in the South-East; Adada from Enugu; and Orlu and Aba.
Others are Ogoja from Cross River, Warri from Delta, Ori and Obolo from Rivers, Torumbe from Ondo, Ibadan from Oyo, Lagoon from Lagos and Ogun, Ijebu from Ogun, and Oke Ogun/Ijesha from Oyo/Ogun/Osun states.
Some political stakeholders have, however, vehemently opposed the idea, describing it as unnecessary.
Reacting, Chief George said what was needed in the country at this time was not creation of additional states.
He argued that the fact that some existing states were not viable clearly showed that state creation would not solve the country’s deep structural problems.
Instead, Chief George called on the National Assembly to make efforts to ensure the country achieves true federalism, saying that it was a sure way to achieve accelerated development .
He stated, “Don”t tell me we should create more states. Forget about more states. We want to create more states and then everybody will be rushing to Abuja. This is not sustainable. Let us look at our federal structure first, the same federal system we run with America. Why are we not running it as they run their own?
“Go to New York City, the Mayor of New York controls the airport, the John Kennedy Airport, he controls the ports, the sea ports, the Mayor of New York, not the governor.
“Go to New Orleans, the Mayor there controls the ports. The same in Texas, all oil companies are not controlled by the President. That is federalism. Those people don’t run to Washington every hour to meet the President.
“In America, they have state police and even county police. Why can’t we have such here? Creation of more states is not sustainable. What we need now is to address the problems in our federal structure.”
Calling for devolution of power, Chief George said power devolution would catalyse the development of the country.
He, however, said the present constitution was not working and there was a need to have a new constitution to drive the country’s development.
The PDP chieftain said the current constitution put too much power in the centre, leaving the states and local governments helpless and incapacitated.
He noted: “There is no state in this country that the Almighty has not endowed. It is either agriculture or minerals or human resources. But the constitution of this country is not right. We need to revisit it and now allow all those states to manage themselves, manage their resources. That is the beginning of the cleansing of this country. Nothing is working because the foundation is faulty”.
Chief George called for the adoption of the recommendations of the 2014 Confab to achieve true federalism and address the country’s numerous challenges.
A former Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Elder Blessing Tiko, has urged the people of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area support the administration of Hon. Ezebunwo Ichemati.
Elder Tiko made this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The former party organising secretary, who is also the coordinator of Port Harcourt Environmental Sanitation Initiative, said Hon Ichemati has raised the bar as far as the administration of the capital city is concerned.
He particularly praised the Mayor for embarking on some people-oriented projects within his first one hundred days in office.
According to him, the Mayor has bought vehicles for all the councilors and principal aides of the council including the Deputy Mayor.
He also praised him for the construction of a two bedroom flat for 93 years old widow at Elekahia and purchase of land for Ogbunabali community as its play ground.
Elder Tiko also commended the Mayor the for construction of a road in Elekahia and installation of street lights and the ongoing reconstruction of a road and drainage system at Ekwe Street in Diobu.
According to him the ongoing construction of international educational centre at the council premises also deserves commendation.
He further said that the Mayor, during the end of year festivities, also visited the Port Harcourt Correctional Center and some homes for the less privileged to celebrate with them.
Elder Tiko urged the people to appreciate the gestures of the Mayor by supporting him to ensure that he succeeds, stressing that, if possible, the Mayor should be endorsed for a second term in office.
In addition, the elder statesman also commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his purposeful leadership in the state.
By: John Bibor
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