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Sarah Jibril Backs EFCC List
The lone female presidential aspirant ion the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs Sarah Jibril says she is full support of the advisory list of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to checkmate people with criminal records from going into governance.
Jibril, who gave his backing to EFCC advisory list during an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said time has come for only people with clean records to be allowed into governance so that they will add values into the system.
“The female presidential aspirant however, expressed displeasure over what he called wrong definition of democracy and leadership; arguing that there is a lot of hypocrisy; a lot of double standard; a lot of controversies by the key political players.
“There is a battle of liberation versus stagnation; deliberate intention to keep Nigeria away from development.
“Successive governments are planning to intimidate me and destroy my inputs. It is a deliberate thing so that I will not have the resources to compete with them.
According to Jibril, leadership is not by money and putting big price tags on collection of forms that means they have zoned the presidency to the rich.
“Every time they come up with big money for forms; that means they have zoned the presidency of this country to only the rich that have money. “Leadership is not by money; it is by the consistency of the integrity and character of the person; rather than see me as an asset, I am seen as a threat.
“Why are good women of this country not seen as assets; they are not supported? It is a shame for men to be competing for positions with women in a frontline country in the democratisation of Africa.
She, however, said she was on a rescue mission and paying N1 million for it was not too much if the women really wanted to salvage the nation.
“We are all stakeholders; this time around, I am on a rescue mission by the right hand of God and I know that God will not put me and all his children to shame.
“However, asking to pay ten percent is not too much; I have paid my N1 million expression of interest fee. I have filled the form the nomination form and I have returned it.
“Let the women be told that if they are ready to nurture Nigeria back to sanity, it carries value. 1 million is much; but it surmountable for the sake of this nation,” she added.
Sarah Jibril had on August 26 declared her intention to run for president on the platform of the PDP. That will make it the fifth time the Kwara State born politician would be aspiring for the presidential ticket.
Meanwhile, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the judiciary to speed up the trial of corruption cases in the country.
The Chairman of the commission, Mrs Farida Waziri, made the appeal in Abuja when she received the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Joseph Dauda (SAN).
“It is my view that we should all come to a point where the judiciary should declare speedy trial of all corruption cases if the accused persons are not ready to prove their innocence.
“This is where I believe your intervention will forever be appreciated by posterity,” Waziri said.
According to her, it is the accused persons that approach the court to seek speedy trial on the ground of proving their innocence to the law court.
She said that she had instituted more than 55 cases within the last two years in office as the chairman, adding that most of the cases were stalled at the plea stage due to the numerous antics of the accused persons.
“I have approached your predecessors in the past to join hands with us so that we can collectively salvage our nation from the grip and weight of corruption.
“I am seizing this opportunity to renew the same call and I am sure you will do your best,’’ Waziri pleaded.
The anti graft chief said there was no other means to fight the course of justice other than the law court and insisted that was why she had remained committed to the rule of law since she assumed office.
She, however, urged the general public to snub an allegation that she was interfering in the judicial process.
On his part, Dauda congratulated her for putting more effort on the fight to free the country from corruption.
He said there was no way an anti-graft executive would not face challenges on that seat, and encouraged Waziri to be firm and resolute as well as continue with the good work of relieving the nation.
“You need to be praying that God should strength you the more and touch the heart of government to provide you with what you need to do this work.
“The battle of corruption is a continuous battle, we condemn it in NBA.
“I don’t want EFCC to be distracted in the performance of their duty and constitutional law. There are already separations of power in the constitution,’’ Dauda said.
He stated that some of the judges were not equipped with relevant materials to help them pronounce judgments on some of the cases.
“Some of the judges also lack the mentality and intellectual capacity to deal with corruption cases which amounts to the delay of judgments.
“Until we get the court structure right, we will continue to have blame from one angle or the other. Investigation and prosecution of persons is where the problem is,’’ Dauda said.
He pledged the readiness of NBA to partner with the commission and called on it to invest more on investigation
The NBA president was accompanied on the visit by other top officials of the association.
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.