My government won't spend N27 billion reserved savings.' This was how Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governor's Forum (NGF), once put it. We are not even talking about the N115billion of this same saving. We were told that the money had accrued from the monthly N1billion compulsory saving. He disclosed this during the launching of 'Change Rivers State' initiative held at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, months, before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of the 2011 gubernatorial elections in the state. What made his statement more interesting was his declaration that the state government would not touch the money despite anything. But today, what are we seeing' A state its account is said to be dilapidated. Not even the governor's statement that the 'compulsory' N1 billion monthly saving was backed by law and the saving was for future use of the state.What we could not understand is whether the state is better with the situation than it was before Amaechi came. Amaechi had told us how he realised that a lot of things had gone wrong and needed to be corrected, on assumption of office in 2007. He formed a lot of 'things' he said were to enable his government realise the 'dream Port Harcourt', among which was the 'change initiative'. But what are we seeing today' Indeed, a 'dreaming Port Harcourt.' The Deputy Governor who is Chairman of the State Investment Committee, we were told, had signed agreement with Skye Financial Services Limited, Stanbic IBTC Bank and First Trustees Limited 'to invest the funds on behalf of the state.' Amaechi went further and told us of how the state has a new brand called, 'Rivers Brand'.While inaugurating the seven-member State Tenders Board, Amaechi told the Rivers masses that it was formed to ensure that the Due Process Principle was followed by his administration. He backed up his statement, saying that the statutory law of Financial Regulation nominated the appointees. He added that with that, the Due Process starts from the Ministries.What we are not sure of today is if the governor's effectiveness of the board really reflects the number and value of projects embarked upon in the state. Did the board really achieve the governor's set targets' We cannot always be told that the realities from market regulations paint a gloomy picture of the future in Rivers State, even when the governor had pointed out that 'we need to save money, and one way to do so is to ensure that all those fat costs that we bear from projects will be reduced, not arbitrarily but according to the dictates of market forces in line with the law'.What is amiss is the rationale in the long queue of projects Amaechi lined up despite knowing that these countless projects required huge funds to actualise them. Is this not a case of treating leprosy with back pain prescription' We are sure that Amaechi who had expressed delight that the funds to be preserved in the process would be used to provide good schools for children and affordable healthcare, amongst other social services, would have his blood swelling the veins on his forehead by now, on how the state suddenly ran out of money; not even the hyped 'N27 billion reserved savings' or the N115billion saving, have redeemed our state.We remember that the Tenders Board has not been functional in the state since the early 80s which was why Amaechi 'exhumed' it. Mrs. Anucha, Chairman of the State Tenders Board, who's also the Head of Service that thanked Amaechi for the reconstitution of the Board, should come out and tell the masses what the state has achieved with the re-construction of the Board, because she reportedly told the masses that the absence of the Tenders Board resulted in perfumed abuse of Public Procurement Procedure and non-adherence to laid down principles.'Onwumere, the Coordinator, Concerned Non-Indigenes In Rivers State (CONIRIV), wrote in via nirivpol@gmail.com
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