Amaechi: High unemployment rate in Rivers responsible for insecurity
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has blamed the insecurity in Rivers State on high rate of unemployment.
Amaechi said most of the establishments setup to create employments in the state have folded up under the current administration.
The former governor of the state spoke during the defection of two former commissioners in the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration and other members of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The event was held in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Sunday.
According to Amaechi: “Rivers State is in danger, completely. A state where properties are collected and somebody is busy building everywhere and nobody is talking.
“When I was governor, God knows, I did my best. I did not build only roads, I built schools. I did not build only roads, I built electricity. I built farms. I created employment. Rivers State was not among the highest unemployed community in Nigeria.
“The reason why crime is high in Rivers State is that unemployment is very high. That the reason why we had the Songhai Farm. Today, the Songhai Farm is gone. That is why we had the Banana Farm that they stopped in Khana (Ogoniland).
“That is why we had fish farms and that is why we were building a farm in Etche. We were doing all those things to create employment for the youths. That is why we hired 13,200 teachers and that is why we sent our children overseas to study.”
Lately, the security issue in the state has deteriorated.
Some parts of Rivers State had witnessed some measure of insecurity which was linked to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Just a few days ago, over 15 suspected cultists were murdered in Akpabuyo/Bakassi Local Government Areas of the state.
The incident occurred in a renewed cult operations.
Daily post gathered that residents in the affected areas have deserted their villages and communities and local governments while economic and social amenities are disrupted.
Three suspected cult groups, Skyro, Mafiance and Black Scorpion are said to be involved in the incident.
It was learnt that the operations of the cult groups are bloody.