...APC
commends Hon. Dakuku Peterside’s walk-out at Works Ministry’s Budget Defence
We
have learnt with shock and disbelief, of the zero allocation to Rivers State in
2014 Budget of the Federal Ministry of Works. What this means is that Rivers
will not receive any Federal Government project this year!
No
one is deceived by the claim of the Minister of Works, Architect Mike
Onolememen, while defending the Ministry’s budget on Tuesday before the House
of Representatives Committee on Works, that neither the Federal Government nor
his ministry was at war with Rivers State. If that is the case, then what could
have warranted the omission of Rivers State from the list of States that will
enjoy Federal Government presence in terms of capital project execution this
year? If this is not war, then what is it?>>>
This
is very sad and condemnable. It is simply unbelievable that President Jonathan
could stoop so low as to direct the Ministry of Works to bypass Rivers State
just because he has some differences with the Governor of the state, Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi.
We
must, in this regard, commend Hon. Dakuku Peterside, Chairman House of
Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), for proving to
be a worthy representative of the people of Rivers State by staging a walk-out
in protest over the zero allocation to the state during the Works Ministry’s
budget defence.
According
to Chief Peterside who represents Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency of
Rivers State, “I decided to leave the budget session on discovering from the
ministry’s details of on-going projects and 2014 budget proposal that there was
no single allocation for projects in Rivers State. The few projects listed in
Rivers State got zero allocation. For such criminal neglect, there is
definitely more to this omission than meets the eye”.
If
we may ask, what joy does President Jonathan derive in continuing this
ill-advised war against Rivers State and her people? Under the watch of
President Jonathan, Rivers State has lost much revenue as our oil wells were
transferred to neighbouring states. They have taken away the oil wells in Soku
and given them to his home State, Bayelsa. They have taken the ones between
Oyigbo and Etche and given them to Abia. So, our resources continue to dwindle.
We used to make between N19bn and N20bn; now we are doing N13bn.
To
continue this senseless war against Rivers people, other areas that the
administration of President Jonathan has haunted the Rivers State people
include the blatant refusal of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, to sign the necessary documents that would have assisted the
State to obtain an African Development Bank loan to provide pipe-borne water
for the State and save people of the State from dying from diseases related
from bad water.
Refusal
by the Federal Government to authorize the release of the two surveillance
helicopters procured by the Rivers State Government at N30B so that the State
will be paying demurrage in hard currency annually. These helicopters would
have assisted the Federal Government to fight oil theft in the Niger Delta
region thereby increasing the dwindling revenue accruable to the Federation
Account.
The
refusal of the Federal Government to approve the release of these machines into
the country that would have benefitted the entire Nigerians is a demonstration
of how not to play politics with the life of Nigerians. This is a demonstration
of how this government has alienated itself from those it governs and prefers
to have our common patrimony kept in private hands while majority of Nigerians
continue to wallow in poverty in the midst of plenty.
Refusal
by the administration of President Jonathan to implement the UNEP report that
would have assisted in the clean up of the ecological devastated Ogoniland of
Rivers State.
With
all these sad events it is now very glaring to any sound mind that Rivers is
being treated as a conquered State in a nation in which we are a key player and
sadly all these are happening after delivering the highest number of votes that
made Dr Goodluck Jonathan the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria during the
general elections of 2011.
The
All progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State therefore is deeply saddened by
this bizarre turn of events as orchestrated by the Presidency. The State
Interim Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibamu Ikanya, is full of sadness; he is
dumbfounded that President Jonathan and his administration should declare and
sustain a war on Rivers State and her people by ensuring that since he assumed
office Rivers State cannot boast of one single Federal Government presence.
We
as a federating state pay our taxes and Rivers is among the major states in
Nigeria that contribute much to the revenue of this country. Therefore, to be
treated as if we are no longer part of this nation because of the President's
political stand is no longer acceptable to us!
We,
therefore, demand an end to this senseless war against an innocent people even
as we urge the good people of Rivers State to continue to identify with Gov.
Amaechi, who is the face of change in Rivers State. In the words of Dr. Ikanya,
“Gov. Amaechi represents change and the people of Rivers, as true progressives,
should remain loyal to APC, a vehicle for change both in the State and in the
entire Nigeria.”
Chief
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
SSA
Media and Public Affairs to the Interim State Chairman,
APC
Rivers State
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