Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has threatened to shut down the Bonny-Bille-Nembe Jetty in Port Harcourt if there are reported cases of criminality or physical violence in the area.
The governor said the zeal to provide an enabling environment for sea travellers and boost marine economy of the state, spurred his administration to remodel the once dilapidated jetty first built in the 1950s.
He stated this at the commissioning of the remodelled jetty by the governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal on Saturday.
The governor noted that while government will not relent in providing infrastructure needed to create an enabling environment for business to thrive, it will not tolerate criminal activities around the remodelled jetty.
“Don’t come here and kill people. Don’t come here and kidnap people. Don’t come here to act as thugs and criminals”, he warned.
The governor ordered the contractor to erect a concrete wall around the jetty in order to make it inaccessible for non-travellers. He also directed the Commissioner for Transport to ensure the departure and arrival hall at the jetty is furnished within the next two weeks.
Wike reiterated that the hope for a better and prosperous Nigeria depends on the return of the Peoples Democratic Party to power in 2023 and urged the people to continue to support the party.
He further declared that the sterling accomplishments of his administration have silenced the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, commended Wike for judiciously applying the resources of state to address pressing needs of the people.
He described the jetty as a very critical project that will go a long way to further make transportation easy and indeed easier for the people of the riverine communities of the state.
“You have done a lot in the area of human capital development. You have done a lot in the infrastructural development of the state and importantly bringing back security and safety of life in Rivers State. That is very key and that is very fundamental”, Tambuwal stated.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, advised the federal government to emulate Governor Wike in provision of basis amenities for Nigerians.
He described as preposterous the decision of the federal government to borrow money from bank accounts that have been dormant in the past three years.
Rivers State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Osima Ginah, lauded Wike for completion of the project, adding that the arrival and departure hall at the jetty can comfortably accommodate 100 passengers.