As He Receives Members Of The Rivers State House Of Assembly Committee On Local Government Say His Administration Embarks Only On Projects That Have Direct Impact On The People.
The Mayor of Port Harcourt, Honourable Ezebunwo Ichemati, has said that his administration will continue to embark on only projects that have a direct bearing on the people.
Honourable Ichemati spoke when he was responding to posers posed to him by members of the Rivers State House Of Assembly Committee on Local Government who in exercise of their power as enshrined in section 128 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 1999 where on oversight visit to the council.
“As a cosmopolitan city, some of the things we are supposed to do have already gotten the intervention of the state government, so we cannot be compared to those in the rural areas.
“The projects we conceptualize, executed, and inaugurated, alongside those that are still ongoing are projects that have direct bearing on our people; they are the projects they asked us to do,” Honourable Ichemati said.
While reeling off all he has done in 100 days in office, and what he intends to do going forward, he added that his administration does not intend to have ongoing projects that will outlive the lifespan of his administration.
“For now, these are what we have done and intend to do. We don’t want to litter our city with ongoing projects that will take years to complete.”
Part of the achievements the Mayor reeled off when responding to the posers were, ON INFRASTRUCTURE:
(1) The construction of the 1.1 Kilometre road in Ekwe Street, Diobu.
(2) The construction of a 600-meter road in Olowu Close off Odum Street, Elekahia.
(3) The construction of a concrete pedestrian bridge in Ward 6, Port Harcourt Township, PHALGA
(4) The building of a cafeteria for the Post Graduate Students Association of Rivers State University, Nkpolu Oro-worukwo, Port Harcourt.
(5) Ongoing construction of the Port Harcourt International Educational Centre.
(6) Building of a two-bedroom flat for a nonagenarian indigent widow in Elekahia, in addition to tastefully furnishing the house.
(7) Reconstruction of a one-room apartment to a studio flat for an indigent widow in Ogbum-nu-Abali, in addition to tastefully furnishing the house.
(8) Acquisition of land that was handed over to the people of Oro-Abali for use as a playground as requested by the community during his electioneering campaigns.
(9) Restoration of power to some streets in Diobu, and the purchase of transformers to be distributed to some parts of Port Harcourt.
ON ENVIRONMENT:
(1) The desilting of drainages in some wards to prevent flooding.
(2) The construction of the Port Harcourt Love Garden as part of the Port Harcourt Clean and Green Initiative, which not only enhances the aesthetics of the city but will serve as a means of revenue generation.
(3) The soon-to-be-built public toilets in some waterfronts in Port Harcourt as a means of eradicating open defecation.
On SECURITY:
(1) Construction of Security Gates in 10 streets
(2) The soon-to-be-purchased buses for Local Vigilantes working in synergy with the council and security agencies.
ON WATER SUPPLY:
(1) Working to see to the reticulation of water in some wards.
(2) Ongoing installation of boreholes in Nanka, and Abba Streets in Diobu.
ON EMPOWERMENT:
(1) Financial grants for small and medium-scale businesses.
(2) Purchase of vehicles for use for commercial transportation by the over 15 beneficiaries.
PARTNERSHIP WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES:
(1) Visitation to the NYSC Orientation Camp in Tai LGA with the donation of food and cash to the corps members.
(2) Visitation to the Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Port Harcourt with the donation of food and cash.
ON MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS: Aside from several unannounced medical interventions to individuals, the taking up of the bill for the treatment of a young boy from the Port Harcourt Township Area with mumps and mouth sore.
ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DEPUTY MAYOR, COUNCILLORS, AND THE CIVIL SERVANTS:
The Mayor described it as cordial adding that he was the first to purchase a car for his deputy (vice chairman) in the 23 LGA.
He informed the committee members that he has given the 20 councilors cars, and will extend the same gesture to the civil servants, especially the directors.
Honourable Ichemati thanked the members of the committee for the visit which he said would spur them as chairmen to do more for their people, while adding that the visitation shows that they are the authentic Rivers State House of Assembly members as only House of Assembly members carry out oversight functions.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, which included the Leader of the House, Honourable Sokari Goodboy Sokari; the Deputy Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mrs Joyce Ndigbara, Rt. Hon Adolphus T Orubienimigha said they were on the visit to know what the council chairman has done in 100 days in office and what he intends to do going forward.
Rt. Hon. Adolphus, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, asked the Mayor not to see the exercise as a witch-hunting exercise, because they were of different political parties, but to see it as an exercise that would propel him to work for the people, etch his name in their hearts, and make his family proud that at a time he was at the saddle of leadership he did immensely well.
The visitation came to an end after the visiting of some of the project sites the mayor had mentioned for an on-the-spot assessment.
