Return Port Harcourt To Garden City

In the days of yore, Port Harcourt was described flowingly as the Garden City. This clement tribute was given to Port Harcourt because of its neatness. Over the years, different administrations have tried to maintain the basic standard of cleanliness in Port Harcourt, all to no avail.
The administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara has a major challenge, that of restoring Port Harcourt to its state of neatness. A case in point that readily comes to mind is the fitting example of Calabar and even Uyo recently. I would like to suggest to the administration of Governor Fubara to send teams to understudy how the likes of Calabar and Uyo are kept so clean. They will be in a good position to replicate it in Port Harcourt that is in dire need of it.
Primarily, service providers should be screened thoroughly to know whether they can deliver. It would be welcome if these service providers would have their personal refuse trucks instead of borrowing or hiring their neighbor’s refuse truck. Monitoring teams should also be empowered to keep tabs on the specific routes that are assigned to these service providers.
The assignment to keep Port Harcourt spick and span is one that must be embraced by all and sundry. I found it a thing of joy that Governor Sim declared recently that he would restore the glory of the Old Port Harcourt Township. This is the right step in the right direction. A cursory inspection of the Old Port Harcourt Township would reveal that this part of the city was largely neglected by the past administration of Nyesom Wike. Governor Fubara should not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that he mobilizes resources to recoup the beauty of the Old Port Harcourt Township.
In this regard, re-urbanization akin to what former Governor Amaechi did in Ogbum-na-bali and D-Line can serve as a model in the old Port Harcourt Township. There is a compelling need to give the people living there a sense of belonging. They need to be reassured that they have not been relegated to the fringes of mainline society. They need assurances that they do matter and are not being toyed with.
A comprehensive overhaul and revamp needs to take place in the streets, the markets, the roads and in terms of re-orientation. The people need to be conscientised that cleanliness begins with ‘me’.
More fittingly, government needs to weed out deviant and undesirable elements whose stock in trade is to constitute a nuisance incessantly. After a holistic re-urbanization drive especially in the Old Port Harcourt Township, the issue of maintenance comes to play.
Qualified refuse disposal service providers must be hired to ensure that Port Harcourt maintains its clean environment and clean culture. This message must percolate to the markets, shanties and even to the creeks.
A desirable outcome is achieved through a series of concerted efforts by all and sundry. All hands must be on deck to ensure that Port Harcourt returns to its former Garden City status. Those whose stock in trade is to destroy the calm serene atmosphere or make mincemeat of the night life of Port Harcourt should be dealt with decisively by the long arm of the law.
Rightly or wrongly, there is a latent market out there for tourism in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The extent to which the state attracts willing tourists all over the globe is a function of the seriousness of Governor Sim Fubara towards addressing the thorny issues that may tend to rankle or irritate the roving observer in the state. A stitch in time saves nine.
– By Sammie Adokiye