A bright industrial future seemed to dawn on Rivers State economy the moment Sim Fubara mounted the throne in the Brick House in Port Harcourt. A delegation from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in the Rivers/Bayelsa chapter returned with plenty of enthusiasm.
The immediate past chapter boss of MAN who hails from same town with the new governor marched into the seat of power with the MAN delegation and came out with plenty of hope for every single problem that had bedeviled manufacturing; from close engagement with the manufacturers, tax harmonisation, industrial park, elimination of touts to power supply.
Next, the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule slammed an impeachment motion accusing the governor of what many persons still don’t seem to understand to this day. So went the hopes and dreams of accelerated industrial development. Now, as MAN holds its 42nd annual general meeting which marks the end of tenure of the once hopeful chapter chairman, Vincent Okuku, an elder, shared pains of disappointment caused by the endless crisis.
In an exclusive interview with BusinessDay at the event, Okuku put the blame squarely on the political crisis.
He said the perennial challenge of multiple taxation, poor power supply, lack of industrial hub, among others, is as a result of the political crises that hit Rivers State between 2023-2026.
The outgoing chairman was asked to explain why the same pleas he made about the fate of industries when he mounted the seat were the same ones that he submitted on his last stunt.
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He blamed the setbacks on the system, saying that MAN presented their challenges to a government whose responsibility it is to proffer the needed solutions but was caught up in political tussle.
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ýOkuku, however, expressed joy over the reconciliation taking place in the state and return of political stability, saying that the Governor may now focus on the delivery of governance, and focus tackling critical challenges facing the economy such as the one facing manufacturers in the State, and that key policies, can now get the desired attention.
He seemed unaware that the crisis over how much the governor must hand over to the lawmakers and their backers before getting the 2026/27 budget passed is being blamed for the total lack of anything going on again in the state; city reeking in refuse, roads blocked, jobs not being created, programmes not being executed, events not getting government attention/support, etc.
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