Amanyanabo of Abonnema, HM King Sir (Barr) Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel, Owukori ix, has demanded that at least a Polytechnic or School of Basic Studies be established in Kalabari land to cater for the educational needs of the people of the area.
The Amanyanabo stated this during the commissioning of the reconstructed Nyemoni Grammar School (NGS) in Abonnema.
The king commended the Rivers State Governor, Chief Barr Nyesom Wike, for the various projects, either completed or ongoing, started by his administration in the area.
The Amanyanabo particularly commended the governor for the projects his administration had executed in Akulga which included the Abonnema-Obonoma ring road,
renovation of General Hospital,
Obonoma-Abonnema bridge, appointment of Abonnema sons and daughters into key positions of trust among other things.
The Monarch however regretted that the Akuku-Toru Local Government Area despite being a huge contributor to the national coffers in the area of oil and gas, had been neglected by both the Federal and State Governments in their developmental programmes.
He decried the poor state of the Emohua-Tema-Abonnema Road- the only access federal Road linking the 3 Kalabari LGAs (AKULGA, ASALGA & DELGA), calling for urgent attention by the Federal Government.
While commending the governor for paying up the state counterpart fund for the European Union Water project to make the people of the LGA have pipe borne water, the Amanyanabo also pleaded with the governor to kickstart the construction of the Trans-Kalabari Road as soon as possible.
The Monarch further requested the governor’s assistance in unraveling the circumstances leading to the failed sand dredging contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the community in the past 20years.
Responding to the request by the Amanyanabo of Abonnema to establish a Polytechnic or School of Basic Studies within the premises of the NGS, Governor Wike assured the people of the community that his administration would work out modalities to establish a faculty of one of the state-owned universities in Abonnema to address their request to have an institution of higher learning in the area.
Governor Wike, who extolled the leadership prowess of the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, in the maintenance peace and mutual co-existence within his domain, said he had tremendous respect for the Monarch due to the manner he handles the affairs of the traditional institution in the LGA, which according to the governor, compliments the government’s efforts at redirecting the state on the path of economic prosperity.
Gov. Wike commended the Monarch and people of Abonnema for always supporting government’s projects in the area, noting that no cases of disruption of ongoing projects had ever been reported from the Akuku-Toru LGA, adding that “communities that support government’s projects will get more projects from our administration”.
The governor said he saw the poor state of the school when he went there for campaign in 2015 and promised that he would give attention to the school if the people gave him their mandate, maintaining that he had kept to his promise.
