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N’Deltans Back NDDC Probe … As NYCN Berates Commission Over Poor Performance
Barely 24 hours after the Presidency set up a panel to probe the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), stakeholders in the region have described the move as a step in the right direction.
Speaking in separate interviews with The Tide in Port Harcourt, a cross section of stakeholders said that the probe will help to sanitise the commission of corrupt practices, stressing that since the inception of the present management, the commission has been embroiled in crisis with nothing to show for it.
In his view, a Port Harcourt-based public relations practitioner, Mr Amabipi Martins described the probe as a welcome development.
Martins also said that the move has satisfied the yearnings and aspiration of indigenes of the region who want the commission to be probed.
‘It is a matter of public interest. This present management has been embroiled in crisis, nothing seems to be happening. The Presidency has a good reason for setting up the probe and it is the right thing to do”.
He questioned the criteria used in the selection of the present crop of management of the NDDC, pointing out that those who did the selection only thought of their interest.
In his view, Pastor Sokari Soberekon, a Port Harcourt based cleric said that the proposed probe is in order as the commission has performed below expectation.
In his words, “NDDC has to be probed. They have performed below expectation”.
The chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Opobo/Nkoro chapter, Dr Sofiri S. Peterside (Jnr) said that the chapter welcomes the probe of the NDDC by the Presidency.
According to him, the probe would unravel the massive corruption and looting of funds being carried out at the NDDC and called on the committee to do a thorough work by exposing all the rot at the commission
President Goodluck Jonathan last Wednesday approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to probe the operations of the NDDC.
A statement issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, in Abuja, named Mr Steve Oronsaye as chairman of the committee, while Messrs Bamidele Aturu, and B. O. N. Oti, a representative of the Bureau for Public Procurement, and Sen. Bassey Ewa- Henshaw are members.
Other members are Mrs Koripamo-Agari and Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, while Mr Raymond Brown of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, will serve as Secretary.
The statement said the committee is to assess and evaluate a sample inventory of some NDDC projects and evaluate the contractors’ pre-qualification process and the roles and relationship of the board, management and staff of the commission.
It is also to evaluate the procurement practices of the commission and its compliance with the letter and spirit of the Public Procurement Act.
Others are, to evaluate the institutionalisation of the orientation of personnel of the commission at all levels, in order to inform and manage expectations.
It is also to evaluate fund management and other variables, including checks and balances that can be improved upon so as to strengthen the commission.
The committee is also charged with evaluating compliance or otherwise, with the Public Service Rules and extant Civil Service Rules and Regulations.
The committee is expected to make recommendations to government in its bid to address institutional weaknesses and guide its constructive intervention on issues. The committee was given two weeks to conclude its assignment.
Meanwhile, the Committee set up by the Federal Government to look into the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) yesterday in Abuja assured President Goodluck Jonathan that it would carry out its assignment without fear or favour.
The Committee’s Chairman, Mr Stephen Oronsaye, gave this assurance in his acceptance remarks after being sworn in by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim.
“Members of the seven-member committee are no doubt aware of the challenging task ahead of us in this national assignment; but as people of integrity, I am confident that we shall carry out this national assignment in line with our terms of reference, without fear or favour,’’ Oronsaye said.
Oronsaye, who is the immediate past Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, noted that President Jonathan was eager to deliver on his promises to the Nigerian people.
In line with this, he said, “we shall neither leave any stone unturned nor any fact uncovered in our mission. The Jonathan administration wants quick, but well thought-out recommendations.
“We look forward to that challenge with great enthusiasm and, with God on our side, we shall deliver positive results.”
The committee chairman, who said he and the other members were humbled by the appointment, pointed out that both the presidential mandate and the committee’s goal were clear.
The committee’s mandate is “to carry out an objective assessment of the goings-on in the NDDC, using extant rules for measurement, and to come up with a report that is foolproof on the way forward.
“With the help of our Creator, we shall use the two weeks allotted to consult with stakeholders, assess our findings and brainstorm on the best approach to make the NDDC more effective and accountable,’’ he said.
While thanking President Jonathan for appointing the committee members “out of a mass of qualified Nigerians to look into the problems of the NNDC’’, Oronsaye pledged their resolve to honour the President’s trust and the confidence reposed in them.
In another development, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Opobo/Nkoro chapter in Rivers State has criticsed the Niger Delta Development Commission for abandoning the electricity projects initiated by the Commission at Opobo town.
The chairman of the Youth Council, Dr Sofiri Peters who said this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt noted that all entreaties made by the youths body to get the contactor back to site proved abortive.
He said that apart from the abandoned electricity project, transformers dumped in Opobo Town by the commission were not functioning, describing the situation as a deliberate act by the commission to scheme the local government area out of its developmental programme.
While stressing that the youths would not hesitate to drag NDDC to court if the project is not completed, he regretted that Opobo./Nkoro should be subjected to such treatment in view of its contributions to the establishment of the commission.
According to him, the situation is a testimony to the fact that the commission is not impacting positively on the people of the Niger Delta.
Dr Peterside said that, it was against this background that Opobo/Nkoro youths welcome the move by the presidency to probe the commission.
Meanwhile, the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Opobo/Nkoro chapter has urged the chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Council, Hon Maclean Uranta to put in place an enduring legacy for youths in the area.
The Chairman, Dr Sofiri Peterside who said this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt also stressed the need for moral reorientation of youths in the area.
He used the occasion to disclose plans by the council to commission its office next month.
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Our Legacy’ll Leave Lasting Impression On Rivers People -Fubara
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will collaborate and continue to consult widely in delivering a liberated State experiencing enduring peace.
Fubara said, in doing so, he would not operate as a dictator but as a member of a team that has the best interest of the State at heart and determined to leave a lasting legacy that can be celebrated.
The governor spoke during the formal presentation of Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Michael Tom, as first class tradition ruler, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Fubara stated that, during the Sixth State Executive Council meeting, N80.8billion was approved with 50 percent contract value paid already as the Government awarded the construction of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road.
He said the project will be funded from the savings from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to underscore his administration’s prudence without also borrowing to complete the project.
“We are at a crossroad in our State where we all need to stand for what is right. It happens once in a life time. So, for now, be one of those people that will be in the course to liberate and free our dear State.
“And I know strongly that having the support of a peace-loving Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, having the support of the wonderful Council of Chiefs, having the support of the great people of Rivers State, we will bring peace in our State. We will do those things that are right to develop our State.
“We will continue to consult. We will not act as dictators. We will act as people who know that one day, we will leave, and when we leave, the way we have acted will speak for us. We will not force people to talk good about us. Our legacy will be a signature for how we led”, the governor said.
Fubara explained that he acted within the ambit of the law to upgrade the traditional stool upon which King Ateke Tom sits in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in Okrika, and indeed, the State, and urged him to continue to do justice to everyone.
In his speech, Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon Charles Amadi, congratulated King Ateke Tom for being formally presented with the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office as first class traditional ruler.
Also speaking, former Transport Minister, Chief Abiye Sekibo, thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise of upgrading the traditional stool of Okochiri Kingdom, and pledged the support of Kirike Se people to his administration.
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We’re Determined To Leave Legacy Of Quality Education -Fubara
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has promised to give the best attention to the education sector so that standard and quality learning will never be compromised in the State.
The governor emphasised that in achieving such legacy, schools in the State will be driven with a curriculum that will equip school-aged children to become competitive, innovative and self-reliant.
Governor Fubara made the assertion while inaugurating the Governing Council of Rivers State University at Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
He said: “There is a lot of noise everywhere: people asking what we are doing; that we are not focused, and that we don’t have direction.
”But I want to tell the world that we are focused and aware that we cannot grow if our energies are not channeled to education. Not just education, but purposeful education.
”Education that is creative. Education that gives you independence. We have left the era in the world when you speak too much grammar. We are in such times when it is what you can do with your hands.
”Our purpose for education is that we should bring back our academic programmes to where, at the end of your studies, you don’t need a job but you create jobs. When one creates a job, you automatically employ others. That is what I want this council to see as their task.”
Governor Fubara noted the non-existence of public secondary schools for the male child in the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.
He said such negligence leaves children in that area who have completed primary education, and whose parents cannot afford sending them to far away secondary schools, to roam the streets, and therefore becoming willing tools for criminality.
Governor Fubara assured that such fundamental problem will be addressed by his administration as a measure to curb the negative impression associated with Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.
The governor said he trusts in the capacity of the members of the Governing Council of Rivers State University to bring about positive change in the institution while also contributing their quota to improving the general education standard in the State.
”I charge you, not just in terms of administering the affairs of the university, but let us add something different from the normal things that we already have to see new things.”
In her response, on behalf of the other members, the Pro-Chancellor of the Governing Council of Rivers State University, Justice Mary Odili (rtd), thanked the governor for finding them worthy to serve in such capacity.
Justice Odili assured they will work assiduously as a team to solve the problems that agitate the mind of the governor and ensure their contributions form part of the legacy that will be bequeathed by his administration.
The members included Justice Mary Odili (rtd) as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council with Barrister Mela Oforibika and Chukwuma Chinwo, Esq.
Others were Adata Bio-Briggs, Esq., Dr. Jonathan Nimi Hart, Ngo Martins-Yellowe, Dr. Nancy Nwankwo, Dr. Igoni William-Park, and Mr. Ogbugbu Barisua.
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Fubara, Others Eulogise Rivers First Lady’s Mother
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, and key stakeholders of the State on Wednesday paid glowing tributes at the Service of Songs held in honour of late Mrs Adeline Jaja, mother of the wife of the Governor, Lady Valerie Fubara, at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Mile 1, Diobu, Port Harcourt.
Speaking at the event, Governor Fubara described his late mother-in-law as a great and visionary woman who lived on truth and conviction in what she believes.
“Mama was a great woman. She wasn’t a materialistic person. When she believes in you, she’ll be all out for you. She stood for me. I feel pained that, like my own mother, she left at this moment.
”Mama believed so much in God, and the wonders of God. I thank everyone, particularly the Church. On behalf of the bereaved family, we will support the Church to immortalise her name,” the Governor said.
In his homily, Vicar of the Church, Ven. A. A. Ijon-Ama, who spoke on the gains of death, said physical departure from earth was not an ultimate end but an opening for higher and permanent gain and perfection.
He pointed out that when a man has a good relationship with God, he stands to gain more in death.
Ven. Ijon-Ama described late Mrs. Adeline Jaja as a devout Christian, who exuded deep sense of hospitality, and endowed with accommodating spirit, noting that she will be greatly missed by all.
The Vicar, who prayed for the repose of the soul of Mrs Adeline Jaja, also solicited for Divine fortitude for the family to bear the great loss, and called for the immortalisation of the deceased to keep her good legacies alive.
Some family members, who spoke at the Service of Songs, extolled the virtues of the deceased, describing her as “a great community leader, counsellor, peace maker, and caring mother, who provided for the needy, and participated actively in Church activities.
Highlights of the event were special prayers for the bereaved family, conducted by the Anglican Bishop of Evo Diocese, Rt. Rev. Innocent Ordu; remarks by key family members, choir ministration, among others.
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