…Expresses indebtedness to Wike
From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that his government would adopt some important policies to grow the economy of the state.
Fubara stated this during his inuagural speech at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, Port Harcourt, on Monday.
He noted the economic challenges confronting the Rivers people which was caused by the prevailing poor national economy.
The new governor stressed that his administration would prioritize the welfare of the citizens and adopt re-industrialization policy and partner with private sector.
He expressed: “Fellow citizens, we know that most of our citizens are affected by the prevailing difficulties orchestrated by the poor state of the national economy.
“While some of these economic challenges are beyond us, we understand our responsibility to take relevant measures to diversify our economy and insulate it from the headwinds.
“Accordingly, we will prioritize the well-being of the State and citizens with a renewed focus on economic growth, people-centred projects and social services.
“We will improve the ease of doing business and sustain a congenial fiscal regime to attract local and foreign direct investments to stimulate greater economic activities, create wealth and improve citizens’ livelihoods.
“We will adopt a re-industrialization policy master plan and partner with the private sector to revive or establish viable industries to create jobs and empower our people.
“We will also support the growth of small businesses and encourage commercial agriculture to achieve food security, industrialization and improved living standards for citizens.”
The state governor expressed indebtedness to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, for grooming him for the task ahead and declared that he would work on the foundation laid for him by the immediate past governor.
He expressed: “A billion thanks are insufficient to express my gratitude to my boss and our indomitable leader. My family lacks the words to thank you. The Opobo kingdom cannot thank you enough. Only God can reward you in commensurate terms.
“We witnessed unprecedented growth in infrastructure in the last eight years, but there’s still more to do. Therefore, we will follow in our leader’s footsteps to invest in capital projects, including roads, bridges, electricity, supply, and social housing.
“With its interconnecting road network, the need for affordable, conducive and safe public transportation cannot be over-emphasized as Rivers State continues to grow and expand by leaps and bounds.
“We will, therefore, partner with the private sector to develop an integrated multimodal public transportation system to advance mass mobility and access to socio-economic opportunities across the State. We will also construct the Port Harcourt Ring Road to enhance the mobility of goods and services across the State.”