AKANIMO SAMPSON

2011: NO VACANCY IN RIVERS GOVT HOUSE, SAYS PDP

CHIEFTAINS of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, a major oil and gas producing state in the Niger Delta, who are nursing a governorship ambition on the platform of the party in 2011, should shelve it for now.

Apparently surprised by the performance of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, the inner circle of the party appeared to have settled on the governor as their winning joker The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Chief Godspower Ake, says that the performance of the State Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has exceeded his expectations and that of the Party in just a few years in office.

AkanimoReports said Ake spoke on Sunday during a memorial service in honour of late Elder Renner Ikuru, father of the State Deputy Governor and thanksgiving service for the Appeal Court victory of Governor Amaechi at St. Simon’s Anglican Church, Ikuru Town, in Andoni Local Government Area.

AkanimoReports said the PDP chief also tactically said that the PDP has no alternative to Governor Amaechi in 20.

According to him, ''inspite of my support for Amaechi to become the governor of Rivers, i never thought he could perform to the extend he has done within a short time''. He accordingly lauded Amaechi for what he described as ''monumental achievements'' in the provision of infrastructural facilities.

He claimed that PDP was not worried about the outcome of the Appeal Court election matter because even if the case went back to the election tribunal and was annulled, Governor Amaechi would have remained the Party’s candidate and based on what he has achieved within the short period, he would still have won a fresh election.

In the mean time, the Amaechi administration says its ambitious road projects and other infrastructural development in the coastal communities of the state like land reclamation are geared towards fast-tracking economic growth to those communities which never thought of having such in their life history.

Governor Amaechi said this while conducting the management of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Network Centre, Port Harcourt, around the various projects embarked upon by the state government.

He said the people of Opobo Town, Ikuru Town, and other riverine communities in Andoni Local Government Area would soon access their communities by road, stressing that the State Government was delighted to spend billions of Naira on the projects to turn around the economic fortunes of the people.

On how to redistribute the reclaimed lands in Opobo Kingdom, Governor Amaechi said the communities would be left to decide how the land would be re-distributed among themselves emphasizing that the State Government would not interfere even though it is Government reclaimed land.

The governor also disclosed that his administration would introduce special allowance for teachers in the rural areas to encourage them take up postings to the rural communities.

Amaechi said the bills for the proposed Primary Healthcare Board and Social Welfare Tax, when passed into law by the State Assembly, are intended to institutionalize and sustain these projects/programmes beyond his administration.

He further claimed that his administration has decided to introduce a scholarship scheme for civil servants beside regular in-service trainings, noting that part of the money saved from the Christmas bonus will be used to fund the scheme.

On the Scrap to Wealth plant at Kira-Tai, the Governor said, would be ready in six months time, adding that the plant would be providing jobs for many people in the industry, the state has the technical man-power to operate the plant.

At the Trans Amadi gas turbine, the State Chief Executive said power generated are presently under-utilized, blaming the problem on the refusal of the Federal Government to allow the State Government re-distribute power generated from the State Independent Power Project (IPP) through the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) transmition line.

The tour took the governor and his entourage to some primary, secondary schools, health centres, roads and bridges projects in Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Eleme and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of the state. ENDS