The CEO of the Construction and Housing Mayor Limited, Mr My-ACE China, whose brand name is the Mayor of Housing, has revealed why he has adopted the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
The is as the Rivers State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Hon Joseph Johnson with the Mayor of Housing have agreed on the way forward toward a better image and reputation management of Rivers State going forward, a scheme to be based on factual reporting and neutrality to attract investments.
The Mayor of Housing said he adopted the Governor of Rivers State as his governor because of his direct and bold policy in the housing subsector and the strategy that has led to the kickoff of 20,000 low-cost houses in Rivers State.
The Mayor of Housing spoke at the Dinner/Award Night at the NBA Hall in Port Harcourt to mark the closing events of the Correspondents Week 2023.
He disclosed why he adopted Gov Fubara as his governor. “When I heard Sir Sim Fubara declare his policy on Social Housing on day one, May 29, 2023, I fell for him immediately, and when he went ahead and awarded the contract and kickstarted initial 20,000 low-cost houses, he became my idol.
“That was also why when journalists interviewed me and asked me to analyse the 2024 federal budget in terms of housing since I am the Mayor of Housing, I said I had nothing to analyse because I did not see anything that would address the 32m housing deficit in Nigeria in the federal budget yet.
“I said the budget that means something to me is the Rivers State one and the governor that means anything to me is Sir Fubara because of his bold and direct policy in Housing and the proactive action leading to award of contract to begin construction of 20,000 low-cost houses right away.”
He said his excitement was not 20,000 houses would be built but that when you consider that it takes at least 40 persons to build one standard house, you multiple that number by 20,000 houses, you would find at least 800,000 workforce that would be involved. This would make you to marvel.
Agreeing with the Commissioner in his dinner talk on the way to go in reporting and presenting Rivers State to the world, the Mayor of Housing stated that negative presentation of events from Rivers State would hurt the economy and even hurt publishers and journalists. He reminded newsmen that they too were stakeholders in the economy of their host states. He thus urged them to use their pen to shape positive narrative of Rivers State.
The Mayor of Housing also urged the media community to consider investing in reputation asset building of states they cover such as Rivers and hope to also reap from it.
Mr China noted that the housing sector needs good image of its host state to grow, and appealed to journalists to do reputation evaluation of locations where estates can be developed, saying this would attract global developers.
He also reminded those trying to tear the state apart to know that profit flees to where there is stability, saying some climes have turned swamps into new heavens as Maroko was turned into Lekki.
“Lagos made dredgers popular in Nigeria. They looked for international partners and that is one thing I want to suggest to us today; how to ride on the back of information. It was the people that knew that the government of Lagos had a plan to develop Maroko that transported this information to foreign land. When these foreign developers heard it and came in and the project was executed, a new city was born and the news purveyors gained, too.
“Nobody knows Rivers State better than Journalists. Its high time you moved from participants to become stakeholders in projects and programmes that turn around the economy of your area. Apply information in strategic way to turn things around and do in a way that has your imprimatur on it.
Stop being that kind of participant that claps for others; rather be a stakeholder. Add value through well-defined information that is traceable to you as the owner.”
In his key remarks, the Commissioner joined the Mayor of Housing to call for new way of reporting Rivers State to avoid scarring away investors especially in the property sector of the economy.
Hon Johnson, who represented Gov Fubara, harped on the need to present accurate news and information about Rivers State to the larger society. Discussion however dwelt around this need to mark the closing event of the Correspondents Week 2023.
The Commissioner commended the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for what he called neutrality in the current political saga in Rivers State.
He noted that the Governor is a friend of the media and will continue to support the Correspondents’ Chapel and other arms of the NUJ in Rivers State.
He cited an example of the support he said the Gov Fubara administration extended to the Rivers State chapter of the National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ) election which produced a national deputy chairman from Rivers State.
He noted that His Excellency Gov Siminalayi Fubara is facing one of the hurdles that are faced in leadership, but commended the Chapel for telling the story as it is.
In spite of the hurdles faced by the Governor, he went on, the people of Rivers State have shown their support which he said was seen at the flag-off of the 20,000 housing units at Mbodo Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government on Friday 15th December 2023 .
He described Sir Fubara as a “Talk-and-Do” governor, though he may not be a very loud person but that he is a very strong” governor who is focused on delivering the mandate to his people.
“His word is like a bond and you can take that to the bank”.
Hon Johnson said, “Those who are copying what President Bola Tinubu did to Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos should try and copy well.
When Tinubu did not want Ambode to return as Governor of Lagos, he kept quiet and waited for him to want to take second term ticket of the party. So, if you want to copy, try and copy well”.
The Corporate Communications head of Indorama Nigeria, Dr Jossy Nkwocha, who received award on behalf of Indorama and for himself, joined in commending the Correspondents for remaining neutral in reporting the crisis in the state.
The chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Mr Amaechi Okonkwo, commended the Rivers State Government for restoring the tradition of supporting organs of the NUJ and for supporting the Chapel for the successful hosting of the Press Week 2023.
