Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, says Port Harcourt is now a world class city and remains key to the economic, political and cultural renaissance of Nigeria and West African sub region
Governor Amaechi made the assertion last Friday while unveiling the anniversary activities to mark the centenary celebrations of Port Harcourt at the Main Bowl of the Alfred Diete Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt.
Represented by his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, the governor said by all standards, Port Harcourt had grown to a cosmopolitan status with world class infrastructure and a population of 1.9 million people.
“ Port Harcourt has the best primary health centres, about 120 of them and three secondary health centres on public-private partnership with Americans. It also have two tertiary health centres. The new model secondary schools are equivalent to universities. It is a secondary school that any person will see and appreciate to say this is the bset to reckon with. Port Harcourt also have world class roads and overhead bridges’’ Amaechi remarked.
The governor while recalling the economic contributions the city has played since its establishement in 1913, observed that from hosting the first port after Lagos for the export of palm oil, coal and tin, the city today hosts the biggest oil companies in the West Africa region, pointing out that,” anyday there is hike in price of domestic products, the price of oil is also sharply affected, and immediately that happens in Port Harcourt, the entire nation shivers’’.
As the centre of Nigeria oil wealth Amaechi maintained that the presence of Port Harcourt Refinery, the Eleme Petrochemicals and other oil servicing companies has equally put the city in the centre of oil business globally.
Socially, he opined that Port Harcourt has great lure due to its cultural diversity and the people’s hospitality,” Port Harcourt is a place to feel at home..Port Harcourt is a city of stupendous wealth and great opportunities. All who come into Port Harcourt leave this place rich; none has ever come to Port Harcourt and gone back poor. Indeed Port Harcourt is the treasure base of Nigeria”.
It is against this backdrop, Rt Hon. Amaechi emphasised that a new city was being envisioned, positing that the new Greater Port Harcourt would be the greatest city in the whole of West Africa when completed. “Currently, it will be the greatest city in the whole of West Africa,’’ the governor assured,” plans are in top gear to give 24 hour supply, although we are still discussing with Power Holding Company to conclude arrangements, but from where we are today,Port Harcourt will begin to enjoy 24 hour power supply’’.
Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. George Feyii, who is also the Chairman of the Port Harcourt City Centenary Committee, said Rivers State Government and the people of the state has every reason to celebrate the 100 years of the city named after the then British Colonial Secretary, Viscount Louis Harcourt in 1913.
‘’So we are here to celebrate and I think we have every reason to. Many person have asked, is there need to celebrate when we have so many challenges and my answer is, you will always have challenges. If you want to wait for the day that you will not have challenges to celebrate, then you will never celebrate. So we have a number of reasons to celebrate and I invite you to identify with every event that has been organised, every event that has been planned to feature during this celebration’’ Feyii noted.
Source: The TideNewsPaper
