Governor Wike deserves a second term on the strength of his performance. He has been acknowledged as the country’s best performing governor.

Simeon Nwakaudu

On September 30, 2018, PDP Delegates from the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State gathered at the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt where they overwhelmingly nominated His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, as the party’s Governorship Candidate for the 2019 Governorship Election.

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Chief Returning Officer for the Rivers State PDP Governorship Primary, Mr Chuma Chinye announced that the governor polled 3345 Delegate Votes from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state. The voting process was kickstarted by National PDP Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who was a statutory delegate from Andoni Local Government Area.

Governor Wike then voted, followed by other statutory delegates before they were joined by other delegates in alphabetical order.

Over the last three and half years, Governor Wike used his office to advance development, good governance and the welfare of the people of Rivers State.

Through diligent execution of key projects and programmes, Governor Wike transformed Rivers State into the nation’s development reference point. A place where every development enthusiast, irrespective of party affiliation wants to be.

Governor Wike in the course of the last three and half years ensured that when it comes to projects delivery, there is no debate. Everyone is on one page. Governor Wike is working.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, assessing the Wike years in Government, threw away political consideration and declared that Wike is Nigeria’s Mr Projects.

Former Akwa Ibom State Governor and APC Chieftain, Mr Godswill Akpabio was overwhelmed by Wike’s delivery of projects that he confessed that the Rivers State Governor had out-performed the failed APC Federal Government.

The Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State noted: “Governor Wike has done more work and projects in the last two years than the Federal Government. That is my considered opinion.

“Performance is not necessarily an issue of the availability of resources. If your state gets N5 billion, do projects of that amount. If you get N1 billion, do projects commensurate with that figure. For Governor Wike, he has judiciously applied the scarce resources available to the state to develop needed infrastructure.

“The resources available to Rivers State is nothing compared to that of the Federal Government. Rivers State Government gets far less than a quarter than one percent of what accrues to the Federal Government, but we can see the tremendous quality of transformation taking place in the state”.

Commissioning the iconic Obiri-Ikwere Road, Senate President Bukola Saraki hailed Governor Wike for redefining governance and touching the lives of Rivers people in fundamental ways.

He said: “This is a road that is significant in the sense that it is from here that investors will come into the state. If you stand here and look across, you will be proud to be a Nigerian. Looking up there, I can see Nigeria is working and it can work better.”

To the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, Governor Wike has exuded excellence and outstanding projects delivery. He called him the refiner’s fire.

He said: “This governor is a consummation of excellence. He is a representative of a refiner’s fire and a fullers soap. A refiner’s fire separates impurities from the gold and leaves the gold intact .

“Refiner’s fire brings out the best. A fullers soup removes dirts and leaves the cloth sparkling clean. I am exceedingly proud of what Governor Wike has done.”

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, praised Governor Wike for bringing back faith in government through his superlative projects delivery at a time people were losing faith in government.

He said: “I can see people working together; I can see a state government in action. I can see a governor committed to the transformation of the state and a governor determined to use the opportunity given to him by the people of the state to the benefit of the people.

“I am happy to see that the governor has brought faith to government when people are losing faith in government”.

Nobody visits Rivers State without coming to the same conclusion. Governor Wike has delivered on his campaign promises to the people.

Projects delivery

Governor Wike is Nigeria’s best performing governor. He is the nation’s Mr Projects. He delivers on projects with a determination and precision that confounds the opposition. His project delivery capacity is what has endeared him to Rivers people.

In the course of the last three and half years, Governor Wike has delivered over 300 roads across the state. It has been a track record of construct, reconstruct and rehabilitate. There is no local government area that has been denied key road infrastructure.

Key roads include: Igwuruta-Chokocho Road, Woji-Elelenwo Dual Carriageway and Bridge, Ipo- Airport Road, Township Roads, Omoku Internal Roads, Elele Alimini Internal Roads, Isiokpo Internal Roads, Igbo Etche Road, Obiri-Ikwere Airport Road, Sakp- enwa-Bori Road, Ogoni-Andoni- Opobo-Nkoro Unity Road, Oko- chiri Internal Roads and a host of others.

The health sector has been revived by Governor Wike. Seventeen General Hospitals have been reconstructed and equipped across the three senatorial zones. The governor is on the verge of completing the Zonal Tertiary Hospitals at Bori, Degema, Okehi and Ahoada. The Mother and Child Hospital in Port Harcourt has been completed and the hospital is presently being equipped. There are also the outstanding Doctors Quarters and the Primary Health Board Secretariat at Waterlines.

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The story of projects delivery is same in the education sector. Over 225 Primary and secondary schools have been reconstructed and equipped across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state .

The administration has reintroduced boarding education through the overall rehabilitation of key secondary schools in the three senatorial districts. They include: Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Bori, Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokwuta, Nyemoni Grammar School, Abonnema, Western Ahoada County High School, Ahoada and Government Secondary School, Ogu/Bolo.

In the tertiary education sub-sector, the administration initiated and built the College of Medical Sciences, completed Faculty of Law building, Faculty of Management Sciences building, Faculty of Technical Education building at the Rivers State University. Similar infrastructural interventions have taken place at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education.

The administration has also delivered several key special projects to boost development of the state. The projects include: the Port Harcourt

Pleasure Park, State Ecumenical Centre, the Rumuokoro Market and Park, Mile One Market , Government House Chapel of Everlasting Grace, Brick House, Civil Servants Quarters and Block of Offices.

In the justice sector, Governor Wike has transformed the state into the nation’s judicial hub. Beyond opening the courts shut by the Amaechi administration for two years, the Wike administration has constructed the Federal High Court complex, reconstructed the Court of Appeal Port Harcourt Division, built the National Industrial Court, constructed the NBA House and the New Magistrate Court Complex. The Judges Quarters will be delivered in December, while the welfare of judges and magistrates received due attention with sports utility vehicles and cars distributed to them.

The transport sector has been positively impacted by the Wike Golden touch. The ATC Jetty in Okrika has been reconstructed and commissioned. The Bonny-Bille-Nembe Jetty is nearing completion and will soon be commissioned.

Rivers State is now one of the most secured states of the federation. Through innovative solutions, Governor Wike addressed security challenges and invested in the improvement of security hardware across the state. Governor Wike has distributed over 300 patrol vans to security agencies, donation of over 50 gunboats to security agencies and monthly subvention to all security agencies for operational efficiency.

The governor has strengthened the economy of the state, making it the most investment friendly destination in the country. Regular payments of salaries and pensions and several empowerment packages have made Rivers State the best performing state economy in the country.

The list of areas of intervention and performance is endless. This is a solid work in progress.

Centre of projects commissioning

There is no other state in Nigeria where more projects have been commissioned than Rivers State. Governor Wike third anniversary was turned into a projects commissioning fiesta. Almost all notable political, traditional and economic leaders commissioned projects in the state.

From roads, to hospitals, to schools, to courts and special projects, dignitaries from other parts of the inaugurated projects that improved the lives of Rivers people. Governor Wike simply raised the bar of governance.

Icon of democracy and good governance

Governor Wike is Nigeria’s icon of democracy. He has remained the political conscience of the nation, working for the enthronement of rule of law and the defence of due process in the electoral system.

The revival of the PDP is one of the key projects masterminded by Governor Wike. When others stood aside, Governor Wike led key stakeholders to nurture the PDP to recovery after the 2015 Presidential defeat. Today, PDP is the party waiting to form the next Federal Government.

It was the courage of Governor Wike that stopped the illegal arrest of judges by the failed APC Federal

Government. He stood his ground and stopped the midnight arrest of a Federal High Court Judge in Port Harcourt. Since then, the Federal Government retraced her steps.

Acceptance to lead rivers state to greater glory

After he was nominated by party delegates from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state, Governor Wike accepted to lead the state into an era where the gains of his first term would be consolidated.

He said: “I have been the Governor of our beloved State for the last three and half years. I am therefore fully at home with the meaning and responsibilities of that office. In accepting this latest call therefore, I can say without any fear of contradiction, that I am worthy of the trust, faith and confidence you have all overwhelmingly shown to me. I thank you all for the honour and the confidence.

“Since assuming power three and a half years ago, I have lived by the solemn dictates of the oath of office that I took on my first day in office. I have also remained faithful to the prescriptions of the constitution of our country as well the manifesto of our party in the discharge of my duties as Governor.”

He said in three years, his administration has revived the State’s economy through fiscal discipline, targeted strategic investments and prudent management of resources .He said: “We have reopened the State courts and substantially transformed the judicial system to enviable heights in the country and our vision of making Port Harcourt a regional judicial hub is gaining traction with the provision of new ultra modern courthouses for the Federal High Court, the National Industrial Court and the remodeling and reconstruction of Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division.

“At the social sector, we have taken concrete steps to tackle insecurity and violence in the State. Today, the crime rate in the State is one of lowest in the country and lives and property are now better secured and protected in the State than it was three and half years ago.

“ We have achieved some inspiring projects, and are still working on several more, on roads, schools, hospitals, transport facilities, land reclamation, housing, sports, culture and tourism. By the grace of God the people of Opobo will drive by road to their community in the next few months. We will also commission the Sakpenwa – Bori dual carriage way as well as the Abonnema ring road by December 2018.

“The progress of this state in the last three and half years under our watch is appreciated not only in the country but also across the world. That was why I feel confident to ask for a second term in office because we can all look back at the last there and half years and say with full confidence that our dear State is better off today than where it was three and half years ago.”

It goes without saying that Governor Wike deserves a second term on the strength of his performance. He has been acknowledged as the country’s best performing governor. On this score, he has received countless awards across the world.

With developments in the political space, it is clear that Governor Wike has divine endorsement to continue his good works between 2019 and 2023.

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