By Emmanuel Nlewedum, PORT HARCOURT
The Rivers State government has made clarifications on the circumstances surrounding the dismantling of the transmission mast belonging to the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower FM in the state.
The governor Siminalayi Fubara-led state government has been under attack since Monday for dismantling the transmission complex of the AIT and Raypower, resulting to total shutdown of operations of the media outfit in the state.
In his clarification, the Rivers State Commissioner of Works, Dr. George-Kelly Alabo, in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday said the DAAR Communications transmitting complex in Port Harcourt was pulled down because the organisation failed to develop the property after twenty years that it was allocated to the company.
He explained that DAAR Communications does not have any document to lay claim to the land, including some of the facilities AIT and Raypower FM had been using.
According to him, “Originally the structure they were using and the mast they claimed to own do not belong to them. Ab initio, part of those structures belong to Radio Nigeria, they ceded that place to Rivers State Government.
“DAAR Communications does not have any document to prove that the land or those facilities belong to them. We are talking of over 400 plots of land here,” he added.
The Works Commissioner disclosed that the plots of land have been allocated to Rivers indigenes for development saying that the state government has started construction of a network of roads and drains on the vast land in view of creating the Government Residential Area (GRA) Phase 5.
“Now we have fenced out the undeveloped portion of the land, as I speak to you, all of those plots have been allocated to Rivers indigenes for immediate development.
“A network of roads and drains is being done so that it will become a kind of estate for Rivers people. The state government wants that place to be GRA Phase 5,” he stated.
He also clarified that the action of the state government was not connected with the political feud that existed between immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and the late founder of Daar Group, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
“That is totally fictitious and irresponsible, maliciously woven to tarnish the image of the immediate past governor of Rivers State.
“The former governor of the state took this decision solely for the interest of Rivers State and not for any political vendetta. The interest of one business man cannot override the interest of millions of Rivers people,” the Commissioner added.
