AMAECHI: A Peep Into The Future Through The Past.
My fellow Nigerians, we have come to a time in our nation’s history when we will take decisions that will determine a lot more things that will happen to us as a nation and a people.
As a nation and people, we have been through and are faced by enormous challenges that have and are threatening to destroy the very fabric of our unity as a nation and one great people.
Thus, this is a critical time for us to summon courage to (continue to) confront and overcome such challenges that still besiege us and as may crop up, and resilience to maintain the gains and victories we so far have gotten.
Therefore, It is a time that we must look beyond the rhetorics of ethnic bias and religious jingoism in taking our decision; it is for us to pensively tell ourselves the truth to enable us overcome these challenges.
So to be true to ourselves is to be firm and ensure we take the right decision needed at a period as this in order to surmount these challenges, and they sure are surmountable.
I find myself worthy to step out and lead the course to face these challenges, daunting as
they may be .
This is because my life has been one of challenges turned opportunities, as with the help of God, I never backed down to such challenges.
I have, therefore, not found myself in a situation of desperation for anything but have rather been desperate to surmount the challenges that beset me in life and turn them to opportunities that better the lot of prevailing situations and circumstances, As I recognize such opportunities life and destiny offer me, I take it as a duty call and strive to ensure I do not fail in my duty to man and God.
Therefore, driven by the passion to succeed against the fear of disappointing man and God.
I put in my best. As a result, I believe, God has helped me not to fail or be a disappointment
to people, as He has always been my strength, right from my days as a student union leader,
through my short stints at the aborted democratic periods, and to becoming elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly, where I eventually became Speaker of House (and the first person to serve as speaker for 8years in Nigeria).
Thereafter, by the will of God, I did two terms as Governor of Rivers State, immediately after which I became Minister of Transportation, a position to which I was reappointed by President Buhari.
As a Speaker, the passion for a harmonious relationship between the executive and the legislature, which engenders smooth and people-oriented governance, took me to all the 36 states of our nation Nigeria.
My colleagues, as a result, and in implicit confidence, rested on me the leadership of the Speakers Association of Nigeria.
On becoming Governor of Rivers State, the feeling of empathy for what average residents of Rivers State were faced with drove the passion in me to lead an administration that strove to ensure that: security was restored (a situation which made our youth that had been negatively skewed began to have a rethink and become positively minded with the understanding that the penalty for crime and criminality is enforceable).
Our administration then set into motion measures to better the literacy level of the state by declaring a state of emergency in education, which saw the building and completion of over 300 primary schools, the employment of over 13,000 teachers, and their training and retraining with the collaboration of British Council; giving incentives to teachers in the rural areas to ensure our rural populace were not left out; the takeover of the payment of the salaries of primary school teachers from the local government areas to stem the tide of that incessant strikes and nonchalance as a result of delayed or most often none payment of salaries; inclusion of ICT in the school curriculum from primary to secondary to meet modern-day reality. By the grace of God, we were able to run a comprehensive FREE EDUCATION from uniforms to books.
We went further with the idea of creating opportunities for knowledge acquisition and transfer to thousands of our students through scholarships within and outside Nigeria, from secondary (within Nigeria) to PhD levels (within and outside Nigeria).
With serious concerns of a Rivers State without oil,
we began to revamp technical and vocational education as well as embarked on massive
agricultural schemes, training our people in this regard and the establishment of farms and farm settlements with a consideration of the value chain of products and produce and an eye on exportation.
The agricultural ventures included the Songhai farms, the banana farms, mega fish farms, the revamping of Risonpalm Ltd and the rubber plantation.
Also, We realized that basic primary healthcare is the base for a healthy society.
Therefore, we built, equipped and furnished over 160 primary health centres with residences for the doctors and nurses, renovated, remodelled, built, equipped and re-equipped our secondary health centres, .and employed over 200 doctors.
To ensure the riverine communities are not
left out, we had water ambulances stationed to convey patients in need of secondary healthcare not available in their area. Again the healthcare services were provided free to the people.
The intendment of the free schemes was to take the burden of education and health care off the people so they could channel their energies to other productive things.
Over 400km of roads and bridges were built as a way of infrastructural development, urban renewal and to aid rural-urban movements of persons and goods thereby enhancing business opportunities for our people.
All these I also sought and desired to be replicated
nationwide as my governor colleagues and I encouraged ourselves on peer review of projects delivered to citizens within the financial reach of states, being the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum. For this again, I crisscrossed the 36 states of Nigeria.
On becoming Minister, it was only apparent that I had to change the narrative of our rail on paper and groundbreaking ceremony.
Knowing that a working rail system is most beneficial to the ordinary people and enhances the developmental stride of our nation, we set out to
work and have tried to make a difference despite the huge challenges we face.
In the maritime sector as it concerns our ports, we understand the teething challenges and are
squaring up to them and making serious progress in resolving them.
The deep blue project and the soon to be commissioned Lekki deep seaport (first in our country) are pointers to our efforts to surmounting the teething maritime challenges. We know we are still a work in progress.
I have never allowed the daunting tasks that I have faced in life to weigh me down or out. I rather persevere, God helping me as I am only human prone to mistakes and weaknesses, with the courage to overcome and achieve results.
Now is another opportunity I see before me, and that is to serve as the President of Nigeria.
As it has been my disposition to step in and forward when faced with challenges, I crave the
indulgence and support of Nigerians to help realize this opportunity and so that I can serve
this nation of ours with renewed zeal, passion, forthrightness, and wealth of experience.
At this point in our nation, we need mental and physical strength as well as a strong personality
to tackle headlong the challenges facing us as a nation and reroute our country to the path
of pride and development.
We must see for ourselves first-hand solutions we decide to put in
place to better our nation; no matter where it is, I will go and see such for ourselves.
We
need to come together in an unprecedented manner and roll our sleeves to collectively
tackle the challenges.
These issues are urgent and I promise to hit the ground running from.the very first day if Nigerians help me realize this opportunity to Serve With this clarion plea to Nigerians and God helping me as He always has, I am confident that with me as President our nation will be rerouted to the path of prosperity and re gain her place of pride in the comity of nations.
God bless Nigeria.
