News
Petrol Sale Resumes In Rivers …Cause Of Scarcity Resolved
The Rivers State Petroleum Products Monitoring Task Force has assured that normal sale of petrol has been restored in filling stations in the state.
Chairman of the task force, Fobo Fiberesima gave the assurance Monday while speaking to newsmen after three days of fuel scarcity in Port Harcourt.
Said he: “The present fuel situation in the state is due to power failure at the Port Harcourt Refinery, and I wish to inform the public that there is normalcy now and that there is power at the loading point at the moment. I have seen some movement of trucks.”
Fiberesima also said the task force would monitor the sale of petroleum products in all filling stations.
Similarly, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) noted that poor power supply at the Port Harcourt Refinery was responsible for the recent fuel scarcity in the state.
Its chairman, Sunny Mkpeh told The Tide that loading of petroleum products commenced last Monday after the issue was rectified.
“Apparently, what is causing the petroleum scarcity was have now is because in the past few days, there has been a fault at the Port Harcourt Refinery gas turbine, which has been rectified by yesterday (Sunday).
“As I talk to you now, full loading has commenced and the depot in working now, “so. May be, by the end of today and tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday), normal sales will resume,” he said.
The IPMAN chairman also advised the government to intervene in the situation at the Port Harcourt Refinery to ensure it works at optimum capacity.
“At this moment, we call on the state Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to please intervene, talk to NNPC and the Federal Government to make crude oil available to the refinery so that we can run and put permanent end to this problem of perennial scarcity of petroleum products and have enough AGO, PMS and DPK.”
He also advised petroleum marketers against selling the product above the pump price of N97.00
Meanwhile, motorists in Port Harcourt have lamented the stress they have been passing through before buying fuel from filling stations since the last weekend.
Some of the motorists, who spoke to The Tide, said they were forced to remain in long queens at filling stations due to the scarcity of fuel in most filling stations.
Some filling station managers, interviewed, however, attributed the scarcity to panic buyers who speculated an increase in the pump price of petrol.
They said there was no increase in the pump price of fuel, adding that there was no plan to increase the pump price of fuel.
Corroborating the views of the petroleum products monitoring task force chairman and IPMAN, the managers said “the fuel scarcity at the weekend was due to power failure at the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The problem has been rectified and we have started normal loading today (Monday). We don’t know where they got their information that we are not loading and that there will be price increase, they said.
Corroborating the state government’s position, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), blamed the fuel scarcity in Port Harcourt on power failure at the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The IPMAN Chairman, Mr Sunny Nkpe, said in an interview in Port Harcourt yesterday, that the turbines at the refinery developed a fault, a development which led to the disruption of products loading.
Nkpe, however said the problem had been rectified and that the refinery had resumed loading of products.
“The depot is working now. I think, by end of today and tomorrow, these queues would disappear.
“We call on the state government to please intervene and talk to NNPC and Federal Government to make crude oil available to the refinery so that we can run and put permanent end to this perennial scarcity of all the products so that we can have AGO (Diesel), PMS (petrol).
“AGO is what drives the economy; DPK is what poor people use. So if there is no crude oil, the CDU plant would not run and when CDU plant does not run, there won’t be AGO, there won’t be DPK.”
Nkpe, however, condemned the arbitrary increase of the pump price of fuel, saying IPMAN was against it.
“We have compliant unit; this administration under me would not tolerate any member selling products above the approved pump price.
“So our members are well-briefed; they are well-packaged for this mission.
“Once all the products start coming out, of course, the public will see the delivery; it’s going to be efficient and effective.”
Shedie Okpara
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.