The Rivers State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, says the assessment of the Gov Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration’s achievements in the last six years by the just concluded Good Governance Tour is not realistic because it failed to provide the necessary statistical data like the amount so far received from the federal allocations and the internally generated revenue vis-à -vis the number and quality of projects claimed to have been executed.
The ACN in a statement issued and signed by its publicity secretary, Jerry Needam said the tour is a mere showmanship by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ruling government to justify the wasteful use of the huge resources of the state on elitist and white elephant projects like the fund-draining monorail project.
The party’s spokesman, Jerry Needam also accused the Amaechi administration of claiming credit for projects put in place by both former governors Peter Odili and Celestine Omehia to impress on his party assessors that he has performed well.
Such projects he said are the Flyovers, Afam, Omoku and Trans Amadi Gas Turbines, shore protection projects, the Trans-Kalabari Road, Water Fountain at Government House Round-about, Mile One Market, etc, without giving credit to previous administrations that invested heavily into the projects.
The only credit that can be given to Gov. Amaechi is expansion of few roads in Port Harcourt. He has not built and completed any road in Rivers State.
He regretted that the 24 hours light in the state promised by Gov Amaechi is still a mirage yet the power plant projects have continued to be presented on his score card as a landmark.
“As it is in the power sector, so it is in other areas like schools without equipment and personnel, most of the health centres without necessary facilities, abandoned roads and the collapsed ICT project etc,” Jerry Needam noted.
According to the ACN, it’s the height of deceit to leave out the basic needs of the people that will impact directly and positively on their lives like a countless number of urban and rural roads crying for attention, provision of drinkable water, relevant skills acquisition centres and human capital development to concentrate on gigantic projects deliberately designed to gulp billions and trillions of the state resources for the simple reason to siphon more funds from such projects.
“We believe the assessment by the people themselves based on facts on ground compared to the huge funds accruing to the state is the true assessment on whether the administration has been able to govern well or not and not a collection of ideas, and projects, real and imagined, completed, uncompleted and never to be completed put together and forced on the people to believe. This is unacceptable, unprofitable and unfortunate”, Jerry Needam declared.
Pastor Jerry Needam, JP
Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria
Rivers State
