‘I STAND WITH BUHARI’-RIVERS STATE CHAPTER INAUGURATED
As the race towards presidential Campaign in 2019 gets on preparatory stage a political pressure group known as ‘I Stand With Buhari’ few days back got a nod for official inauguration at Abuja its Rivers state Chapter has also set up modalities for getting 23 Local Government Areas Coordinators and 319-Wards representatives is currently in motion. In their bid to sensitize members of the public three members of ‘I Stand With Buhari’ Rivers state Chapter visited www.towncrier.ng where Comrade Prince T.O.S Chima Anaele -Etche Coordinator, Engineer Okpara Okpara Christian Chigorum of Ikwerre Local Government Coordinator and Comrade Allwell Chimenem Ome-Egeonu Coordinator of Obio/Akpor and Public Relations Officer of the group in a media chat extolled the good qualities of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari and how they believe in his change mantra which had really brought new approach towards good governance in Nigeria.
EXCERPTS
WHEN did you start “I Stand With Buhari”?
‘I stand with Buhari’ was officially inaugurated on the 7th of May, 2018 at Air Force International Conference Center Abuja. And ‘I stand With Buhari’ stand to galvanize for Buhari for his re-election come 2019. This is Rivers State chapter of “I Stand With Buhari” and I am Comrade Allwell Chimenem Ome-Egeonu the Coordinator in Obio/Akpor Chapter we want to use this medium to congratulate our President Muhammadu Buhari for his 3rd year in office and for successful democratic Day celebration and for the new Bill “Not too Young to Run” really shows that Mr. President is giving the youths sense of belonging…we hereby call on all well meaning Rivers indigenes and residents to come out and support the re-election campaign for our president come 2019.
SINCE the inauguration of your organization in Abuja have you engaged in any activity in Rivers state down to the 23 LGAs and 319 wards?
Yes, we have been officially inaugurated I mean the 774 LGAs in Nigeria as Local Government Coordinators and we were given the mandate to go back to our various states to inaugurate the Wards and Units Coordinators.
SO far, have you done that in Rivers state?
Well, we have been meeting with our members in our various LGAs for now trying to plan on how to put up the Wards and Units structures in place.
FROM what I can see here you are all youths, Is “I Stand With Buhari” organization only meant for Youths?
No really meant for Youths and not only meant for All Progressive Congress APC members “I Stand With Buhari” is open for everybody that believes in his good work. Like I told you we are happy that it just happened that some of us LGAs Coordinators from Rivers state maybe youths. It also gives us sense of belonging even as we congratulated him the President for signing the Bill “Not Too Young To Run” it means that everybody as it stands now , the ground is open for every youth to show himself to the world.
SO, that Law “Not Too Young To Run”, how do you see this law and its effect to democratic governance in Nigeria?
It is a welcome development at least it gives every well meaning youth the opportunity outside belonging to political party to at least showcase what you have for the people.
BUT the President himself gave a parting shot saying that “please you youths should stop campaign until after 2019 and that he doesn’t want you people to run against him in 2019, what is your take on this?
I am not aware of that based on that Mr. President might be joking as we all know him as a father and one person who know how to crack jokes trying to cheer the youths up. But as it stands now Mr. President cannot stop anybody from contesting election in this state. Concerning the question earlier asked about our activities in Rivers state here we just came back from our inauguration at Abuja on the 7th of May, 2019 and being charged to inaugurate the Wards and Units we went ahead sensitizing the public as we have been on air severally talking to members of the public about the need to re-elect Mr. President , Muhammadu Buhari and it is our primary assignment. And we have been on the broadcast media, Social media and print media and all that and today we are here with you sensitizing members of the public to let them know the reasons why we will re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari. This President has done a lot as some people say he is old or that he is that but he has done a lot for Nigeria starting from the construction of second Niger Bridge in Onitsha Anambra state , the Ajeokuta Steel Company, the refineries in Nigeria which are already functioning and more importantly in the agricultural sector of Nigerian economy we are now producing our foods. Initially when we started I was thinking that it might be way too high for us to afford but with the mandate for “I Stand With Buhari” for Nigeria we have stopped drastically the importation of Rice into Nigeria as we are more into the production of our own foods which is even more nutritious than the imported ones. We can now talk about the Federal roads in Nigeria, such as the East-West Road, is it the Benin Ore Road, Abuja-Lokoja high way, Lokoja –Enugu Highway road; the man has done so, much.
In Rivers State talk about the United Nations Environmental Program -UNEP Report which has gone to the tables of our own Niger Delta brothers who are appointed to implement it as President Muhammadu Buhari came into office not up to a month he signed the implementation of the UNEP report and today work has started there which is the aspect of it in the 4-Local Government Areas in Ogoniland. They are now in the villages conducting Health related test on people and I think the President has done a good job. Next is the Treasure single Accounts-TSA he has done so much there in such a manner that nobody could steal money again in this country.
THE opposition Peoples Democratic Party-PDP in Rivers state are saying there are no visible Federal projects executed in Rivers state, how about the Bonny –Bodo Federal Road ground breaking, what is your take on this?
Ok, the Bonny –Bodo Federal road was officially flagged off by the Vice President of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osibanjo and it is undergoing construction. Personally I was there and it is also about 50 to 60 per cent completion as the contractors have been mobilized to site everybody is working and putting final touches to that only that the sad issue we have been having is this our Rivers state mentality as everyone wants to collect arbitrary revenue called “Matching Ground Levy”. That has been handled. And not only that the Nigeria Navy War college at Ubima town in Ikwerre local Government Area in Rivers State was put up by this administration. The Airport in Bayelsa state is under construction which was abandoned by the last administration.
The Omagwa Port Harcourt International Airport is undergoing rehabilitation as the new terminal has also been completed. Currently rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Aba express Road work is going on there Day and night as you know the amount of money that project will put into our economy when it is completed.
FOR “I Stand With Buhari”, what are your lined up activities in Rivers State for now?
For now we have a common goal which is first inaugurating the wards and units structure. We also have some programmes we have drawn up like Seminars, some Symposium and Workshops to be held. Most important thing is to get them inaugurated. The National body of “I Stand With Buhari has also embarked on Geo-political Rallies and Geo-political conferences, the South East Conference was billed to take place on the 11th of June , 2018 at Nike Hotels in Enugu , Enugu state but postponed to 23rd of June 2018. Three days later it will be the South-East Solidarity Rally for President Buhari re-election to be held at Okpara Square Enugu. After that they will push over to another geo-political Zone as it might be the South-South or the North and at the end of the day we will have General rally at Abuja to round it off.
WHAT message for your followers in Rivers state?
President Muhammadu Buhari is a lover of all as he said in his inaugural Speech, he said that “I am for everybody and I belong to nobody” and from the look of things that has been happening since he took his Oath of office you can see that this man is not tribal political figure as he doesn’t favour this or that person he is a man that follows the rule of law. If you are on the right track he supports you. So, I want to urge everybody be you PDP, be you APC or SDP or whatever President Muhammadu Buhari has come to serve and let’s give him our maximum support and let’s eschew ethnic or religious sentiments and give him our support as he is the best brother we have as a Rivers man.