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FG Spends N49bn On 11 Roads …As Jonathan Seeks Financial Autonomy For PDP
The Federal Government, says it has spent over N49 billion to complete 11 federal road projects across the country in the last one year.
The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, made this known yesterday while giving the stewardship of his ministry to newsmen in Abuja.
The briefing was in line with the ministerial platform approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to mark the 2012 Democracy Day as well as the one year anniversary of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Onolememen said that the 11 roads were part of the 168 road construction/rehabilitation projects inherited by the administration.
The minister said the completed roads had been provided with the necessary road signs and markings.
“The first on the list which is in the North Central zone is the construction of Bomp-Manchok road, the amount paid to date amounts to about N3.8 billion, still in the North Central, the Langtan-Tukur-Shendam road in Plateau State, the amount paid to date stands at N4.5 billion.
“The completion of the construction of the Gembu-Tongu road in Adamawa State and to date the ministry has paid about N4.6 billion, in the construction of Gombe-Numa-Yola road in Adamawa State, to date, the ministry has paid N3.8 billion.
“ The Gombe bye pass in Gombe State, to date the ministry has paid the sum of N2.1 billion, the access road to the Kaduna refinery, this project has recorded 100 per cent completion and to date the ministry has paid N800 million.
“On Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Yar’Ádua road in Katsina State, to date though the project stands at 100 per cent completion, the ministry has paid N3.8 billion.
“On the rehabilitation of the Aba-Owerri road in Abia and Imo States, to date the ministry has paid about N1.8 billion, on the rehabilitation of the Adaoru-Nsukka-Adani road in Enugu State, the ministry has paid the total sum of N1 billion.
“On the Onitsha-Owerri dual carriage road, to date the ministry has paid N19 billion, on the construction of Eleme junction fly over in Rivers State, to date the ministry has paid N5.6 billion.”
He said that the ministry was working assiduously to deliver on the roads based on available resources.
The minister said that government was also working to ensure that additional funds were accessed to complete other major road projects across the country.
On the provision of road signs and markings on major high ways, the minister explained that some of the newly completed roads had been provided with the necessary facilities, adding that the provision of road signs and markings was to ensure the safety of road users.
Onolememen, however, said roads that had been opened to users without road signs were not fully completed, adding that the Federal Government had decided to open such roads to ease the sufferings of road users.
The ministerial platform continues tomorrow with presentations from the Ministries of Water Resources, Agriculture and Environment.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to seek ways of generating funds internally to free itself from the influence of money bags.
The President gave the advice in Abuja at a forum with the new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
Jonathan noted that achieving financial autonomy would free the party from depending on donations from rich party members, who in turn, would influence its decisions in one way or the other.
“Members of the party must pay monthly contributions based on our guidelines.
“We must all work to create an avenue where the party will source for funding, so that if you are the chairman of the party, members of the working committee can manage the party without excessive influence from people.
“Even though we expect all money bags to be in PDP, but we don’t want the money bags to influence the activities of the party,’’ he said.
According to the President, the party must come up with programmes that would make it financially self sustaining.
Jonathan pledged to always carry the party along in the running and implementation of government policies and programmes.
“My cabinet is totally committed and we will not come up with any major programme without involving the party.
“Whether you are in the executive or parliamentary arm of government, we all belong to our party and we must project the agenda of the party.
The President urged the party leadership to feel free to request all cabinet members to brief them on the activities of the government.
He challenged the party not to shy away from its responsibility of giving direction to the government and the legislature, to enhance good governance in the country.
The president admonished the party to enforce discipline among members, irrespective of status, adding that the leadership must ensure that the party’s guidelines were followed and implemented to the latter.
“In South Africa, the ANC can admonish the President because the party is superior’’.
In his goodwill message, the pioneer National chairman of PDP, Chief Solomon Lar urged the new leadership of the party to remain united and make patriotism their watchword.
Chairman, Convention Committee, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamangar Tukur, in their separate speeches, assured the President of their unflinching support.
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.