Politics transcends partisan meetings, consultations, Wike declares

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that politics transcends partisan meetings and consultations, insisting that it also includes governance with effective monitoring of activities and projects to ensure that promises made to the people are fulfilled.

He stated this, yesterday, after inspecting work done on the Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at Rumuokwuta town and the sand-filled area located in Ogbunabali town in Port Harcourt.

Wike said the health facility was conceived, as response to save the life of Rivers people and other Nigerians resident in the state.

He said it was sad to see several people die from ignorance about cancer or heart-related diseases, and cannot also afford the cost of going abroad to seek adequate medical attention.

“Most of our people have died from heart diseases and not being able to diagnose it on time. By the time such medical conditions are diagnosed, raising money to travel overseas becomes a problem.”

The governor stated that with such health facility in Rivers State, those who suspect that they have cancer ailment or heart related diseases could diagnose their conditions on time.

Wike explained that experts in such field would also be attracted to the centre to support the staff strength to offer the best medial attention to Rivers people and Nigerians.

He also explained that due to the importance of the project, 70 per cent of the contract sum had been paid to Julius Berger and assured that the outstanding would soon be paid.

The governor expressed the hope that the project would be completed on or before July next year, given the commitment of the contractor.

“It will be the first of its kind in Nigeria, if not in sub-Sahara Africa. Again, it is to give our people the best healthcare system to our people and with what we are giving, we are happy,” he said.

He charged politicians to deliver on their promises, adding: “We have made promises to our people. We brought the Minister of Health to lay the foundation stone of the cancer centre and God willing, we will bring him, again next year to commission the facility.”

On the 16 hectares of land that was dredged at Ogbunabali, Wike said the area would be developed into a modern city with all the trappings of a modern and pleasurable city centre.