The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, has unveiled a 19-point blueprint for the development of the state and vowed to probe Governor Chibuike Amaechi over the sale of government property and failed contracts.
Speaking while presenting his development agenda in Port Harcourt on Monday, Wike also accused Amaechi of mismanaging about N3 trillion that accrued to the state from the Federation Account within his seven and a half years in office.
He lamented that the state had not fared well under Amaechi and promised that a PDP government would restore the state to its glory.
His words: “It is beyond contradiction that the record of the present state governor speaks and conjures nothing but failure, betrayal of trust and disappointment in every index of good governance.
“Never in history has Rivers State been so dysfunctional and crisis-ridden. For four years the state House of Assembly remains ineffective, totally subdued and muffled. The state judiciary is also under lock and key, and the doors to justice shut against the people for over a year.
“One can only imagine the pains and hardship being experienced by lawyers and their families as a result of this self-serving, callous decision. Not to mention the general public who need the services of the judiciary.
“Democracy is widely cherished as the government of the people for the people and by the people. But here in Rivers State, governance has since been reduced to a one-man dictatorship. Worst still, the APC government remains totally disconnected from the dreams and aspirations of the people. In seven and a half years, the present government has received and spent over N3 trillion. Yet ignorance, diseases, unemployment, poverty, severe infrastructure deficit and threats keep increasing by the day.”
He said his administration, if elected into office on February 28, would not only probe the contractors who were given jobs and did not do it, but also those who gave out the projects.
“We will not only probe those who were given jobs and were paid but did not do the jobs. We would also go after those who gave out the jobs that were not executed,” he said.
He accused the governor of awarding contracts to those he knew would not execute them because he needed their political support, adding that vendors were handling projects that were not even stated in the state budget.
Speaking on his 19-point blueprint for the state, the PDP governorship candidate said his vision was to build a state that “is truly united, secure and prosperous with boundless opportunities for everyone who lives in it peacefully pursue their goals and realise their full potential in dignity and happiness.”
As a responsive government, he said his administration would respect and uphold the rule of law and respect the sanctity and independence of the legislature and the judiciary.
Wike said he would make the State Executive Council truly accountable for its duties through regular performance monitoring and evaluation schemes, adding that the state civil service would be repositioned for efficient and effective service delivery through training, value re-orientation and meaningful motivation.
He listed the agenda in the blueprint to include open, accountable and inclusive governance; security of life and property; efficient and speedy administration of justice; education; healthcare delivery; agricultural development; and roads, drainage and transport infrastructure.
Others, he said, were housing development; provision of water; energy security; jobs, wealth creation and economic empowerment; women development; youth development; sports, recreation and tourism; environmental protection; urban and rural development; and social welfare services.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has accused Wike of cloning his blueprint for the development of the state ahead of next month’s elections.
He said he had already instructed his legal team to consider appropriate legal actions against Wike for plagiarism.
Peterside spoke in Port Harcourt yesterday evening while addressing journalists on his agenda if elected governor of the state.
He said he was aware of the copyright law on plagiarism, adding, “I have contacted our team of lawyers who are currently studying the copyright law, after which we will take every other necessary step.”
He accused Wike of not having any programme of action for the state, insisting that the PDP candidate only adopted his (Peterside’s) programme which he now christened his blueprint.
Peterside said his party had earlier raised the alarm that PDP was planning to clone his programme after abridged versions were released during his campaign visit to some areas in the state.
His words: “We were informed some weeks ago that some persons from Wike’s camp are scheming to break into our website with the singular aim of cloning our programme and plagiarising the concepts we have painstakingly taken to chat a roadmap for the development of Rivers State.
“However those who did the cloning did a poor and shoddy job, totally in breach of the Copyright Law. You can tell from their action that they don’t have any constructive or concrete plans for the people of Rivers State. They just want to be seen and addressed as governor.”
Peterside also listed his four-point agenda to include public sector accountability and security of lives and properties; institutional and physical infrastructure development and food security.
Others, he said, were social and human capital development and empowerment; and employment generation, wealth creation poverty reduction.
