Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said no state government should use COVID-19 as an excuse not to invest in infrastructural growth that can foster economic development and prosperity.
He spoke during a facility tour of the ultra-modern Government House Hospital and Administrative Building in Port Harcourt, by the Senate Chief Whip and former Abia State governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
Wike said Rivers would not join the league of states that hide under the guise of COVID-19 pandemic to deny their people basic infrastructures such as roads acknowledged universally as a major contributor to trade, higher economic productivity and growth.
Wike said: “COVID-19 cannot be an excuse to any government. COVID -19 is a bad thing, but it has come. It will go whether we like it or not. But people will also be alive.
“Infrastructure must be provided. So, you can’t say because of COVID-19, nothing will be done. At the time COVID-19 ends, what will the people be facing? Lack of basic infrastructure. So, because of COVID-19, I am not going to be doing anything? I am not a party to that. I will continue to work whether there is COVID-19 or not.”
He said his administration had conscientiously been investing in high quality infrastructure that had positive economic value to stimulate job creation and boost foreign direct investment.
Wike hailed Kalu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for visiting the state to assess what his administration was doing to improve the quality of life of the people.
Speaking after inspecting the building, Kalu said Wike’s deliberate investment in crucial infrastructure was commendable. (The Nation)
