The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says he is rewarding the people of Rivers State with infrastructural projects for resisting moves to use the Army to rig him out of office in 2019.
Part of the infrastructural projects, he said, was the construction of eight flyover bridges in Port Harcourt.
Wike spoke Saturday at the flag-off of the 802 metre-long Orochiri/Wurukwo flyover bridge, made up of a deck span of 315m and north and south side ramps of 238meters and 249 meters respectively, in the state capital.
“Why we are doing this is because you too played a role in bringing us to Government. We also have to pay you back. Remember during the last election how the Army and other security agencies tried to rig us out in that election. All of you here came out and resisted that. So, for us, having given us that privilege, we have no other choice but to give you good infrastructure,” Wike said.
He explained that the construction of the Orochiri-Wurukwo flyover bridge at the intersection of Olu-Obasanjo Road and Port Harcourt -Aba Expressway junction was intended to address traffic jam envisaged to arise when the construction work on the Rumuola and GRA junction flyovers are completed.
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He appealed to motorists and commuters to bear the inconvenience they will experience throughout the duration of the construction of the eighth flyover.
Former Governor of Rivers, Sir Celestine Omehia, who flagged off the Orochiri-Wurukwo flyover, commended Wike for fulfilling his social contract with the people of the sate.
“You are fulfilling your promises to the people of Rivers State. And besides that, road network is an establishment for the future. It’s a way of connecting today for tomorrow. Like you rightly said here, if you don’t it now, somebody will do it at a later time. And you have shown that you have the vision in the administration of the state.
“The population of Rivers State today is not the same thing ten years ago. The population of Rivers State today is not the same thing twenty years ago. The ability to foresee what the state you are looking after will be like in 5, 10, 20 years is what you are doing now, the construction of these bridges for the purposes of traffic,” Omehia stated.