Because the yr 2024 crawled to a detailed, ThisDay newspaper introduced that that they had chosen President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as their ‘Man of the Yr’. Naturally, that announcement attracted a number of ‘yays’ and ‘nays’ relying on how the folks perceived Mr. President’s efforts and accomplishments inside the yr in query. Because the influence of presidency is felt most on the state degree, I used to be interested in who can be voted Governor of the Yr.
Admittedly, a whole lot of media and social organisations have introduced their choose for Nigerian Governor of the yr 2024, and the winners have come from just about each geo-political zone of the nation. Trying by the checklist of the completely different winners, I used to be notably puzzled, as a Rivers individual, when not one of the organisations which have taken it upon themselves to gazette the Governor of the Yr or Man of the Yr didn’t deem Governor Siminalayi Fubara worthy of that accolade. It makes me ponder whether these organisations have no idea what’s going on in Rivers State or whether or not the governor’s media handlers haven’t accomplished sufficient to inform the world what Governor Fubara did in 2024. Whereas it’s no secret that Fubara’s former boss and instant previous governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and his allies are bent on giving the incumbent governor a tough time, plainly the surface world is both ignorant or has chosen to disregard Governor Fubara’s monumental strides and the unprecedented people-oriented tasks he undertook in 2024. Whereas the commonest standards utilized in figuring out the winners of the Governor of the Yr award is infrastructure improvement, we have to perceive that the first responsibility of presidency is human improvement and Fubara scored most marks in that regard, if he’s to be evaluated. The next are some essential human capability areas that the governor touched on in 2024.
HealthLike the saying goes, well being is wealth. Governor Fubara took this maxim actually to coronary heart by guaranteeing that the Rivers State authorities employed no fewer than 5,000 medical personnel to make sure that Rivers folks obtain immediate medical consideration in all tiers of well being amenities throughout the state. The governor additionally permitted the discharge of N300 million as grant to about 389 resident medical doctors within the state. He additionally launched the Rivers State Well being Insurance coverage Scheme to make healthcare extra simply accessible to the folks of the state.
Job CreationIn October final yr, the state authorities beneath the aegis of the Ministries of Girls Affairs and Native Authorities Affairs, unveiled the ‘Expert Wave Undertaking’ to empower 23,000 individuals, largely girls, throughout the 23 LGAs of the state by coaching them in entrepreneurship, vocational expertise, digital and monetary literacy, in addition to different related expertise. Earlier within the yr, the Rivers State Microfinance Company partnered with the Financial institution of Trade to provide loans starting from N1 million to no more than N50 million to assist Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the state. Nearly all of these SMEs are agro-based, thus boosting meals manufacturing and safety within the state. Three thousand and sixty-six companies benefited from the N4 billion that was disbursed on this mortgage scheme.
EducationIn the realm of schooling, the governor has gone the additional mile. Other than guaranteeing that colleges within the state are adequately maintained and furnished with the best employees, he has made certain to not compromise employees welfare. Lecturers who had been missed or bypassed for promotion over time have been promoted and correctly incentivised to provide their pupils and college students the perfect of instructing. When Wigwe College had its inaugural matriculation in November 2024, the Rivers State authorities gave full scholarship to just about each single one of many 150 pioneer college students of the college, each Rivers indigenes and non-indigenes resident within the state.
Peace And SecurityPerhaps Governor Fubara’s best achievement is within the space of sustaining safety within the state. Isn’t it stunning that regardless of all of the provocations from detractors, together with the burning down of government-owned properties by enemies of the governor, he has persistently known as for calm and peace from his supporters, thereby ravenous the hearth of his detractors the gasoline and oxygen they should justify throwing the state into chaos? He has given the Police most assist to make sure that crime has been curbed to the barest minimal. Night time life has returned in full-swing to the state, because the actions of the ever bustling nightclubs can attest. Prior to now, hardly a day glided by with out information of somebody being kidnapped in some elements of the state, with the Emohua axis of the East-West Highway being a den of kidnappers. All that’s now a factor of the previous; because of Governor Fubara.
Employees WelfareIn the aftermath of the Federal Authorities’s enhance of minimal wage of staff to N70,000, Governor Fubara elevated the minimal wage of the state staff to N85,000. He’s the primary governor to truly pay the elevated minimal wage. Apart from paying salaries of energetic staff, the governor has ensured that pensioners will not be left to endure, not like the case earlier than his assumption of workplace. In December, he went additional to provide Rivers staff and pensioners a Christmas bonus of N100,000 every.
InfrastructureIf we flip to infrastructure, which some folks think about their yardstick for measuring authorities’s efficiency, Governor Fubara has accomplished amazingly effectively. He spent the higher a part of December 2024 commissioning undertaking after undertaking throughout all of the senatorial zones of the state. He commissioned about 28 roads totaling almost 292 kilometres, renovated 38 main well being centres within the state, and gave a lot of the main and secondary colleges within the state a facelift.
Internally Generated RevenueAdded to all these, the Governor has been in a position to showcase his monetary prudence and sagacity, resulting in the state recording over N300 billion in Internally Generated Income for the yr 2024 (a N100 billion enchancment on the state’s 2023 IGR; the primary of its variety within the state’s historical past), in addition to his potential to fund the 2024 funds with out borrowing. That is fairly a feat, which hardly some other governor in Nigeria was in a position to obtain in 2024. To consolidate the features of 2024, Governor Fubara did guarantee that he introduced his funds for 2025 to the State Meeting, passing it in report time. A have a look at that funds, which the Governor tagged “Funds of Inclusive Progress and Growth” reveals that Governor Fubara is ready to enhance on the features of 2024 by touching key areas of the economic system in addition to capital improvement. It’s fairly instrumental to notice that Governor Fubara was in a position to accomplish all these regardless of the heavy assaults, distractions and marketing campaign of calumny from self-centred folks and events that don’t imply effectively for the state. One wonders what he’ll accomplish with the full assist of the folks of Rivers State.*Wai-Ogosu is the Convener of Rivers Come up Motion
