The Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said the only reason for his rumoured presidential ambition, as well as the allegation that the Governors forum was becoming too powerful to blackmail him. He accused the people he called paid sponsors for being responsible in the act which he said was aimed at distracting him from working for the people.
Reacting to questions at the Town Hall meeting to mark the end of the National Good Governance tour in the state, at the Alfred Diette Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt. Governor Amaechi said the bone of contention was that the governor forum was in court to challenge FG over N2 trillion oil subsidy.
According to him, on the presidential ambition rumuor, “that question is personal, I would not answer it, the actions I take as the chairman of the governors’ forum are for the good of Nigerian people. “I would not please anybody by denying, if I am contesting the presidential election, the problem is because the Nigeria Governors’ forum is in court with the federal government over oil subsidy, that money is too much.
“The governors are saying no more we want to be out of it, we are in court, we are in Supreme Court and if that does not please anybody too bad, those people saying governor are too powerful are being sponsored.”
The governors forum is people oriented, we serve the masses, pointing out that they are the only voice the people have and nothing less.
Amaechi who spoke further said his major achievement is that the insecurity situation in the state has been tackled and called on the investors to come back to Rivers State to invest, stressing that the state government is ready to assist them to settle down.
He further disclosed that his administration has built schools and hospitals in various communities, pointing out that the Kelsley Harrison Specialist Hospital is open to the people of the state and those who reside and do business in the state.
Governor Amaechi urged the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku to persuade the federal government to refund the state government the money the state used to construct federal government roads in the state.
In his speech, the NLC chairman in Rivers State, Comrade Chris Oruge commended Amaechi for his developmental strides especially for taking over the payment of primary schools Teachers’ salaries in the state and urged other governors of the federation to follow suit.
Similarly Comrade Hyginus Chika Onuegbu, the TUC chairman in Rivers State while commending Governor Amaechi for his developmental strides across the state, lauded him for restoring security in the state.
In his speech, Mr. Labaran Maku, the leader of the good governance tem and the Hon. Minister of Information, lauded governor Amaechi for embarking on people oriented projects and assured the state government that all ongoing federal government projects will be completed before the president leaves office.
According to him, the federal government under the leadership of president Goodluck Jonathan met abandoned projects across the nation, pointing out that when the government came into power there priority was good power supply and railway system.
He said the federal government is into private public partnership, adding that the power station at Omoku is almost completed assuring that before the end of the year, it will be completed.
He further assured that other power projects in nine states of the federation which are ongoing will be completed at the end of the present administration. ###
2015 Presidential Bid: Amaechi Keeps Mute …Says FG Owes Rivers State N405bn
Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State said he has the right to privacy and as such cannot make public his presidential plan towards 2015 general elections.
Amaechi stated this in Port Harcourt, Saturday while reacting to questions by concerned citizens on his position in the much rumoured presidential bid (ambition) in 2015, as part of the National Good Governance tour to Rivers State by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku. The governor who showed a bit of anger on the kind of questions that were posed on him, said categorically that he would not answer that particular question on his planned vice presidential bid in 2015.
This is coming on the heels of the fact that the incumbent president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, a South-South son is alleged to have a second tenure ambition.
The implication therefore according to political watchers is that since two Niger Deltans cannot occupy the Aso Rock at the same time as president and vice President respectively, one has to step down and only God knows who then.
Meanwhile Gov. Amaechi has accused the federal government of owing Rivers State N405bn which he said constitutes cost of 251km federal roads constructed by his administration in the state.
The Governor stated this during the 3 day National Good Governance Tour in the state, embarked upon by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku.
According to Amaechi, the roads included Omerelu-Owerri, Aba-Port Harcourt, Ikwerre an Ada George, among others.
The governor said despite all efforts to recover the huge debt owed it; the federal government has refused to refund the money. He therefore appealed to the Information Minister to prevail on the Federal Government to pay back the N405 bn to Rivers State.
Maku who vehemently objected to the claim, insisted that the Federal Government does not have separate citizens from the states. According to him, Rivers citizens are also the federal government citizens, and as such any infrastructure put in place by either the state or the federal government are for the interest of Nigerians.
The Minister also faulted the disparity between the salaries of teachers at the model Secondary Schools built by the Rivers State Government and their counterparts in public schools in the state, pointing out that it will affect the performance of the teachers and consequently the students.
Amaechi has insisted that as long as the Model Schools are being run by private hands (Indians) they have the right to decide on the salaries of teachers they employed. He challenged the aggrieved teachers to resign their appointment if they are not satisfied with the condition.
The National Good Governance tour which took the Information Minister, Labaran Maku and his entourage round all the project sites of the federal and state government in Rivers State has ended with the visitors giving pass mark to the Amaechi administration. Maku was quoted to have said that the N31bn Adokiye Amiesiamaka Sports complex was qualified to be built by the Federal Government, implying that the Rivers State Government under Amaechi has performed beyond expectation.
The team has since left for Bayelsa State in continuation of its tour across the country. ###
Barth Ndu
