Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has attributed the drift in prospective economic development of the State to mismanagement.
The governor however, assured that the State under his watch will be restored and transformed to its rightful position as an enviable and economically viable State.
Governor Fubara disclosed this yesterday, while inaugurating the new board of the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Addressing the inaugurated board, Governor Fubara, charged them to deploy their wealth of experience and expertise in different fields to restore the lost economic glory of the state.
He pointed out that although the state is blessed with enormous natural resources of oil, gas and improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), much still need to be done to develop the State, stressing that the Investment Promotion Agency is strategic to achieving the desired economic development in the state.
The governor who restated the commitment of his administration to fulfill the promises of developing every sphere of the State’s economy, enjoined the new agency to concentrate on agricultural development, manufacturing and production, wealth creation and employment, assuring that he will provide all the necessary support for them to succeed.
“People were leaving other places to come and stay, live and do business here. It got to a time when things turned around, maybe will I call it expansion of the State, because normally development comes with its own challenges. But in the other hand it is not really the cause, it was a mismanagement of our blessing. Channeling our blessings into the wrong cause, and this in one way or the other, set Rivers State to become pitiable economically.
“We might be celebrating that we have a very fat allocation and we have been able to improve our IGR, but we still have a lot to do and that has to do with this Agency. The purpose of this agency is to give our people and to assure them that Rivers State can still come back to that enviable position that it once occupied.
“Those people that were doing business in Rivers State that left for one reason or the other can still come back. People who intend to come back and invest, because Rivers State is blessed, it has oil, it has the most important item for development today, which is gas, it has it in abundance.”
The governor emphasised the need for the agency to be proactive against anti development forces in the state and help to salvage the state from economic doldrum.
“Look at what is happening in Trans Amadi. We can make Trans Amadi come back to what it used to be. We can develop the resources we have in Onne, we have Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni gas hub. These are promises we made during our campaign and we must fulfill those promises.”
Responding to the charges, the Chairman of the Agency, Lawrence Fubara Anga, (a Senior Advocate of Nigeria), thanked Governor Fubara for the opportunity given to members of the board to serve the state and commended the governor for his foresight and vision for the development of Rivers State.
He assured that with the support of the Governor in providing the enabling environment for investment drive, and the collective efforts of all key stakeholders, including agencies and parastatals, the agency will achieve its mandate of economic transformation in the state.
THISDAY observed that the newly inaugurated Board of the Agency consists of Lawrence Fubara Anga (Chairman), Dr Chamberlain Peterside, (Director General), Tamunoibuemi Life-George (Secretary), Goodliffe Mmekini (member), Harvey Ideozu (Member), and Baritorlenu Kpagih (member).
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
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