BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME
PORT HARCOURT – GOVERNOR Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has vowed not to go back on the demolition of water fronts in the state capital. The governor who reiterated government position on the issue that water fronts would give way for proper development said his administration was determined to create a habitable and decent Port Harcourt city
Speaking when he received Okrika Council of Chiefs in Government House, Port Harcourt ,the governor explained that after the demolition, government would sand fill the area to pave way for the infrastructural development in line with acceptable standards for waterfront settlements.
Continuing, he said that the demolition would be in phases just as he assured that before then there would be proper enumeration and evaluation in the areas to determine the extent of compensations to be paid.
According to him, already enumeration and evaluation had been done at Njemanze, Abonnema Wharf , Elechi Beach , and Nanka Waterfronts and advised residents in the remaining waterfronts to cooperate with the enumerators and valuers to enable them achieve set objectives.
He also advised the people of Okrika to support the efforts of government to sanitize and develop waterfronts in the state, as the policy was the best possible alternative to improve the lives of those living in urban slums.
The governor frowned at the attack on government agents carrying out their legitimate duties at some of the waterfronts, and called for a change of attitude as government would no longer tolerate such.
Governor Amaechi, however promised to redeem his promise to do land reclamation in Okrika Local Government Area and directed the Commissioner of Works to identify the areas to be reclaimed..
Earlier in a memorandum read by Chief Tari Sekibo, the Chiefs of Okrika requested that government should re-design and restructure the various waterfront communities with minimal disruption of lives, dislocation of people and demolition of properties.
Attempt to demolish water fronts in the state capital is not new. It would be recalled that it was a major issue that over heated the body polity in the administration of deposed governor Celestine Omehia. And when governor Rotimi Amaechi came on board via a supreme court verdict, one of the first action he took was to suspend the planned demolition of the water fronts by the Omehia government. The action endeared him to residents of the slum neighbourhood.
It appeared it later dawned on the government that one major way to tackle security challenges in the state capital was to develop the water fronts that have been noted over the years to be hide outs for hoodlums and brigands because of the way the places are. It is difficult to trace a criminal to such areas except one is very familiar with the environment.
Amnesty as it is packaged by the AGF, acting for the corrupt and indicted governors, will FAIL and deserves to fail. What this has done is to reward criminals, fronting for the corrupt and indicted governors and their collaborators. This amnesty has by extention given amnesty to these indicted and corrupt governors and their collaborators and has rewarded them for their crime against nigerians and humanity. These same indicted and corrupt governors and their collaborators names, featured promininently, in the lists of backers of the criminals recorvered in camp 5, bt the security forces. The amnesty is not only bad and disgraceful, but was dishonestly negotiated and the corrupt and indicted and currupt governors are at the very centre of it. These bad people, who should hang their heads in permanent shame, are trying to get away with murder. If this shinanigan of an amnesty, is allowed to be put in place, then the President does not deserve the support of Nigerians and especially the military. The later he sent to the Niger Delta, as their Commander In Chief and they were slaughtered in cold blood by the criminals.
The President should realise that, the real agitators in the Niger Delta are not talking of amnesty. All they want and deserve is that, the people of the Niger Delta should be treated with fairness justice and the fear of God. The President should know that, this sham of an amnesty is a sign of great weakness and it is not worth the paper on which it is written. Mr. President if you know, you are sincere with the people of the Niger Delta, you should start without delay and as a down payment to the people of the Niger Delta, develope the Niger Delta, with the same speed and alacrity that was used in developing Abuja. Abuja was geveloped in a jiffy, do the same with the Niger Delta. You have just awarded contracts for 10 lane road for Abuja International airport worth over 300 billion naira, yet you find it immposible to link all the state capitals in the Niger Delta with the rest of the country. Mr. President this is double standards and the people of the Niger Delta will not be fooled. Mr. President read and listen to the report of amnesty International on the Niger Delta. Amnesty International is a very respectable body all over the world and they should know better. Mr. President use the part of money, Nigeria is making in the Niger Delta to immediately develope the Niger Delta and ecconomically empower the people of the Niger Deita now. Mr. President stop using the money that was realised from the Niger Delta, to develope Abuja and other places and ecconomically empowering people, from other parts of nigeria, at the expence of the Niger Delta and her people. Mr. President it is time, you should stop patronising the people of the Niger Delta, like your predicessors. Mr. President bribing a few shameless, so called leaders of the Niger Delta is not the solution. This tactics will fail woefully as they have failed in the past. If it is this chinanigan of an amnesty, that the real agitators of the Niger Delta want, Adaka Boro, Ken Saro Wiwa and others could not have sacrificed their lives, fighting for justice and fairness for the people of the Niger Delta. The Bible and The Coran say DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WISH THEY DO UNTO YOU. If you obey this law and rule you will please the people of the Niger Delta and The Almighty God. Mr. President all the so called billioners in Nigeria today, made their money from the cude oil and associate industries linked to crude oil, and these products were got from The Niger Delta, Mr. President show me one of these billioners, who is from the Niger Delta. Mr. Ptrsident is this not shameful and disgraceful? Mr. President Nigeria has 63 billion dollars in foriegn reserves and all are made from curde oil, from The Niger Delta, yet the Niger Delta is wallowing in abject and abysmal porverty. Mr. President is this just and fair? Mr. President why do you and your predicessors and all governments of all shades, treat the people of the Niger Delta so shabilly? Are the people of the neger delta crused because, we produce the crude oil and gas, which the whole of Nigeria depens on? MR. PRESIDENT TELL ME! MR. PRESIDENT TELL THE PEOPLE OF THE NIGER DELTA!! MR. PRESIDENT TELL NIGERIANS!!! MR. PRESIDENT TELL THE WORLD!!!!
THOUGH NOT ALL THE RESIDENTS OF WATER SIDES ARE IN TO CRIME,BUT MOST OF THE CRIMINALS IN PORT HARCOURT RESIDES IN WATER SIDES LIKE ABONEMA WATER SIDE,NEMBE WATER SIDE,BUNDU WATER SIDE,ELECHI BEACH,MARINE BEACH,ABOLUMA WATER SIDE,IBADAN WATER SIDE,NJAMAEZE WATER SIDE ALL IN PORT HARCOURT.IF THIS DECISION IS TAKING AND ALL THESE WATER SIDES ARE CONVERTED TO BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE, IT WILL NOT ONLY REDUCE CRIME IT WILL ALSO BEAUTIFY PORTHARCOURT CITY.
My Governor! Demolition of structures at these waterfronts or any other fronts is not really the problem but the payment of the so-called compensation being bandied about in the press. With all due respect, your ideas and ideals for the state might be laudable but would it not have been wise that your projects are prioritized? What with all the series of demolitions ongoing all over the state without commensurate zest at the so much touted transformation.
Besides, not so many of property owners affected by the demolition exercise in the state have been known to be duly compensated. Not even those whose property have been enumerated and evaluated for the past one year. For example, the vast acreage of land claimed by government under the pretext that gas pipeline was billed to be routed over these plots at the Eliogbolo axis have been enumerated and evaluated over one year now. Till date, not one of the property owners is being compensated. It is the same story almost in every other area in the state.
It is thereby noteworthy, as well, that demolition without adequate provision of alternative shelters for affected persons further creates other problems especially in view of the fact of existing dearth in the area of housing for the teaming masses.
My Governor! Demolition of structures at these waterfronts or any other fronts is not really the problem but the payment of the so-called compensation being bandied about in the press. With all due respect, your ideas and ideals for the state might be laudable but would it not have been wise that your projects are prioritized? What with all the series of demolitions ongoing all over the state without commensurate zest at the so much touted transformation.
Besides, not so many of property owners affected by the demolition exercise in the state have been known to be duly compensated. Not even those whose property have been enumerated and evaluated for the past one year. For example, the vast acreage of land claimed by government under the pretext that gas pipeline was billed to be routed over these plots at the Eliogbolo axis have been enumerated and evaluated over one year now. Till date, not one of the property owners is being compensated. It is the same story almost in every other area in the state.
It is thereby noteworthy, as well, that demolition without adequate provision of alternative shelters for affected persons further creates other problems especially in view of the fact of existing dearth in the area of housing for the masses.