As the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rivers State continues, the 2015 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Dakuku Peterside, has challenged Governor Nyesom Wike to throw open the accounts of the state government.
He tasked Wike to promote agriculture, rural development and accord priority attention to the development of education.
Peterside noted in an open letter to Governor Wike that no Rivers man or woman had seen copies of the approved 2016 and 2017 budget of the Rivers State Government.
The APC chieftain maintained that no Rivers man knew how much the state got from federal allocation or internally generated revenue, while the debt profile of the state government was embarrassing.
Peterside lamented that insecurity and mindless killings had been rampant in the state in the last two years, leading to the exit of several companies and businesses.
According to him, the neglect of agriculture combined with insecurity had robbed Rivers State of growth in the rural areas, including the abandonment of the Songhai farm that employed hundreds of Rivers people.
Peterside, who is also the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, however, called on Governor Wike to retrace his steps and to not do things that would betray the labours of the illustrious fathers of Rives State.
The letter reads in part, “With benefit of hindsight, I am worried about your real intentions for running for the office of Governor.
“My concern and that of other Rivers people are exacerbated by the fact that two years going, few policies, if any have been articulated by your government beyond erratic, cunning, and contradictory pronouncements which suggest you were not just prepared for governance.
“It appears the past two years have been expended fighting your predecessor and trying to bring down everything and whatever he represents.
“I do not see how that will contribute to uplifting the lives of Rivers people. “The development of rural infrastructure, which is an enabler to boost economic activities, is not in your radar.
“My dear Governor, it is easy to see the nexus between the collapse of the “rural economy of Rivers State” and heightened criminality.
“Economic transformation of Rivers State leveraging on the productive sector of agriculture and cottage industries is critical.
“Please Mr. Governor let the revival of Rivers State economy through infrastructural development, agriculture and well guided diversification be the real Golden Jubilee Celebration in honour of the spirit of our founding fathers.
“We were once competing neck and neck with Lagos State in terms of infrastructure development, size of GDP, household income and attraction of investment but today Lagos has become a model state we can only wish and hope to be like.”
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