No Going Back on Protecting Rivers People’s Interest, Says Fubara

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that there is no going on the policies and programmes of his administration towards the protection of interest of Rivers people, especially the youths.

The governor also stated that every effort at achieving development in any society will come to waste if the health of the people is not adequately factored into it.
He said his administration also places as priority youths’ development and empowerment, stressing that they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Governor Fubara disclosed this yesterday, when he received the youths of Emohua Local Government Area under the aegis of “Emohua Youths For SIM” on solidarity visit to Government House, Port Harcourt.

Fubara who spoke through the Rivers State Head of Civil Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, said that his administration has put in place modalities that will boost the livelihoods and well-being of Rivers citizens, which youths of Emohua will also benefit when they materialise.

The governor, pointed out that the recently awarded Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Road, the ongoing Emohua-Kalabari Road, reinstatement of illegally sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Area and the approval for electrification of the area, are part of deliberate measures to open up the area to make life conducive and more meaningful for the people.

According to him, “Everything about the governor is putting the interest of Rivers State first. He is looking at and taking action on those things that we need to do to restart the wheels of progress in Rivers State.
“There are many things the governor has planned and is already doing that will boost the life and welfare of every citizen of Rivers State, but most importantly the youths.

“Growing up, I learnt that Egbeda is one of the biggest communities in the whole of Ikwerre, and it’s predominantly an agrarian community. They have food in Egbeda, they have food in Ubimini, they have food in Omudiaga and other natural resources. The whole world is tilting towards agriculture, and this is the way to go.

“The Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Omoku Road, when completed, will open up the area for real development. Your food and everything you produce there will now have value, they will no longer be thrown away. In all these, you the youths are going to be utmost beneficiaries,” he said.
He added, “Same will be applicable to the Emohua-Kalabari Road which will also trigger development in the area, and you will be the greatest beneficiaries. When the LGA is also electrified, you will be having 24 or 20 hours of electricity, and those things the youths can do with electricity, you can stay at home and create wealth for yourself and children.

“All the totality of what the governor is doing, when they are completed, or even as some are completed now, the youths are going to be utmost beneficiaries,” he noted.

While acknowledging that youths are the true leaders of tomorrow and any government that fails to carry them along in the scheme of things is doomed to fail, the governor assured them of his administration’s commitment to always address issues concerning youths and ensure that they are part of his government.

He commended the youths for toeing the path of truth by identifying with his administration, urging them to sustain the tempo and shun evil, as his government will ensure that the trend whereby politicians turn youths to beggars are over.

Earlier, spokesman for the Emohua Youths for SIM, Comrade Ovamale O. Ovamale, said that the visit by youths from the 14 political wards in Emohua LGA was to thank the governor for the award of the Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Road, the approval for electrification of the area and reinstatement of sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Council, which the youths were mostly affected.

In another development, the governor said his administration has started intensifying efforts at reviving the near comatose health sector that operated without an effective secondary healthcare facilities in the state.

The governor stated this when he received a delegation of the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) led by its National President, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

The governor also confirmed the appointment of Prof. Chizindu Alikor as the substantive Chief Medical Director of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH).

He explained that provision of quality healthcare service and development efforts needed to be properly integrated to achieve set overall goals.

The governor said workers and  all citizens needed to be healthy if they are expected to be productive and contribute their quota to advance governance.

“The governor and his team cannot succeed without your support. That is the truth, and any government that has the interest of its people at heart must pay adequate attention to the provision of quality healthcare services.

“Healthcare goes with development. That is the truth. Your workers need to be healthy to be productive. If you put everything in place and you don’t have good health, then your people will be under-productive.”

Fubara said that as an administration that means well for the people, it was solving the plethora of issues inherited in the health sector without making noise about it.

He explained that health facilities, particularly those that provide intermediary services were being rebuilt and strengthened, zonal hospitals would be revived while the personnel are adequately being motivated because they are critical partners in government.

Those were done, he stated, by approving and implementing promotions for health workers, implementing consequential salary for them, paying hazard allowances and many other incentives.

In his speech, the National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Uche Ojinmah, said he led the delegation to thank Governor Fubara for what he has done to better the lot of medical personnel in Rivers State.

Dr. Ojinmah said two years ago, he was in Port Harcourt to beg the government then to promote medical workers, increase their salary, pay them hazard allowances plus other incentives but was ignored.

He noted that Governor Fubara had, without prompting, attended to those concerns, including employing more personnel, and rescuing the NMA Secretariat from crumbling.