The hundred days in office of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers of Nigeria have been described by a cross section of Rivers State indigenes and residents as all propaganda and less actions.
A cross section of people that cut across all segments whom our reporters spoke to in Portharcourt,its environs and in the rural communities delievered a verdict of an administration in love with propaganda and less actions in the last hundred days.
In the field of infrastructural developments, opinions were that hundred days is enough period to develope pragmatic blueprints and to lay foundations of some important projects that will positively impact on the lives of the people, but regretably, according to them, these were not done.
In the area of security, we were informed that the Amaechi Administration is only relying on the security blueprint of his predecessor,which needs updating,"without even giving credit to where it is due".
There was however,a consensus that there was an improvement in sanitation, majority of those spoken to were nonetheless of the opinion that there is a square peg in a round hole in that area, which will engender a collapse of the little progress made in that area soon.
In areas like health, agriculture, sports and education, majority opinions were that no clear direction had been mapped out in the last hundred days of the administration.
Most people spoken to however agreed that the adminstration is strong on propaganda which according to them has nothing to do with the welfare of the people.
Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was in october 2007 declared the Governor of Rivers state by the Supreme court of Nigeria, after a protracted legal battle. Mr. Amaechi was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Rivers State in that year's gubernatorial election. In what was widely viewed as an injustice, his party substituted his name which was already submitted to the electoral commission without good reasons, with that of his first cousin, Mr. Celestine Omehia. Amaechi went to court and was subsequently declared the candidate of PDP which won the election in the state.
Mr.Amaechi was consequently sworn in as Governor two days later.
Efforts by us to speak with the Governor's chief publicist, Mr. Ogbonna Nwuke, on the Governor's hundred days in office were abortive, but an officer in the office of the Governor who declined to give us his name, said that the delay is part of the Governor's deliberate efforts to get the contributions of major stakeholders. He further told us that the Governor will still fulfill all that he promised to the people of Rivers State in the long run.
