The inability of democratically elected leaders to provide adequate security for citizens is an offence grievous enough to be punished with impeachment, Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi has said.
Speaking on Sunday at a town hall meeting with indigenes of the state living in the United States, Amaechi identified lack of adequate security as the first offence that any governor could commit, since their first oath of office relates to protection of lives and properties. He also linked lack of education to the spate of insecurity in some parts of the country.
“I hate to see people build high fences in the name of providing themselves with security,” he said, reiterating the commitment of his administration to achieving remarkable milestones in maintaining law and order by adopting zero-tolerance attitude towards social vices.
He promised to continue motivating, training and retraining the Police Force and other security agents in the state on crime prevention and detection, adding that the state had also established a centralised rapid response call control centre with state-of-the-art equipment and helicopters for effective monitoring.
“In Rivers State, we have sustained security achievements via the introduction of more modern and reliable real-time security equipment like CCTV’s for streets and other public areas, as we hit greater energy efficiency,” he said.
“The state government has embarked on some major policy, regulatory and administrative reforms aimed at improving and guaranteeing investor’s confidence and returns.”
However, he explained that the Public Procurement Law No. 4 of 2008 established a Bureau of Public Procurement as the regulatory agency responsible for policy making and monitoring procurements of goods and services.
“The Public Private Participation in Infrastructure Development Law No. 5 of 2009 provides the policy and regulatory framework for PPPs and reduces the risk of policy reversal by future administrations.
“The Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority Law No. 2 of 2009 mandates the Authority in all situations to protect private investments both local and foreign,’’ the governor disclosed.”
Speaking further, Amaechi said the law also enables the state to procure from the state government guarantees, letters of comfort, indemnities or undertaking Contracts Policy and Regulatory framework,
He revealed that the state would work more to explore the benefits of the land use law, which protects companies and investors against communal unrests and lock-downs, thereby eradicating communal related industrial downtimes.
“The state would continue to chart the path in power generation via investments in the construction of four power stations with a combined generation of about 700 megawatts of power, two of which are cited in the industrial axis of the state.
“We are currently undertaking the rehabilitation and expansion of the gas pipeline network in the state to ensure steady source of gas supply to factories especially in the industrial layouts to reduce cost of operation.”
The Rivers State chief executive disclosed that about N6bn is spent annually on 300 students awarded university scholarships to study abroad, a project that initially began with N1bn.
He refrained from discussing his interest or otherwise in contesting the presidency in 2015, saying his assignment is to govern Rivers State.
“If any other person thinks this man has ambitions, it is that person’s business. The constitution of Nigeria stipulates on what qualifies anybody to have ambitious. So if that is the reason for which Rivers State is being denied everything, too bad,” he said.
“I have said it, they don’t like Rivers State. If they liked Rivers, they should show us evidence that they like us. Everything that comes to Rivers State they have taken away. I have said it to the president.
“Even ordinary waivers for security helicopters, agricultural materials, they wouldn’t grant the state. Anything we apply for will never be approved. There is nothing we applied for that we have successfully gotten, absolutely nothing. It is not that the president is bad; the president is absolutely a good man. But those people around the president continue to give that impression of hatred and dislike because that is how they will succeed and make their money.”
Speaking also at the save event, Amb. Geoffrey Teneilabe, the Nigeria Consul-General in Atlanta, Georgia, observed that the potentials of Rivers State are too huge to be left unharnessed and undeveloped.
