Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital which was christened “Garden City” is now “Garbage City and a Home for the Destitute”.
The seven-year administration of Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as governor of the state prioritized the building of flyovers in Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas in a bid to reduce the traffic grid lock and change the aesthetics of the city. This was largely criticized by the opposition political parties especially the All Progressive Congress, APC in the state and somecivil society groups.
Responding to the criticisms, the governor on many occasions told large gatherings while commissioning the flyover projects and other roads built by his administration, that he was in a position to beat his chest with pride based on his performance in the past seven years of ruling the state.
Governor Wike while making a speech at the commissioning of Rumuola flyover at which former governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimikowas special guest of honour, told the mammoth crowd that if Rivers people come to him to ask how their monies were spend, he would direct them to all the flyovers he has constructed in the state; a statement that was greeted with mixed feelings amongst the crowd.
National Point was at the commissioning programme and observed reactions. “Governor we are dying of hunger and starvation, na flyover we go chop? Rivers State is too rich to be poor, where is our budget? Who do us this thing, we need stomach infrastructure.
“Create jobs for the teeming youths! Breast pocket government, construction of flyover is a conduit pipe”. On the other hand the governor received a loud applause from those who are satisfied with the construction of flyovers in the two local government areas of the state, shouting,“Ride on Mr. Quality Project!” “2023 the man for the job, your projects speak volumes!”, “Wike is the answer”.
In veiled response to the comments, the governor came up months after to declarethat he will soon embark on stomach infrastructure project and that will begin with the Grassroots Democratic Initiative, GDI, his political outfit in the state. That project is yet to take-off.
National Point findings have revealed that out of the nine flyovers, many of which have been completed and commissioned with just a few nearing completions, all the flyovers have now turned to safe havens for criminals and permanent homes for the destitute.
The flyovers are built and fenced with bricks and barbwires to keep off illegal occupation but the hoodlums are back and have turned the flyovers into robbing passers-by, and made it their cult ground. At night a sizeable number of people now use the flyover for shelter and as a result, stench of urine fills the areas and even offensive odour from open defecation at some points.
The barbwires, brick fences and man-holes are broken down and stolen and the flyover and concerned citizens are calling on the Rivers State government and the security agencies to clamp-down on those using the flyovers to perpetrate crime. They also want government to revisit its housing policy and cater for the destitute.
