"It is a wretched taste to be gratified with mediocrity when the excellent lies before us." - Isaac D'Israeli

For the past two years now, our dearly beloved Rivers State, has regrettably become the epicentre of weird and stupendous political dramas. From the unrestrained hate speeches and electoral violence being perpetrated by the so called political leaders, to the acrobatic celebration of simplistic and routine functions of government; Nollywood Producers are either uninterested in political soap operas, or they lack the ability to identify good stories that will most certainly make great movies. 

As early as 7:30am GMT on Saturday August 20, 2016, preparations were already in top gear for the 're-commissioning' of a road that was initiated, completed and commissioned by Sir Dr. Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State, during his tenure in office. Canopies, chairs, musical instruments, buffet sets, and other necessary ingredients of modern occasions were already placed on one lane of the road that was about to be re-commissioned. In fact, loud music was already blaring from giant speakers placed on the road partition. All was set for the day Peter Odili Road would be re-commissioned. 

Trust Governor Wike and his overbearing stunts, he paraded about with the President and members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who were originally in the State for the annual Bar conference, he took them round the soon to be re-commissioned road, showing off the filled pot holes, asphalted sections, additional pavements, road markings, etc. He even got the once revered NBA, through its embattled president, Augustine Alegeh SAN, to commission an already commissioned road. The fun fair was high and the narcissistic Governor was seen relishing in the savour of the artificially stimulated moment; the media coverage was good; the mediocre smiles from the faces of PDP loyalists; encomiums from the voices of paid-political sycophants; Governor Wike is working!  

What exactly is commissioning? In Project Management,  the main objective of commissioning is to effect the safe and orderly handover of the unit from the constructor to the owner, guaranteeing its operatebility in terms of performance, reliability, safety and information traceability. Simply put, commissioning is the formal presentation of a completed project to the owner. From the forgone, the questions that arises from the strange re-commissioning of Peter Odili Road by Governor Wike are as follows: is there a particular section of the road that was left uncompleted by the former governor? Was the road without drainages, partitions, pavements, asphalt, and so many other components of a typical road that this present government is now claiming and re-commissioning? Is it possible that former Governor Peter Odili did not commission the road and now wants Governor Wike to commission it on his behalf a whole decade after? 

Apart from the conspicuous mediocrity that is associated with the re-commissioning of an already commissioned road, there is also the issue of too much ado about nothing. Whilst Governor Wike is busy playing to the gallery in Rivers State, his counterparts in Cross Rivers and Lagos States, respectively, are actually constructing, completing, and commissioning world class projects. For example, Gov. Ayade, is intensively working on the multi-billion Naira Calabar Light rail project, the first in Nigeria, that would soon be inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari, while Governor Ambode just commissioned the first ever state-owned medical emergency helicopter and helipad in Nigeria. Can you spot the difference?

It was Gordon B. Hinckley who intelligently asserted that "eternal vigilance is the price of eternal development", and I do agree with him hook, line, and sinker. Rivers State has never been in dire need of political vigilance more than now. The good people of Rivers State must rise up in unison and demand for Governor Wike to stop playing cheap politics with the scarce resources of Rivers people, even at a time when recession is biting deep into the depleted earnings of the masses. A minute more silence might dangerously accelerate the ongoing redefinition of mediocrity in Rivers State. 

~ Solomon Okocha
@okocha_info‎

I smell propaganda from members of an opposition party. This is not good. Wike is doing well and must be encouraged.

Dis ceremony is totally uncalled-for, but OP. This ceremony is also not worth all this Grammar and the time wasted Na.

U must b very pained abt Governor Wike ooo.
CAVEAT: U beta run away from Rivers State or u commit suicide cos Wike jxt like ur infamous Buhari is gonna b around 4 mor 2& half yrs. ( Citeris Paribus).

Wike is just playing politics with everything.


Meanwhile , this is the same road when it rained 2hours after commissioning.

ogmask:
Wike is just playing politics with everything.


Meanwhile , this is the same road when it rained 2hours after commissioning.

Na wa o!
Someone needs to be shot. I thought I read Julius berger
somewhere in that article.

ogmask:
Wike is just playing politics with everything.


Meanwhile , this is the same road when it rained 2hours after commissioning.

Odili road has always been flooded and you can't blame Wike for nature's prowess. That whole area was a swamp not long ago.

Wike on the other hand should stop this jamboree and maintain quiet but useful development in Rivers State. I have sadly noticed that 95% of his works are in 2 Port Harcourt metropolitan LGAs of OBALGA and PHALGA. Hopefully he fulfils his promise to Bori people and then extend development to Omoku and Oyigbo which Amaechi equally neglected during his time.

Abagworo:


Odili road has always been flooded and you can't blame Wike for nature's prowess. That whole area was a swamp not long ago.

Wike on the other hand should stop this jamboree and maintain quiet but useful development in Rivers State. I have sadly noticed that 95% of his works are in 2 Port Harcourt metropolitan LGAs of OBALGA and PHALGA. Hopefully he fulfils his promise to Bori people and then extend development to Omoku and Oyigbo which Amaechi equally neglected during his time.

Do what do you think flood water will do to the road?

Tonyebarcanista and Truckpusher, what is your take on this.... as for me, i still maintain that Wike can be a master of politiking but hes not technocrat. He will not take Rivers to the next level even if he gverns for ever.

ogmask:
Wike is just playing politics with everything.


Meanwhile , this is the same road when it rained 2hours after commissioning.

That is why the state is called "Rivers State"

HopeAtHand:
Tonyebarcanista and Truckpusher, what is your take on this.... as for me, i still maintain that Wike can be a master of politiking but hes not technocrat. He will not take Rivers to the next level even if he gverns for ever.

I have nothing to add

Tochex101:

Na wa o!
Someone needs to be shot. I thought I read Julius berger
somewhere in that article.

Julius Berger only repaired the pot holes which they were told to do. WIKE should have told them to build underground drainage system and given them money to do same.

NigerDeltan:


That is why the state is called "Rivers State"

Good one bro, you made me laugh real hard this morning.
But seriously , any job done on that road that does not attend to the flooding of the road is an effort in futility . Berger has been on that road for many months doing absolutely nothing. Most times their machines are just there doing nothing with one side of the road cordoned off. Sometimes you see them working at very slow speed. My point is the time it took Berger to deliver the job and the final outcome does not add up to all the jamboree that the govt did.

Abagworo:


Odili road has always been flooded and you can't blame Wike for nature's prowess. That whole area was a swamp not long ago.

Wike on the other hand should stop this jamboree and maintain quiet but useful development in Rivers State. I have sadly noticed that 95% of his works are in 2 Port Harcourt metropolitan LGAs of OBALGA and PHALGA. Hopefully he fulfils his promise to Bori people and then extend development to Omoku and Oyigbo which Amaechi equally neglected during his time.

Recall Amaechi also worked on that road but he ddnt do any form of jamboree about it. Amaechi did almost a total overhaul of odili road. How can wike commission a road that was initially commissioned by odili. All wike did was cover potholes and reconstruct the drainage in some parts of the road.
He did same commissioning with markafi when he resurfaced Woji road. Too much jamboree ...