Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State says his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike is pivotal in blending ideas, creativity with available financial resources to achieve his administration’s landmark infrastructural development.
Udom who was speaking during his inauguration of the Rivers State Government Safe Home on Wednesday in the Borikiri axis of Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, also pointed out that Wike has remarkably catered to the needs of the vulnerable in Rivers.
He spoke even as Wike was busy urging Nigerians to be more careful in their choice of who they entrust with the responsibility of governing Nigeria, particularly members of All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Wike, this is because the Federal Government under the watch of APC has allegedly set Nigeria 20 years backwards in just six and half years of its misrule.
The governor pointed out that it is only States controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that are preoccupied with the provision of dividend of democracy.
“The other people (APC) are only fighting themselves about direct primaries and indirect primaries. We of the PDP are busy about delivering dividends of democracy, and as you can see, the difference is clear.
“Your Excellency, I’m happy that you’re the one who have come, because you’ve invited me severally to Akwa Ibom State to commission projects. I’m happy and I want to say to everybody that PDP governors are doing very, very well.
“So, we must be careful of dealing with those who are not serious. A party that is not serious, that has set our country 20 years back. We must be very careful.”
Governor Wike explained that it is wrong for most governments to forget to include the well-being of the most vulnerable in the society in their programmes.
The governor said such reluctance stem from the fact that they do consider it in their place to provide services and programmes for the protection of the less privileged.
“We are only interested in constructing roads. We are only interested in constructing schools, hospitals and the rest of it. But one important aspect that government forgets is the less privileged, the vulnerable.
“We do not think that we owe them that duty to also protect them. It is key that every government should take this as a special project.”
Governor Wike further observed that most times when issues of violence is discussed, the focus is only on women as the only victims even when boys are often assaulted by women, stating that the services at the Safe Home should also be available to males victims of violence and not women alone.
“So, Let us not think that it is only for women. It is also for young boys who are also assaulted so that they can also have some psychological debriefing.”
Udom however agreed with Governor Wike that governments get busy with infrastructural development, capital projects, thinking about the economic prosperity of their various states, and often forget the downtrodden and those who need help much more.
“Port Harcourt is one place that if I miss coming in six months, by the time I come back, I would have seen a lot of changes.
“When you want to know a State that is forward moving, forward-looking, that has a lot to deliver, that has a governor that’s forward-thinking, such a State, whenever you go there you don’t lack seeing construction sites.
“There is no single time you come to Rivers that you won’t see a construction site where people are working. And then, people will be talking of unemployment. Find out on one site and see how many youths are employed. How many people are they catering for?
“So, it’s just how to jump start the economy and get things working. So, trust me, PDP can manage the federal government and jumpstart the economy very well.”
Again, Governor Udom spoke of Governor Wike as a party man who make them proud, and always occupied a space in the things that they do, and accordingly urged Abuja to borrow a leaf from Rivers and actually take the led through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in order to match words with action, in providing similar facility and services across the country.
Providing the description of the project, the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs. Inemi Aguma said there is no facility like the centre in Nigeria.
Mrs. Aguma pointed out that the centre is a one-stop facility that provides victims of domestic violence with access to justice, shelter, medical reference and prepares them for reintegration into the society.
According to her, the inauguration of the Rivers State Government Safe Home, as an unrivalled facility in the country, again demonstrates that Wike’s administration provides for all sections of the society.
“The facility provides the much needed institutional and administrative support for the Rivers State Child Rights Law 2009 and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2020.
“It is a holistic centre to provide infrastructure for children in need of protective custody, and persons who have suffered violence especially domestic violence.
“Your Excellency, you have taken the lead in the provision of social welfare infrastructure in Nigeria as no State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a safety net of this magnitude, providing in one complex: justice, shelter, counselling, legal aid and aftercare.”
Mrs. Aguma also said the facility is a two-storey administrative building, 2-Storey Safe Homebuilding, an ensuite safe home block and service building with 2 courtrooms, offices for Judge’s legal Assistant and Secretary, creche, family-friendly witness and waiting room.
