Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Friday accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of frustrating his efforts to develop the state.
The governor revealed that the EFCC recently started inviting contractors executing projects in the state to ascertain if the projects were real.
This is as the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, declared that Rivers State was lucky to have Governor Wike, who had been transforming the state through the execution of pro-people’s projects.
Speaking during the inauguration of Abacha Road in GRA Phase 3, Port Harcourt on Friday, Wike said: “EFCC is now inviting our contractors to inquire if the projects we are executing are fake or real. Instead of encouraging us to continue with our good works, they are working desperately to distract us.
“EFCC should go to non-performing states. I want to tell our contractors that we are not afraid because we are doing the right thing for the people of Rivers State,” the governor said.
He pointed out that the state was confident to invite prominent Nigerians with pedigree to inspect and launch key projects because such projects were real and for the development of Rivers.
The governor urged the people to protect projects in the area, saying that the state government will not tolerate street trading on newly constructed roads.
Wike said that the reconstructed Abacha Road had created the right environment for businesses to thrive.
He commended the businesses along the route for supporting the contractor by supplying their workers food, even as he urged the people to continue to pay their taxes for the administration to deliver more projects for them.
Inaugurating the project, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, expressed happiness that the state where he grew up was being transformed through prudent management of resources.
He said, “This is home-coming for me. I am a stakeholder in this city. I have businesses here. I grew up in Abonnema as a young child.
“Rivers State is very lucky to have Governor Wike. In three years, the state governor has achieved a great deal of projects.”
The monarch described the governor as a promise keeper, a man of passion and commitment.
“Port Harcourt is so new; Port Harcourt has been renewed. This particular area was so swampy. I was offered a plot of land here for one million naira and I rejected it. Today, everything has changed around here,” Igwe Achebe said.
Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Prince Noble Amadi, said the road was impassable, until Wike intervened.
He said that the road remained significant as it linked areas where key business transactions took place in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on behalf of Rumueme Kingdom, Dr. Franklin Nlerum, announced the endorsement of the Wike for a second term in office based on the governor’s numerous achievements.
Also, the State Works Commissioner, Mr. Dum Dekor, said the road was dualised with deep drainage to address the issue of flooding in the area.
