A Coalition of Civil Society Organization for Good Governance Budget & Accountability has honoured the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike with a “Chancellor of Infrastructure Award”.
Speaking during a press conference in Port Harcourt on the 2021 Christmas day eve as the group celebrated the governor’s legacies, the Executive Director of the group, Amb. (Dr) Emmanuel Nkweke said the special award to the state Chief Executive was to encourage him the more to continued in his determined effort in improving the welfare of Rivers people and its residents.
While reeling out most of the executed and commissioned projects by the Wike administration, the group said they have observed, monitored and confirmed all the roads and infrastructural development in every sector of the economy before concluding their nomination and hence the exemplary leadership award on the governor.
According to him, “this administration is either flagging off projects or commissioning completed ones with invited guests outside as witnesses, even at the twilight of its tenure, a development which the group observed has diverted the peoples attention from the contentious “abandoned properties issues” in the state.
Dr. Nkweke made it known that from day one, governor Wike did not hide his ambition to become the governor of the state and indeed started preparing for the task ahead on time hence his tremendous achievements in all quarters.
The coalition said it is not only all the time they as Civil Society Organization will be in a loggerhead with the authorities on how to improve situations or condition of service.
“When a government, person or group performs well, it is incumbent on us as a group to equally commend such achievements”.
Dr. Nkweke said “We in the Civil Society for Good Governance are proud to be associated with the excellent performance and achievements of Gov Wike hence we are celebrating him today,” he said.
He said it is also proper to use the opportunity to constructively criticize the governor and draw his attention to some areas he might have omitted as a human being who is prone to making mistakes.
This includes “Areas like the human capital development, improving the civil servants condition, payment of the pensions and gratuities of the retired ones as well as the renovation and repainting of the state secretariat complex”.
He said the peculiar award which is the first in the whole of Africa is meant to encourage the governor on his commitment to restore the state to her lost glory of garden city.
Also speaking, the chairman of the event, Prof. (Amb) Chidi Ehiro reiterated that it is not always that Civil Society Organization take confrontational position against the authorities neither would they take the visionary leadership of the Rivers State Governor for granted.
According to him, “Gov Wike has indeed demystified governance through his excellent performance and from all indications, he will be leaving a big shoe for his successor in office,” he declared.
He equally on behalf of the group urged the performing governor to contest the post of presidency at the end of his tenure in order to contribute his quota in the rescue mission of the country, assuring him of their support.
“The country is so rotten and corrupt in all sector that the situation is in dare need of a pragmatic leader like Wike to survive, hence the clarion calls for him to join the race,” he said.
In his contribution at the sideline of the event, the Royal father of the day, HRH Eze Owabie Tobin confirmed the observations of the group, saying that the development is in tandem with theirs earlier observed and promised that they will partner the Civil Society Coalition for the national project of sending Wike to the centre for the Rescue Mission come 2023 general election.
He commended the group for the award of excellence given to the governor in appreciation.
