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PH: As We Await CCTV Cameras
Crime rate in Port Harcourt and its suburbs has in the recent past reached a frenetic and feverish pitch. However, some spirited moves made recently in the state to stem crime rate have yielded good result, as the state Police Command, a forthnight ago, arrested four die-hard armed robbers.
Only last week, the eight suspected kidnappers and armed robbers, arrested by the state police command, confessed to the killing of eight policemen between April and June this year. What’s more, the command has within the last six months arrested over 60 suspected armed robbers and 41 kidnap suspects. This is unfortunate, to say the least.
The state Commissioner of Police, Suleiman Abba who announced this in Port Harcourt while parading some suspected armed robbers, assured the people of the state on the preparedness of the command to improve security in the state.
Not too long ago, the state police command apprehended about 55 suspected criminals involved in kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and other vices in the state. Similarly, the command dismissed no fewer than 10 policemen for violent conduct to members of the public.
Viewed against this backdrop, it is obviously a welcome development to hear that the state police command will soon install Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on the roads in Port Harcourt.
The state Police Commissioner who dropped the hint, said the move is part of efforts to ensure effective monitoring of its officers and men, manning road blocks, as well as improve security on the roads.
His words: “Our men at the road blocks will be monitored with CCTV cameras to enable us see what they are doing. This is so because anything they do will be outright dismissal if we find anyone engaged in corrupt practices.”
Indeed, the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) monitors, now in use in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are some of the modern security devices that should be installed in Port Harcourt and its environs without delay, if the spate of crimes is to be stemmed.
One can recall that in 2008, the police authorities installed the CCTV monitors in FCT, Abuja. Mr Haz Iwendi, the Force Public Relations Officer, at the time, who announced the installation of the security devices, said the television monitors would enhance security surveillance in the federal capital. His words: “The idea is for us to be able to cover the entire FCT, and be able to crackdown on all criminal activities and those behind them.”
The police authorities, no doubt, need to be commended for the installation of CCTV monitors in Abuja and its suburbs, especially the federal government that provided the funds with which the police procured and installed the security devices.
But while lauding the nation’s police for the landmark achievement in crime control, one would want to urge the authorities to extend the gesture to other major cities across the country. Yes, the CCTV monitors should not be limited to only Abuja and its environs. Cities such as Port Harcourt, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Enugu, among others, also need (urgently) such modern security surveillance devices to checkmate the antics of men of the underworld and other miscreants unleashing terror on law-abiding citizens residing in these cities.
It is common knowledge that the spate of crime in some major cities in the country has in the recent past assumed an alarming proportion. Therefore, the introduction of CCTV cameras to check the antics of criminals should not for any reason be an exclusive affair for Abuja and its suburbs.
Agreed, Abuja is the nation’s federal capital city and should be provided with the best security surveillance devices. But security reports across the country indicate that other cities have in the recent past, witnessed an upsurge in crime wave.
It would be recalled that the erstwhile Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, lamented that the spate of crime in the country, especially in major cities, had continued to soar in spite of steps taken to stem the tide of crime.
Accusing the nation’s police commissioners, at the time, of not helping matters, Ehindero, however assured Nigerians that everything possible would be done to nip in the bud, the antics of criminals in major cities. Again, the immediate past Police Inspector-General, Mike Okiro, also re-echoed same. Yet, criminals have been on the prowl in Port Harcourt and other major cities across the country.
Well, since the police authorities have taken some dogged steps to install CCTV cameras in FCT, Abuja, the cameras should be installed not only in Port Harcourt but other major cities in the country because, what is worth doing is worth doing well.
All said, as we await the installation of CCTV cameras in Port Harcourt, it is hoped that the project will not remain in the pipeline like most of the police projects, yet to be executed, years after they were proposed.
FRIDAY NWINUDEE
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.