From Blessing Douglas, Port Harcourt
The Chief Executive Officer of the Construction and Housing Mayor Limited, Mr My-ACE China, has revealed the reason he has adopted the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara as his idol.
Recalled that governor Fubara has been in the news space in the past weeks over his rift with the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Speaking at a programme organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State chapter, China popularly known as the Mayor of Housing, said he adopted Fubara as his governor because of his direct, bold policy in the housing subsector and the strategy that has led to the kickoff of 20,000 low-cost houses in Rivers State.
He disclosed “When I heard Sir Siminalayi Fubara declare his policy on Social Housing on day one, May 29, 2023, I fell for him immediately, and when he went ahead and awarded the contract and kick-started initial 20,000 low-cost houses, he became my idol.
“That was also why when journalists interviewed me and asked me to analyse the 2024 federal budget in terms of housing since I am the Mayor of Housing, I said I had nothing to analyse because I did not see anything that would address the 32m housing deficit in Nigeria in the federal budget yet.
“I said the budget that means something to me is the Rivers State one and the governor that means anything to me is Sir Fubara because of his bold and direct policy in Housing and the proactive action leading to award of contract to begin construction of 20,000 low-cost houses right away.”
He said “My excitement was not that 20,000 houses would be built, but that when you consider that it takes at least 40 persons to build one standard house, you multiple that number by 20,000 houses, you would find at least 800,000 workforce that would be involved. This would make you to marvel”.
Agreeing with the State Information Commissioner, Joseph Johnson in his comment at the event on the way to represent the State to the world, the Mayor of Housing stated that negative presentation of events from Rivers State would hurt the economy and even hurt publishers and journalists.
He reminded Journalists that they are stakeholders in the economy of their host states, as he urged them to use their pen to shape positive narrative of the State.
China also urged the media community to consider investing in reputation asset building of states they cover such as Rivers and hope to also reap from it.
He noted that the housing sector needs good image of its host state to grow, and appealed to journalists to do reputation evaluation of locations where estates can be developed, saying this would attract global developers.
The Mayor of Housing also reminded those trying to tear the state apart to know that profit flees to where there is stability, saying some climes have turned swamps into new heavens as Maroko was turned into Lekki.
In his remarks, the information commissioner joined the Mayor of Housing to call for new way of reporting Rivers State to avoid scarring away investors especially in the property sector of the economy.
He commended the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for what he called neutrality in the current political saga in Rivers State.
He noted that the Governor is a friend of the media and will continue to support the Correspondents’ Chapel and other arms of the NUJ in Rivers State.
The Corporate Communications head of Indorama Nigeria, Dr Jossy Nkwocha, who received award on behalf of Indorama and for himself, also commended the Correspondents for remaining neutral in reporting the crisis in the state.
The chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Mr Amaechi Okonkwo, lauded the Rivers State Government for restoring the tradition of supporting organs of the NUJ and for supporting the Chapel for the successful hosting of the Press Week 2023.
Picture: (L-R) Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China and the Commissioner for Information, Mr Joseph Johnson, at the Correspondents’Chapel Week 2023, held in Port Harcourt.
