Tonye Cole, former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, has expressed concern over the state’s economic decline.

Speaking on News Central Television’s Politics HQ on Friday, Cole said Rivers has significantly lagged behind other parts of the country in attracting investment and generating employment.

He noted that FDI inflows into Rivers were negligible compared to Lagos and Abuja.

“Right now, about 98 percent of FDIs coming to Nigeria goes to Lagos; one percent roughly goes to Abuja, and the remaining one percent is shared amongst all other states,” he said.

Cole said the disparity highlighted how much Rivers State had lost ground economically, despite its status as a major oil producer.

He stressed that urgent action was required to rebuild and reposition the state for competitiveness.

“When it comes to unemployment, Lagos state has 5% unemployment rate; Rivers state is at 14%. We are not comparing at all,” he said.

The businessman-turned-politician added that the figures reflected deeper structural problems impacting livelihoods, noting that child mortality rates in Rivers were significantly higher than in Lagos.

“Child mortality in Lagos is 100 deaths out of a thousand. In Rivers state, it is a thousand,” added.

Cole explained that his background in business and entrepreneurship motivated his decision to enter politics, stressing that Rivers needs leaders capable of tackling the state’s economic challenges with practical solutions.

“When you start looking at the numbers, you know there is a big problem, and the problem is real. We are trying to rebuild Rivers state, we are trying to make sure that Rivers state can begin to stand up and compete again,” Cole said.