The stage seems set for another round of confrontation between the Rivers State Government and the federal government following plans by the Federal Ministry of Education to rehabilitate some state-owned secondary schools.
The Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, had last Friday announced plans by the federal government to rehabilitate select schools in Rivers State, his home state.
He had, while laying the foundation stone for the construction of a Federal Junior Model Secondary School at Ogu, in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of the state, stated that the federal government would in the coming months intervene to uplift the physical structures of some schools in the state.
He named the schools to be rehabilitated to include Community Secondary School, Ubima (Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s hometown) and St. Aquinas Secondary School, Elele both in Ikwerreland and Birabi Memorial Secondary School, Bori in Ogoniland.
The announcement seemed to have ended the rapprochement between both governments achieved in their collaboration in the fight against the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease in the state.
The state government reacted angrily to the moves by the federal government to renovate and build some blocks in the state-owned secondary schools, stating it would resist any attempt by the federal government to corrupt the standard already set by the state.
Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt at the weekend to usher in the state’s Native and Vogue International Fashion Week scheduled to hold from September 19 to 21, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said the federal government should concern itself with the rehabilitation of federal government colleges in the state which were in advanced stages of dilapidation.
Obviously implying that the federal government’s move is political, the state said it would resist any attempt by the federal government to access its schools with its consent.
Semenitari said: “We want to tell the Minister of State for Education, Wike, that we don’t want any third-rated buildings or blocks of classrooms in our school premises in Rivers State. The Rivers State government is not interested in any white-wash buildings or performance in our schools.
“The minister has not done anything about Federal Government Girls College in Aboloma that does not have a dinning hall; he has not done anything about the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt; and he has not done anything about the University of Port Harcourt.
“Let him go and build the nomadic schools that they have not been able to complete; let him go and attend to the nomadic schools that are falling apart. They have not been able to build schools for itinerant teachers. Wike should stop playing to the gallery; he should stop playing with the lives of Nigerian children and be focused in keeping our children in schools.”
The commissioner alleged that the ministry of education had not been able to complete projects it claimed to have started and said it was a guise to litter the state with abandoned projects.
She said: “Wike should be ashamed that Nigeria still has the highest record of out-of-school children; rather than do his job, he thinks this is the time to get a gubernatorial ticket based on lies. Of course, we as a government want to warn Wike and his acolytes to stay away from the property of the government of Rivers State.
“We will not accept and we will not allow any strangers to deface or destroy our property because they are not going to complete the projects that they have started. We appealed to them to assist us in constructing the Bonny-Bodo Road, they refused to start it. But as soon as we worked out an arrangement with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) to construct the road, the federal government told NLNG to stop and claimed that they will start it and awarded the contract. Until now, the people of Bonny cannot ply that road.”
Semenitari lamented: “Rather, our people in Bonny are continually exposed to danger because we have a government that is uncaring; a government that does not listen even though the government is headed by a son from this part of the country. We have been careful in recent times not to join issues with the federal government because we have been focused on our paid jobs. We like to request the federal government to focus on its paid job. We have over 200 girls missing and Wike as a father should be concerned. But he has been unable to do his job as a minister to make sure the girls return to us”.
The commissioner further pointed out: “We as a government want to reiterate our commitment to our young people. We want to reassure our youths that we will not play with education. We operate over 350 model primary schools. We are building model schools with 20 classroom blocks; if the federal government wants to build model schools they should come and we will give them a model of what we do in Rivers State”.
She insisted that the federal government would be violating the constitution if it enters the premises of Rivers State Government property without the consent of the state government.
On the debt profile of the state, Semenitari said contrary to reports that the state’s debt stood at about N300 billion, the actual debt portfolio of the state stood at about N81 billion as at August 2014.
She added that the state had set aside N11 billion every month for debt servicing, stating that with that, “we will not be leaving any debt for the incoming government.”
On criticisms that the Amaechi was still borrowing monies even as the tenure of the administration was winding up, Semenitari said the government was not applying for new loans but to draw down from already approved loans.
She said even after the House of Assembly had approved loans, the government still needed the approval of the legislature to draw from those loans.
“Even after the House of Assembly has approved the loan, you cannot draw the loan without the approval of the House. In the case of the $285 million for the Port Harcourt water project, the governor went back to the House to ask for permission to draw the money. And the House graciously approved the draw down. As of today, I repeat, the government of Rivers State has not drawn down any kobo from the monies that have been approved by the House, including the previous N100 billion Bond,” she stated.
She disclosed: “As for the $285 million World Bank and African Development Bank, AfDB, approvals, you cannot draw all the monies at once. It is not feasible. You draw them in phases. As you reach each milestone, you draw. Not one cent, not one kobo has been drawn by the government of Rivers State. Can you have a debt before you borrow it? ”
The commissioner also emphasized that Governor Amaechi initiated the Native and Vogue concept in December 2013, as a vehicle to rebrand Rivers State to promote and market the state as a business destination that is peaceful and safe to do business, having been severely smeared by the violent years of unbridled cultism and runaway armed militancy in the creeks and waterways.
Semenitari added: “Native and Vogue is the destination brand that Governor Amaechi evolved to change the conversation about Rivers State. About 400 young designers are expected to participate in this year’s event, and about 60 per cent of them are form Rivers State. We are expecting designers and models from Europe; United States; Argentina and South Africa. Even with the unfortunate outbreak of Ebola, about 100 designers and models have signified their intention to participate in the event.”
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