The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, has stated that his administration having fulfilled almost all of its promises to the state said he is now ready to empower those who patiently worked with him.
Wike also explained that his administration from the onset prioritised laying a solid foundation for the State through provision of quality social services and delivery of infrastructure that should engender socio-economic growth.
The governor said that the expected economic growth of the State has been secured as the infrastructure provided by his administration has been attracting more investors to the State.
Wike spoke at the inauguration of the Oro-Abali Flyover, at the Kaduna Street Junction along the Port Harcourt -Aba Expressway in Port Harcourt, yesterday, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri.
The governor stressed that nobody can denied that his administration has not done well in projects delivery, security and promotion of peaceful coexistence within the State, noting that it is time to focus on the politics of welfare for the people.
He said: “Now that we have done virtually everything we have promised Rivers people, this is the time now we have to play politics of stomach infrastructure.
“What people do not understand; people think when you are in government, from first day, you should be sharing money. I said, I won’t do that.
“I have to work for the people of the State. Now that we have worked, the remaining period will be to feed your stomach.”
Wike said welfare is an important aspect of the politics of governance because it entailed a form of empowerment of the people economically.
“There is time for everything. Now, the time has come. We have to start to empower our people. The empowerment is for those who have been patient.
“So, every local government, every community will have a pattern of how we are to empower our people.
“As a government, when there is unemployment, some people bring out what they called welfare scheme to be able to cushion the level of poverty in the society. That is what we are going to apply here,” he said.
Meanwhile, inaugurating the Oro-Abali Flyover project, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, said he is happy to commission yet another beautiful project of Governor Wike, delivered to address critical transportation problem in the area.
Governor Mohammed noted that it is second tenure for Governor Wike yet he is not relenting, but working seriously for his people because he has Nigeria in mind, on a broader scale.
“What he is doing in terms of urban renewal is something I can say is only comparable to what is in Abuja, the Capital Territory.
“The difference of this is that, this is being planned in a manner that is really judiciously using Rivers money without any burden of loan.
“There is a very clear achievable timeline and of course, with a very beautiful procurement process where the issues of increases, changing of timeline of delivering of the project is not there with 80 per cent upfront payment being done,” he said.
