Governor Rotimi Amaechi
Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi has reacted to the insinuations by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, that he (Amechi) has no respect for President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Minister had on Thursday attacked the Governor for saying that the South-South states want the federal government to hand over the construction of the East-West road to them.
He accused Amaechi of disregarding the person and office of Mr. President.
Orubebe in an interview said: “The resources of Rivers State are so enormous, but I can tell you that there are so many villages in Rivers that have not been connected by road,” he stated, after conducting selected media men from the Niger Delta states and Abuja on a tour of the road, which has become a sore point between the people and Jonathan.
“Port Harcourt used to be the Garden City of this country. Today, Port Harcourt is a slum; you cannot move in Port Harcourt.
“I think he should concern himself with utilising the resources that are in there to develop Rivers and the people of Rivers.
“I expect him to talk, if he is performing like (Akwa Ibom Governor Godswill) Akpabio. If today the governor of Akwa Ibom is talking about those things, I will tend to listen, sit down and reason with him.
“But not the governor of Rivers; he is only talking. Almost all the roads he is talking of are abandoned. Nothing is going on in Port Harcourt; the people are crying. He should think of doing that.
“Unfortunately, the man has forgotten that it was by the grace of God that he became the governor of Rivers. He has forgotten so soon. He has arrogated to himself, powers that he does not have. It is God that has powers.”
Orubebe continued: “Today, he sees himself as the governor of governors and he begins to feel that he is even bigger than the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But I want to let him know that God is still God. He must have respect for the Presidency. He must have respect for the President of this country.
“It is sad. It is unfortunate that people from the South-South, even governors, particularly Amaechi, have no respect for the President of this country.
“I think this is the right time we should let him know and I have decided to speak, because this is the time to speak now.
“Let him use the resources of Rivers to develop Rivers. Let him not use the resources of Rivers to bribe people in Nigeria; to give to people in Nigeria. That must stop. He should understand that God is still God.”
But the Governor on his part faulted Orubebe’s allegation, saying the statement was a ploy to redirect attention from his incompetence and failure to fix the poor road as Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs.
Amaechi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, David Oyifor, said that contrary to Orubebe’s view, his boss has great respect for the President.
“Orubebe should please tell us what respect, regard and show of love is bigger than that (leading Rivers people to vote for the President in the 2011 election). Orubebe’s attack on the person of Amaechi is a dubious, but obvious attempt to divert attention from his abysmal failure to deliver on the East-West Road as minister of the Niger Delta.”
“The office of the President of Nigeria is a big institution that deserves utmost respect and it would be grossly irresponsible for anyone to disrespect the President, which unfortunately Orubebe is doing by dragging the President’s name into his inability to deliver on the East-West road”
“This attempt to drag the President’s name into it is what is most disrespectful and irresponsible,” he said.
The Governor challenged Orubebe to show the world projects he started and completed in the South-South region as Minister of Niger-Delta, adding that he should visit Rivers State to see Amaechi’s projects.
“What an irony, for an appointed minister, who has failed woefully, who has been unable to complete one single road, to cast aspersions on an elected governor, who is judiciously using the resources of his people to better their lives and develop their state.
“It is no longer in doubt that Orubebe does not like Rivers State. Orubebe should please face the simple task of completing one road, just one road—the East-West road—as this diversionary attempt to attack Amaechi will not complete the road that is most dear to the hearts and lives of Niger-Deltans,” Iyoor said.
In the meantime, Orubebe while briefing journalists in Uyo disclosed that the federal government needs over N200 billion to complete the road by December next year.
He made this known after inspecting the 338 kilometer road from Warri, Delta State to Oron in Akwa Ibom State. He also disclosed that of total costs of N348 billion budgeted for the project, over N134 billion has been spent so far.
Orubebe further stated that “the road was one of the three intervention projects by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the region”
“It was when we came on board in 2009, as a ministry, that we sat back and said the right thing must be done. So, we had to provide detailed design and drawings for the construction of the road project.
“Some of the bridges today were not there when the project was awarded. Some of the culverts that are being done today were not known by the consultants.
“Today, we have 40 bridges along the road, covering 338 kilometres and if you take the dual carriage way, you are talking about 676 kilometes.
“As I speak today, 32 of the bridges have been completed and the remaining eight are at various stages of completion.
“Out of the 768 culverts, about 750 have been completed and all these were done from 2010. It was from 2009 we started planning and budgeting for this road… and we were able to commit N15 billion, N23 billion for this road and we have had meetings with the contractors and we assured them that this ministry and Mr. President is committed to seeing that this project is committed.
“When we took over this project in 2009 it was less than 10 per cent job that was done but today over 50 percent work is done.
“Most of the tarred areas are over 125km…the flood came and most of the areas that were sand filled were washed away.”
Comments